Ettlingen Castle

The origins of the palace date back to the 13th century when a medieval castle was built to protect the town after Ettlingen was granted city status in 1192. After the Margraves of Baden acquired the town in 1219, they further expanded the castle, remnants of which, including parts of the castle tower and the keep, are still visible today. In the 16th century, a Renaissance palace with two round corner towers and a half-timbered upper floor for the keep was erected on this site. However, this three-winged complex was completely destroyed by French troops in 1689 during the War of the Palatine Succession. Margravine Augusta Sibylla chose Ettlingen as her widow's residence after her husband's death and, from 1727, had a four-winged Baroque palace built from Lossburg sandstone on the ruins. The construction, under the direction of Johann Michael Ludwig Rohrer, was completed in 1733. After the Margravine's death in the same year, the palace served various purposes, including as a guesthouse, military hospital, and non-commissioned officer school, before passing into the possession of the city of Ettlingen in 1912.