The palace at the heart of the resplendent summer residence was originally built as a fourteenth-century moated castle. In the time up until the beginning of the eighteenth century, it was repeatedly rearranged, destroyed and rebuilt. During the rule of Carl Theodor the palace and its gardens were systematically extended. The „bathhouse”, a small palatial retreat, is a particular gem, with its original fittings and furnishings.

Visitors to the Schwetzingen Palace today are treated to an excellent insight into the princely world of a summer residence from the rococo and early neo-classical period.