New Castle (Stuttgart)

New Palace of Stuttgart
(German: Neues Schloss)
Baden-Württemberg's Coat of Arms
From the Garden
Stuttgart, Germany Show map of Baden-Württemberg Stuttgart, Germany Show map of Germany Location in Baden-Wurttemberg
General information
Status	Complete
Type	Palace
Architectural style	Baroque
Classification	Schloss
Location	Stuttgart-Center, Baden-Württemberg
Address	Stuttgart Schlossplatz 4, 70173 Stuttgart
Town or city	Stuttgart
Country	Germany
Coordinates	48°46′41″N 9°10′55″E / 48.77806°N 9.18194°E / 48.77806; 9.18194Coordinates: 48°46′41″N 9°10′55″E / 48.77806°N 9.18194°E / 48.77806; 9.18194
Current tenants	Baden-Württemberg Ministries of Finance and Economy
Groundbreaking	1746
Construction started	1746
Completed	1807
Renovated	1958 to 1964
Demolished	1945
Cost	600,000 florins
Client	Duke Charles Eugene of Württemberg
Owner	Baden-Württemberg
Design and construction
Architect	Nikolaus Friedrich Thouret, Leopold Retti, Philippe da la Guepière, Reinhard Heinrich Ferdinand Fischer
Known for	Residence of the Dukes and Kings of Württemberg
Other information
Number of rooms	365+
Website
www.neues-schloss-stuttgart.de

The New Palace (German: Neues Schloss) is an 18th century Baroque palace and is one of the last large city palaces built in Southern Germany. The palace is located in the center of Stuttgart on the Schlossplatz in front of the Jubiläumssäule column and Konigsbau. Public tours of the building are only permitted by special arrangement, as the building contains some government offices. Once a historic residence of the Kings of Württemberg, the New Palace derives its name from its commissioning by Duke Carl Eugen of Württemberg to replace the Old Castle in the early years of his reign. Originally, Charles commissioned Nikolaus Friedrich Thouret, but architects Leopold Retti, Philippe da la Guepière, Reinhard Heinrich Ferdinand Fischer would contribute to the design, history, and construction of the palace.

In 1737, then Duke of Württemberg Charles Alexander died leaving his nine year old Charles Eugene as Duke prematurely. He was not yet old enough to rule the Duchy, so he was sent to be educated and study in the court of then King of Prussia Frederick the Great while the court of Württemberg was run by magistrates. In 1744, Charles Eugene came of age at 16 years of age, and returned to Stuttgart to assume his throne. Upon arriving, he desired a new residence proper residence which is convenable to his royal dignity and the amplitude of his royal household" in the city of Stuttgart and even threatened to move the capital back out of Stuttgart to Ludwigsburg Palace. The Württemberg Diet, who had lost the traditional role of capital of the Duchy for decades to the smaller and unfortified Ludwigsburg, insisted that the palace and seat of the power be moved back into Stuttgart because it would mean increased pride and political and economic power coming to rest in the city once again. So it was that Charles Eugene decided to build his palace upon the Schlossplatz.