The palace was built in the 16th century by Ulrich, Duke of Württemberg as a castle and part of a greater system of defensive works.

[6] Ulrich's son and successor, Duke Christoph, completed construction on the complex with the addition of a 75 meters (246 ft) series of casemates called the Erdenberg.

[8] Duke Eberhard Louis's wife, Johanna von Baden-Durlach, moved into Kirchheim Palace in 1735 rather than Leonberg Castle, and she made some modest revisions to the residence.

[9] In the mid-18th century, Duke Charles Eugene in particular made use of Kirchheim Palace and Stuttgart's Schloss Solitude for his hunting trips.

Charles Eugene fell in love with Franziska over the trip and ended his relationship with his mistress, Catharina Bonafini.

The two built Hohenheim Palace, which was deeded to Franziska by Charles Eugene in 1772, but when the Duke died in 1791, this was not respected.

[12] Henriette also became very involved in the municipal community after Louis's death, establishing vocational schools and orphanages, and organizing outreach programs.

[2] Kirchheim Castle is one of the monuments and maintained by the heritage agency Staatliche Schlösser und Gärten Baden-Württemberg [de].

The grand living spaces on the south side of the second floor are set up as a palace museum and are open to the public.

The first of these was for Franziska von Hohenheim who, in the 1790s, tasked Reinhard Heinrich Ferdinand Fischer with the expansion of the castle into a palace.

The final remodeling was by Henriette von Nassau-Weilburg, and it is this arrangement and decor that presently exists at Kirchheim Palace.

[18] A watercolor painting made 14 years after Franziska's death show the walls as being covered by blue wallpaper with white curtains.