Bebenhausen Abbey was also to play a brief role in post-World War II German politics, as the parliament of the French-controlled state of Württemberg-Hohenzollern devised their constitution at the monastery.

Bebenhausen Abbey also became a residence of the House of Württemberg as a hunting retreat and was especially favored by its rulers for its location in the Schönbuch.

In response, Rudolph granted the Cistercian project the freedom of not having to recognizing a vogt, a noble charged with lordship over and protection of a monastery, in mid-1211.

[2] The Bebenhausen chapter acquired pfleghofe [de] (comparable to monastic granges) as far away as present-day Ludwigsburg and sold their produce in such cities as Stuttgart, Tübingen, Esslingen, and Ulm.

[5] Per the Rule of St. Benedict, land owned by the Order had to be worked by its lay brothers,[5] of which there were up to 130 at Bebenhausen in the 13th century, with another 80 choir monks.

Peter von Gomaringen added, in spite of Cistercian rules, a stone ridge turret over the crossing of the church.

[3] As the Schönbuch was a popular hunting ground, the Counts of Württemberg became frequent guests of the monastery from that date onward.

[2] Following the death of the last Catholic abbot of Bebenhausen on 21 December 1534, half of the 36 monks at the monastery professed the Lutheran faith.

[4] Ulrich's son and successor, Christoph, issued a Church Order in 1559 that made education mandatory for every male inhabitant of the duchy.

[8] In 1650, Johannes Valentinus Andreae, who had in 1645 made Württemberg the first European state to extend compulsory education to every citizen, was appointed director of Bebenhausen's seminary.

From that retreat, Frederick celebrated his 58th birthday and held several days of feasting and hunting, called the "Festival of Diana", beginning on 9 November 1812.

William's own son and heir, Charles I, spent his autumns at Bebenhausen, and tasked architect August Beyer [de] with renovating the palace's rooms.

[13] Württemberg's final monarchs, William II and Charlotte of Schaumburg-Lippe, were avid hunters and spent two weeks of every autumn at Bebenhausen.

[7][14] The couple entertained a large amount of guests at Bebenhausen, including Wilhelm II, the German Emperor, in 1893.

[16] Following the conclusion of World War II, Germany was divided into French, American, British, and Soviet zones of occupation.

[18] The French civilian government established itself in Baden-Baden, while their military headquarters was in Freudenstadt,[19] not far from Württemberg-Hohenzollern's capital at Tübingen.

[21] The summer refectory was closed to visitors in January 2016 following the appearance of large cracks in its vaulting as a result in a fault in its eastern wall.

[28] The southeastern complex of buildings, constituted by the guest house, hospital, abbot's kitchen, and a courtyard, were transformed by Charles I into Bebenhausen Palace.

Charles I had the rooms of the palace renovated in the Gothic and Renaissance Revival styles by August Beyer [de] and furnished with items from the royal collection.

Some early Gothic architecture, imported from Burgundy in the 13th century, is found in the chapter house, parlatorium, and brother's hall.

[4] From 1335 to 1340, the church was renovated in the Gothic style;[1] the choir windows were added, as was a new altar in the northern transept that is no longer extant.

[34] In accordance with Cistercian doctrine, the east and west sides of the monastery are made up by the monks and lay brothers' dormitories respectively.

When Bebenhausen was a royal residence, the summer refectory also contained suits of plate armor and trophies of arms.

[38] The winter refectory was the lay brothers' dining hall, modified under the final Catholic abbot of the monastery with heated floors.

The walls are painted with coats of arms, vines, and images of hunting, and with a mural depicting the acts of the Knights of Calatrava, a Spanish religious military order.

The guesthouse was transformed into the Blue Hall in 1870 and was furnished by King Charles I with hunting trophies, a replica chandelier and dining set copied from a manor in Ulm.

Additional inventory includes pieces of Charles Eugene's majolica collection and the sword of the first Duke of Württemberg.

On the west wall is an additional painting, by Julius Mössel [de], of Náchod Castle [cs], where Charlotte grew up.

[41] On the ground floor of the Kapff building is the palace kitchen, which was massively expanded in 1913 from its original 26 meters (85 ft) and refurnished three years later.