Duke Eberhard Louis of Württemberg founded the palace, and the cornerstone of the Alter Hauptbau was laid in May 1704. Philipp Joseph Jenisch directed the early work, and Johann Friedrich Nette finished most of the palace and gardens between 1707 and 1714. Donato Giuseppe Frisoni then completed the facades, churches and the Neuer Hauptbau, and exterior work was mostly done by 1733. The overall cost was 3 million florins.
It has 452 rooms in 18 buildings, and with its gardens covers 32 hectares, about 79 acres. The article calls it the largest palatial estate in Germany. The style is mainly Baroque, with Austrian, Bohemian and French influences, and Rococo alterations by Philippe de La Guêpière, including the palace theater. Nikolaus von Thouret added Neoclassical work in the early 19th century.
The palace opened to the public in 1918 and survived World War II intact. Baden-Württemberg owns it. It houses several museums.
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