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The Königsbau is one of the formative buildings of

Stuttgart Stuttgart (; ; Swabian German, Swabian: ; Alemannic German, Alemannic: ; Italian language, Italian: ; ) is the capital city, capital and List of cities in Baden-Württemberg by population, largest city of the States of Germany, German state of ...

's Schlossplatz. It forms the north-west end of the square and is mainly home to shops and cafés. Since April 2006, the Königsbau-Passagen, a 45,000 square meter retail and commercial building, has been attached to the rear of the Königsbau.

History

The Königsbau was built between 1856 and 1860 by order of

King Wilhelm I Wilhelm I (Wilhelm Friedrich Ludwig; 22 March 1797 – 9 March 1888) was King of Prussia from 1861 and German Emperor from 1871 until his death in 1888. A member of the House of Hohenzollern, he was the first head of state of a united Germany. ...

in late

classicist Classics, also classical studies or Ancient Greek and Roman studies, is the study of classical antiquity. In the Western world, ''classics'' traditionally refers to the study of Ancient Greek literature, Ancient Greek and Roman literature and ...

style as a business, concert and ball house. The royal court architect Christian Friedrich von Leins together with architect Johann Michael Knapp were awarded the building contract. After Knapp retired from work in 1857, partly for health reasons, Leins completed the construction. The official inauguration took place in September 1860. Two years earlier, Wilhelm I had already given permission for the project to be called the Königsbau. The monumental building was intended to form a counterpoint to the New Palace and is characterized by a colonnade consisting of 34 columns, 135 meters long. Inside, there were already at that time restaurants and large rooms used for various celebrations and events. During

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

, the Königsbau was severely damaged, and in 1958 and 1959 it was rebuilt at a cost of the equivalent of €4 million. From 1991 to 2002, the Königsbau housed the Stuttgart Stock Exchange, which has since moved to Börsenstraße.

Literature

* Uwe Bogen (text); Thomas Wagner (photos): Stuttgart. Eine Stadt verändert ihr Gesicht. Erfurt 2012, p. 10–11. * ''Der Königsbau''. In: Eugen Dolmetsch: Aus Stuttgarts vergangenen Tagen (second volume from „Bilder aus Alt-Stuttgart“). Selbsterlebtes und Nacherzähltes. Stuttgart 1931, p. 66–69. * ''Königsbau Passagen''. Unter Dach und Fach. In: Stuttgart baut. Entwicklungen und neue Bauprojekte 4. 2006, p. 46–49. * Hermann Lenz; Günter Beysiegel (Herausgeber): Stuttgart. aus 12 Jahren Stuttgarter Leben. Stuttgart: Belser, 1983, p. 416–420. * Michael Wenger, Königsbau. In: Stadtarchiv Stuttgart: Digitales Stadtlexikon, published on August 24, 2020.

External links

Official website

www.koenigsbau-passagen.de
{{in lang, de Tourist attractions in Stuttgart Palaces in Baden-Württemberg Neoclassical architecture in Germany