The Residenzschloss — often called the Versailles of Swabia — is the centrepiece of Ludwigsburg and the largest unaltered baroque palace in Germany. The complex of 18 buildings encloses three courtyards and spans nearly three decades of construction, from Eberhard Ludwig's modest hunting lodge of 1704 to the final additions of the 1730s. Unlike Versailles, the palace was never destroyed, looted, or significantly remodelled, so what you see is essentially what the 18th-century Württemberg court inhabited.
Guided tours of the royal apartments run several times a day in English and German. Highlights are the marble hall, the chapel (acoustically excellent and still used for concerts), the rococo Order Hall added under Carl Eugen, and the surprising fashion museum in the north wing, which uses court dress to tell the story of changing tastes from the 1750s to the 19th century. The ceramics museum and the theatre history collection are separately ticketed. Allow at least two hours; on a sunny day extend the visit with a stroll through the Blühendes Barock gardens immediately behind the palace.