King Wilhelm II lived in relative modestly in Bebenhausen Palace. He inhabited only a private bedroom and study in addition to the rooms that he shared with Queen Charlotte. Both have been preserved almost in their original state.
Wilhelm II in front of the Wilhelm's Palace.
The four rooms along the Hirschgang are connected to each other by door, creating an enfilade, a passageway through all rooms, as in a Baroque palace apartment. They were renovated and furnished between 1868 and 1870 under King Karl I. He lived here until the apartment above the former abbot's kitchen was finished, after major renovations. After his death, Queen Charlotte moved into these new rooms.
Precious cabinet in the royal drawing room.
Of the four rooms of King Karl's former apartment, only two rooms were occupied by the king. The monarch used the rear room of the enfilade as a study. In the morning, he generally completed the necessary business of state and correspondences here, or approved the chef's proposed dinner menu. The room in front of it was his bedroom. Both rooms particularly impress visitors with their detailed furnishings, composed of treasures from the early 16th through late 19th centuries.
New furnishings in an old style.
The redecoration of the palace was characterized by Gothic and Renaissance forms. This orientation towards past eras is typical of the style of Historicism then dominant. This engagement with historical models often resulted in items that excelled both artistically and in terms of craftsmanship. Visitors will also be impressed by how perfectly original pieces fit with the "antique oak" reproductions by the Stuttgart factory of Gerson and Weber, forming a harmonious whole.
The renovation plans in the queen's apartment ended with the bathroom in 1918.
King Wilhelm II, who had the palace moderately modernized and expanded as of 1998, had also planned to expand his own apartment after conversion of Queen Charlotte's living quarters were completed. However, this project was no longer implemented due to the abdication of the monarchy in 1918. Three years later, the king died in Bebenhausen after a short illness.
