The ducal wine cellar, with its many arches of impressive size, likely predates the construction of the present-day palace. The barrel cellar is located below the gaming pavilion and houses the largest barrel in Württemberg, with a capacity of 90,000 liters.
Entrance to the barrel cellar.
Enormous quantities of wine were consumed at the courts of the dukes and kings of Württemberg, but not just at the royal table. The wine was an important part of courtiers' pay, and even that of the servants. The precious liquid was stored in giant cellars below the palace. Many original 18th-century barrels have survived at Ludwigsburg and are preserved in the cellars below the grand building.
Upon request: red or white.
Ten large oak trees went into the giant barrel. Between 1719 and 1721, master workman Wiedemann and cellarman Ackermann worked on it under the employ of Duke Eberhard Ludwig. In its time, it was one of the largest in Germany, until the Giant Barrel was built in Heidelberg thirty years later. It garnered admiration by its Baroque peers for an ingenious technical gadget: The tap is installed in such a way that red or white wine can be drawn at will.
A fountain figure of Bacchus in the vestibule to the barrel cellar.
In the vestibule to the barrel cellar, Bacchus, the god of wine, is entirely in his element. He sits on a barrel wearing a crown of vine leaves. He wears an impish grin for a reason: He occasionally startles passing visitors with an unexpected jet of water. The stone statue is part of a wall fountain, created in 1719 by Carlo Feretti.
Experience the barrel cellar as part of an enticing tour: The delectable tour "From cellar to plate" explores kitchen management within the palace. As part of a costume tour called "Intoxicating nights," a costumed 18th-century gentleman accompanies visitors through the cellar.
