Karlsruhe Palace

Karlsruhe Palace is the radial centre of the entire city of Karlsruhe, famously planned with 32 tree-lined avenues radiating from the palace tower like the spokes of a wheel, creating one of the most distinctive urban layouts in Europe. The palace was built between 1715 and 1718 for Margrave Karl Wilhelm of Baden-Durlach, who chose to locate his new residence in the middle of the Hardtwald forest on a site where he had slept under a tree and dreamed of a new city. The palace itself is a restrained Baroque three-winged building with a central dome and a tall tower from which the full radial plan is visible. The interior houses the Badisches Landesmuseum (Baden State Museum), one of Germany's major regional history museums, with collections spanning from prehistoric archaeological finds through Roman artefacts, medieval sacred art and sculpture, and the spectacular Baden crown jewels including the Margrave's crown. The palace park extends behind the building into the Hardtwald, offering forest walks accessible directly from the city centre. Karlsruhe is on the ICE high-speed line connecting Frankfurt, Stuttgart, and Basel, and the palace is directly in front of Karlsruhe Hauptbahnhof. Visitors should allow two to three hours for the museum, and the palace tower climb is rewarded with the best view of the radial city layout.