History of Ludwigsburg palace gardens

Built in 1704 by Eberhard Ludwig, Ludwigsburg was given extensive gardens to the north and south of the palace, which changed and grew along with the palace complex. The Italian-style North Garden, of which only the two upper terraces were completed, was relinquished in favour of a style influenced by French and Dutch garden design.

From 1750 onwards, Carl Eugen brought his own ideas to fruition in the South Garden: the areas of the garden which were previously separated by supporting walls – the parterre, orangery and boscage – were reorganised and the axes given even greater definition. The South Garden was extended beyond Schorndorfer Strasse, with avenues creating a spacious link to the town and a new urban system.

Around 1770, the South Garden was emptied and largely leased as a clover meadow. Carl Eugen had turned his attention to other projects.

It was only under Duke Friedrich II (king from 1806) that the decaying park was considered of value again as of 1797. While keeping the avenues as structural elements, a large oval pool with a canal leading towards the palace was created in the South Garden, probably largely based on plans by Friedrich himself. Around the pool were four large sections, each of which had a vase by Isopi at the centre. The front and side gardens were also brought into line with the tastes of the time. The East Garden was created on the site of a former quarry to add a landscape-style atmosphere that was typical of the era.

After King Friedrich, Ludwigsburg once again lost its importance. Under Wilhelm I, who came to power during a period of famine, the garden was opened to the public in 1828. He had the southern parterre planted with fruit trees, the canal filled in and maintenance work reduced to a minimum. He himself lived in the new Schloss Rosenstein palace.