Bären Castle

The Bärenschlössle in Stuttgart-Vaihingen, amidst the Rotwildpark (Red Deer Park), is a historic castle. Originally conceived as a pleasure palace, it now serves as a restaurant.

The origins of the Bärenschlössle date back to 1768, when Duke Carl Eugen had the first building constructed in the "Old Roman" style. This two-story pavilion offered views of the artificially created Bärensee (Bear Lake), on which gondolas, brought by the Duke from a trip to Italy, floated. After Carl Eugen's death in 1783, the castle fell into disrepair, and in 1817, it was finally demolished. In the same year, King Wilhelm of Württemberg commissioned the construction of a new, larger hunting lodge on the same site. This octagonal building, translocated from Freudental, served as a focal point for staged hunts. The park was expanded into a game reserve, which was accessible only with an annual pass until World War I. After 1919, the game park became public.