Scharnhäuser Castle

In 1784, the Duke Carl Eugen of Württemberg (1728-1793) built a small pleasure palace on the outskirts of the village, where he intended to relax from government affairs: "Carolus Otio" (Latin for Carl at leisure) is carved into the triangular gable above the year.

The palace - which is kept in a simple classical style - was designed by the court architect Reinhard Ferdinand Friedrich Fischer.

Following the example of Wörlitz Park in Dessau, an English garden was laid out around the "Schlössle" with an artificial hilly landscape, water features with a walkable island, and various buildings, including an artificial ruin and a grotto.

Two of these buildings are still preserved: One is the so-called Cupid Temple, which Carl Eugen allegedly had built for his beloved Franziska von Hohenheim. It is a small, white circular temple (monopteros) resting on 12 simple columns; a pine cone as an ancient symbol of fertility adorns the roof. The palace and temple still stand today - for years, a veterinary practice was housed in the palace and its outbuildings. Today, the palace is a residential building, leased by the Royal Württemberg Family to its residents, and the small temple stands on the hill behind it. King Wilhelm had it relocated in 1822, when Scharnhausen was a royal stud farm, to make more room for his horses.