Württemberg's only preserved late medieval residential palace is located in Bad Urach at the edge of the Swabian Jura Mountains. The royal residence was built beginning in 1443 following the division of the earldom as the seat of Count Ludwig I of Württemberg and modeled on the Old Palace (Altes Schloss) in Stuttgart, and it was here that Count Eberhard im Bart and Barbara Gonzaga of Mantua celebrated a sumptuous wedding in 1474. After the earldom of Württemberg war reunited in 1482, it continued to be a popular residential and hunting palace of the Dukes of Württemberg. Duke Carl Eugen (1728-1793) also loved to stay in the rooms of Urach Palace and put on splendid hunts there.
The "Dürnitz" or Hall of Palms (Palmensaal), the Golden Hall (Goldener Saal) and various other rooms bear witness to the tastes of the palace's various owners. For example, the Golden Hall is one of the most beautiful preserved Renaissance halls, and the White Hall (Weißer Saal) is adorned with gorgeous stuccowork from the Rococo age.
Special guided tours recount the wedding of Count Eberhard im Bart or take visitors back to the age of 18th century court culture. Another attraction of the palace is the impressive collection of sleds of the Landesmuseum (State Museum) of Stuttgart. With its 22 magnificent sleds from three centuries, it is the world's largest sled collection.
You can get a brief summary on our flyer >>> Urach Residential Palace