Karlsburg Castle

When Margrave Karl II moved the royal residence from Pforzheim to Durlach, the town entered a period of prosperity and progress from 1565 onwards.

The existing hunting lodge was rebuilt to become Karlsburg Castle with adjacent gardens. The city's "golden age" came to a sudden end with the Palatinate War of Succession: in 1689, French troops set Durlach on fire. Nearly all houses and Karlsburg Castle fell victim to the flames.

In 1698, Karlsburg Castle was rebuilt but remained unfinished. Any further plans became irrelevant as in 1715, Margrave Karl II made the court move to the recently founded royal residence in Karlsruhe. Karlsburg Castle was used as a dower residence, later on as military barracks. With the transfer to municipal ownership in 1964, the building acquired a new use.

After extensive renovations from 1973 to 1983, the Pfinzgaumuseum, the city district library, the Baden Conservatory and the Volkshochschule (adult education centre) moved into Karlsburg Castle.