Schloss Pirmasens

Constructed in the first half of the 18th century as a hunting lodge for Johann Reinhard III (1665-1736), the last count of Hanau-Lichtenberg, the palace became later the main residence of Louis IX, Landgrave of Hesse-Darmstadt (1719-1790).

The palace in Pirmasens traces its origins to a hunting lodge built either in 1712 or 1720 for Count Johan Reinhard III of Hanau-Lichtenberg.

From their waiting place, the count and his guests could watch the hunters, horses and hounds as they persecuted the frantic stag at great speed.

When the exhausted stag was no longer able to run, the dogs held it fast by biting its throat, ears, legs and muzzle.

[1] From 1741 onwards Louis IX began spending more time in Pirmasens and, in 1757, officially made the city his main residence.

It did not suit the tastes of Louis IX’s wife, Landgravine Caroline, who, unlike her husband, was less focused on military affairs and more passionate about art and music.

At a certain point, she began living separately from him in the Château de Bouxwiller, which she transformed into a "small Versailles" in Alsace, complete with beautiful gardens.

Unlike many rulers of the time, including his relatives, the Landgraves of Hesse-Kassel, he did not engage in the common practice of trading soldiers.

[1] Several administrative and noble residences that had been part of the palace complex initially survived but were all destroyed during the Second World War.

[2] Additionally, a triangular gable from a former noble residence and officer’s casino, dating from 1780 and bearing Louis IX's emblem, can still be seen at Hauptstraße 102.