Solitude Palace

Solitude Palace (German: Schloss Solitude) is a Rococo schloss and hunting retreat commissioned by Charles Eugene, Duke of Württemberg. It was designed by Johann Friedrich Weyhing [de] and Philippe de La Guêpière, and constructed from 1764 to 1769. It is located on an elongated ridge between the towns of Leonberg, Gerlingen and Stuttgart in Baden-Württemberg.

Charles Eugene von Württemberg succeeded his father Charles Alexander as Duke of Württemberg in 1737, when he was only nine. The Duchy of Württemberg was ruled by a regency council until 1744,^{[citation needed]} when Charles Eugene reached the age of majority at 16. His reign would be marked by economic difficulty, political strife, and extravagance.

By the 1760s, Charles Eugene's policies and ambitions had met with failure. He had failed to achieve increased rank and prestige from the War of the Austrian Succession or the Seven Years' War, and had diplomatically isolated Württemberg because of his jostling and means of acquiring war funds. He had repeatedly withdrawn funding from the construction of his palaces, one of which was Monrepos, in Ludwigsburg. Charles Eugene turned his attention back to Stuttgart and, in 1763, he hired of architects led by Philippe de La Guêpière to plan a new palace that received the name "Solitude". Friedrich Christoph Hemmerling was named head gardener and charged with its design and creation.

Priority during construction went towards the two wings next to the palatial building until they were completed in 1766. It was from these that the Duke closely monitored construction.

La Guêpière departed from Württemberg for his native Paris in 1768. He was succeeded as court architect and as director of construction at Solitude by his student, Reinhard Heinrich Ferdinand Fischer.

In 1770, Charles Eugene established the Hohe Karlsschule on the grounds of Solitude Palace. It was at this school that Friedrich Schiller studied in his youth and wrote The Robbers. The school moved into Stuttgart in 1775, the same year the Duke himself shifted his attention to nearby Hohenheim Palace in 1775. The last grand function held at Solitude took place in 1782, after which maintenance of the grounds ceased. From the 1830s, however, King Charles I renovated the palace, while Queen Olga met with her relatives in the palace.

Solitude was abandoned in the 20th century, the gardens fell into disrepair, and the ceiling frescoes by Nicolas Guibal were largely destroyed by water damage.^{[citation needed]} The palace was used in times of war as a military hospital; during World War I, 23 soldiers died on its grounds. Between 1972 and 1983, the government of Baden-Württemberg restored the palace's interiors. From May 1968 to 1986, an autonomous dorm was located in today's academy building. Many of the residents were musicians, actors and dancers, as well as social workers, architects and engineers. Professor K.R.H. Sonderborg from the Stuttgart Art Academy, the conductor Manfred Schreier and the actress Bettina Kupfer were frequent guests.^{[citation needed]}

Solitude Palace's complex is made up by a primary palatial structure, two outbuildings, and some avenues. There was also an extensive garden, laid out by Friedrich Christoph Hemmerling along preexisting paths. Reinhard Heinrich Ferdinand Fischer drew up plans for massive expansions to the garden and palace complex from 1766 to 1772 that closely followed the principles of French horticulturalist Antoine-Joseph Dezallier d'Argenville. The south garden was used for the entertainment of residents and visitors to Solitude and offered a hedge maze, theater, orangery, riding hall, a chinoiserie house, and zoos. The surrounding forests were carefully manicured to facilitate the parforce [fr] style of coursing. The grounds were allowed to fall into disrepair from 1770 onward.