When Duke Eberhard Ludwig laid the cornerstone for a small hunting lodge above the Tälesbach on 7 May 1704, he had no idea that he was creating the core of the largest Baroque castle in Germany and of a city which would at one time play an important role in the politics, art, business, trade and industry of the state.
In 1718, the duke made Ludwigsburg a city and, at the same time, a residence. Under the rule of Duke Carl Eugen (1744 - 93), Ludwigsburg experienced its heyday. Elegant court festivals were held in the castle and the espousal celebration of the duke was one of the most glorious festivals in the history of the courts of that time with a unique firework display.
At first Duke Eberhard Ludwig only thought of having the hunting lodge, which had burnt down, reconstructed when building the residence castle, but when he died thirty years later, above the Neckar valley one of the most impressive German Baroque castles had come into being with extensive gardens and a new capital and residence city. The "Swabian Versailles" consists of a magnificent castle with eighteen buildings arranged around three courtyards and four hundred and fifty two rooms. In addition to the porcelain factory, the castle is also the main venue of the Ludwigsburg Castle Theater Festival.
Today the straight streets, the alleys, the castles and gardens as well as the bulky barracks characterize the unmistakable, special face of Ludwigsburg.

"Swabian Versailles" with 452 rooms in 18 buildings, residence of the kings and dukes of Wuerttemberg, today location of the porcelain factory. The Ludwigsburg Porcelain Factory is one of four factories in Germany and the only one in Baden-Wuerttemberg. On 5 April 1758, Duke Carl Eugen issued the founding decree for the "Porcelain Fabrique" in his residence city Ludwigsburg. In its heyday between 1760 and 1770, the company grew to become one of the most profiled porcelain factories in Europe.