Bruchsal is the largest town in the district of Karlsruhe and is known not only as the asparagus town due to its largest asparagus market in Europe, but also as a baroque town due to its baroque palace. But Bruchsal is not only home to the magnificent Baroque palace, but also to a beautiful Rococo building, the Belvedere. It is located on the edge of the beautiful city garden on a quiet hill on the Steinsberg, from where you have the most beautiful view over Bruchsal and the Rhine valley. This extraordinary architectural monument was built in 1756 according to the plans of Leonard Stahl as a prince-bishop’s shooting lodge and pleasure house on behalf of Prince-Bishop Franz Christoph von Hutten zu Stolzenberg. I was immediately enchanted when I saw this Rococo building with its Chinese-style canopy towers, which were extremely en vogue at the time. Of course, I also wanted to enjoy the beautiful view, which is what Belvedere means in Italian. After extensive renovation in 2003, the Belvedere shines again in new splendor, and I entered the former hunting lodge and pleasure palace, which is used as a backdrop for open-air concerts by the “Sinfonieorchester 1837” and performances by the theater group “Die Koralle,” via an open, elongated hall. Its arcades gave me a wonderful view of the flower bed with a fountain. I then made my way to the viewing platform of one of the two towers and let my gaze wander into the distance, lost in thought. The Belvedere is an important example of Rococo architecture, offering a beautiful panorama over Bruchsal to the Rhine valley.
