From stronghold to royal residence
Mannheim Palace traces its history back to "Friedrichsburg," the fortress founded by Prince-Elector Friedrich IV in 1606. In the Nine Years' War, this simple palace was destroyed. In 1720, Prince-Elector Carl Philipp laid the foundation stone for a new, representational palace building. French architects Louis Rémy de la Fosse, Jean Clemens Froimon, and Guillaume d'Hauberat took part in the planning. The first rooms in the western corps de logis, the central building of the palace, were ready for habitation in 1731.