In the centre of Karlsruhe's market square stands a pyramid built of red sandstone — one of the most unusual landmarks in Germany. The pyramid is not decorative: it marks the tomb of Margrave Karl Wilhelm, the founder of Karlsruhe, who had himself buried at the centre of his radiating city plan in 1738.
The current pyramid, about 7 metres high, was constructed in 1823 to replace an earlier wooden structure. It stands in the middle of the cobbled market square, surrounded by the neo-Gothic Rathaus (city hall) and the city's Protestant church. The combination of a market square, a church, and a pyramid-topped tomb makes this one of the more unusual central squares in Europe — entirely typical of the Enlightenment rationalism that shaped Karlsruhe's original design.