Schwetzingen was the preferred summer residence of Swabian Wittelsbacher Karl Theodor. Who inherited the Bavarian Dukedom after Duke Maximilian III had no male successors.
Karl Theodor was kind of lucky. As he inherited a lot of land and titles from the Bavarian cousins according to the “Hausvertrag von Pavia” 1329, (emperor Ludwig the Bavarian signed in Italy).
Prussian King Friedrich II. called Karl: The “Glücksschwein von Schwetzingen” after Friedrich had to fight many battles to bring an empire together for himself. While Karl got it for free.
Which gets me to a new word I just recently came across. “Schweineglück” which is used in Bhutan, the “Land of the Luck” in the Himalaya mountains. With links to the here before mentioned Duckweed.
Although Karl Theodor had several children, he had none from his legal wife. After his wife had died Karl Theodor 1795, already 70, decided to marry a much younger woman, Maria Leopoldine Von Österreich Este (Habsburger) But she was not happy about the decision made by her family. She rejected to have sex with the old geezer. Karl would have accepted a child from an affair of his young wife to secure the titles for the Habsburg side and to get his hands on Austrian Netherland territories. But she did not want that either. Instead, she secured the titles for another Wittelsbacher: Cousin Max IV. Joseph, a friend of Maria, (..) who later became King Maximilian I. of Bavaria. She prevented, that an Austrian envoy would meet Karl in his deathbed. To trade Bavaria for possessions of the Habsburger in the Netherlands. Karl had the idea to become a new King of a consolidated rule at the Rhine, a new Burgundy. He wasn’t very popular in Munich and jubilation broke out in Munich after he had died. Dying of a stroke while playing cards. But Karl also did a lot to develop Bavaria. He deployed colorful Count Rumford (from America) to create the Rumford-Soup and warm underwear.
He spent a lot of money on his palaces, art and promoted theatre in Mannheim with Friedrich Schiller and Voltaire.
Bridge at the castle trensh with Holy Nepomuk.
2016 a wonderful new sculpture (artist Peter Wenk) was set up in Schwetzingen. Schwetzingen celebrated its 1250’th anniversary at that time.
And commemorated this wonderful Wittelsbacher Duke and Elector with many titles. The swarm is glad, we don’t have to send Christmas Cards with the full address.
Pfalzgraf bei Rhein, des Heiligen Römischen Reiches Erztruchseß und Kurfürst in Bayern, zu Jülich, Cleve und Berg, Fürst zu Mörs, Marquis zu Bergen op Zoom, Graf zu Veldenz, Sponheim, der Mark und Ravensberg, Herr zu Ravenstein
We were trying to buy a permission to take and publish pictures in the big parc of the castle. But after explaining the project of the Swarm the staff did not grant that permission. … too much bloggers and influencers already… So we didn’t want to deal with slippery lawyers.
But I have a picture from inside the coffee shop “Leisinger” which also provides decorative cakes in the castle which we saw on the interesting tour: A Gugelhopf. So, we had some Royal Grub.
The watches on the Towers of the Castle have a peculiarity which proves, that Karl was a fun guy. The hands of the watches have been swapped.
And Sheila still in time got a Schwarzwälder Kirsch in that Coffee Shop. And we also bought a Gugelhopf to take home as souvenirs.
Schwetzingen is also famous for Asparagus.
Berta Benz (and her two kids came through town on the first long-distance car-ride 1888. She also filled up the car in a pharmacy for the first time worldwide during that trip. Making that pharmacy the first filling station. Not her husband Carl.
And there is a lot of art in town.
Credit: Maps Icons ColIlection, https://mapicons.mapsmarker.com/
Wittelsbacher
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