A „porcelain palace“ to rival any in Europe
Rastatt Favorite Palace
View of Rastatt Favorite Palace

A porcelain palace of European renownThe palace and garden

Rastatt Favorite Palace, near Baden-Baden, is an unusual example of a Baroque palace, and the only fully preserved porcelain palace in Germany. Its decor and luxurious collections as a whole are a work of art of European renown.

Detail of the hall of mirrors, Rastatt Favorite Palace

The luxuriously furnished hall of mirrors.

Splendid rooms rich with detail

Sibylla Augusta was the widow of Margrave Ludwig Wilhelm, who ruled between 1677 and 1707. He built Rastatt Palace. After his death, she assumed rule and rounded out the residential city with additional structures. This included the porcelain palace called Favorite. Many facets of Baroque decor have been preserved here, from the characteristic blue and white tiles to the magnificent apartments. Unusually ornate floors, wall decor and textiles make this palace a true treasure trove.

“Black porcelain,” Rastatt Favorite Palace

“Black porcelain,” Meissen, circa 1710/1713.

BUILT FOR PORCELAIN

Sibylla Augusta had a special love for delicate embroidery, flower motifs and porcelain. She had a structure built for her extensive ceramics collection that was designed entirely around displaying her fragile pieces: a porcelain palace. Her collection, which included several hundred Chinese porcelain and European glazed earthenware pieces, now consists of roughly 1500 specimens. Nowhere else in Germany have so many ceramic items been preserved in their historic setting.

Höroldt service, Rastatt Favorite Palace

Show service, Meissen, circa 1721/1723.

A famous collection of Meissen porcelain

The highlight of Sibylla Augusta's collection is her Meissen porcelain, the largest inventory worldwide. The margravine was likely one of the factory's first customers after its founding in 1710, the same year in which construction began on Favorite Palace. A selection of the surviving glazed earthenware is on display on the ground floor; porcelain and glass are on the third floor.

An idyllic garden

While the palace remains an example of the Baroque style, the garden was redesigned in the late 18th/early 19th century. The idyllic grounds, in the style of a landscape garden, are still the perfect place to relax. Whether by the swan pond or on a walk past the old trees, the park has something to offer in any season!

View of the palace garden, Rastatt Favorite Palace

Idyllic grounds in the style of a landscape garden.

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