1414 GERMANY (Baden-Württemberg) - "Baroque in Bloom" at Ludwigsburg Palace

Located in Ludwigsburg, at about 12km north of Stuttgart city centre, near the river Neckar, Ludwigsburg Palace (Schloss Ludwigsburg) is one of the country's largest Baroque palaces and features an enormous garden in that style. From the 18th century to 1918 it was the principal royal palace of the dukedom that became in 1806 the Kingdom of Württemberg. It wasn't destroyed during WWII, so today, the palace and its surrounding gardens are in a state similar to their appearance around 1800. It contains three museums (Baroque Gallery, Porcelain Museum, and Baroque Fashion Museum), and its theatre (Europe's oldest preserved theatre) and its stage machinery from 1758 are still operational. The continuous garden show "Baroque in Bloom" (Blühendes Barock), that attracts hundreds of thousands of visitors each year, opened in 1953.

The foundation stone was laid on May 17, 1704 under Duke Eberhard Ludwig of Württemberg, and one year later the site was named Ludwigsburg (Ludwig's castle). In 1709 the duke established the city of Ludwigsburg next to his palace, copying the proximity of Versailles to Paris, and in 1718 Ludwigsburg temporarily became capital and sole residence of the dukes of Württemberg. In 1733, when construction was complete, the baroque style prevailed in Germany. Eventually, successors of Eberhard Ludwig modified the original design, so today, three different styles are dominant: Baroque, Rococo, and Empire. In the 1740s a New Palace was built in Stuttgart, and it was favoured by some of the dukes and kings of Württemberg as their primary residence, but Ludwigsburg remained in use as well.

About the stamp
The stamp, depicting Ludwigslust Palace, is part of the series Burgen und Schlösser (Castles and Palaces), about which I wrote here.

References
Ludwigsburg Palace - Wikipedia

Sender: Michaela (postcrossing)
Sent from Ludwigsburg (Baden-Württemberg / Germany), on 14.01.2015