Donaueschingen Palace

The palace can be visited during guided tours, as well as rented for events[1] In the 14th and 15th centuries, there was already a fortified house here, which was owned by a member of the Blumberg family in 1292.

[2] By 1488, the House of Fürstenberg acquired Donaueschingen from Barbara von Habsburg and subsequently abandoned their castle Burg Entenburg.

Around 1556, Count Friedrich II of Fürstenberg (1496–1559) commissioned the construction of a (much smaller) predecessor building at the site of the current palace.

As the village of Donaueschingen was centrally located, Joseph Wilhelm Ernst, Prince of Fürstenberg (1699–1762) decided to move his capital from Stühlingen to here.

[6] However, things turned out quite differently, and for one simple reason: In 1723, Prince Josef Wilhelm Ernst married Countess Anna Maria von Waldstein.

[6] Naturally, he moved into the palace – a decision that caused significant unrest among the officials who had previously resided there and subsequently triggered extensive construction activity: suitable housing had to be provided for all the employees.

After the burned parts were demolished, a neoclassical ballroom was constructed on the second floor according to designs by the Baden architect Friedrich Weinbrenner, which can be considered his final work.

[5] Atop the central part of the façade, the coat of arms of the Fürstenberg family is displayed alongside two ancient imperial busts of Marcus Aurelius and Lucius Verus, acquired specifically for this purpose in Rome in 1895.

[8] Additionally, the interior was adorned with a grand staircase, leading to an adjoining hall and apartments in Louis XV style.

[5] Concurrently, the park underwent a transformation, echoing the baroque revival aesthetic, including a revision of the Danube source.

He inherited territorial titles in Prussia, Austria, Hungary, Württemberg and Baden, and by virtue of them had a seat in the House of Lords in each of the five states.

Maximillian Egon II engaged the architects of Donaueschingen, Bauqué and Pio, to also redesign the main Fürstenberg country seat in Bohemia, Lány Castle, which is now the summer residence of the president of the Czech Republic.

Noteworthy is the reception hall illuminated by a skylight, which houses, among other things, a wooden bench from around 1520 from the Strozzi family and a Florentine sandstone fireplace from around 1480.