Schloss Ilvesheim

Schloss Ilvesheim stands in the centre of Ilvesheim, a village in the Rhein-Neckar district. The present building is a three-storey baroque palace with four corner towers capped by onion domes. It was begun in 1700 for Lothar Friedrich von Hundheim, first minister to Elector Johann Wilhelm, who wanted a grand residence. The flanking wings were added between 1750 and 1773 as an orangery and kitchens. An estate building and the Amtshof were also erected in the 18th century. The Hundheim family fell on hard times and, after Alfred von Hundheim’s death in 1855, the state of Baden took over the palace. In 1868 it became home to the state school for the blind and partially sighted. A new wing was added in 1903–04 to accommodate the growing institution. The original baroque park survives only in fragments, much of the grounds having been built over by later school buildings. Visitors today see the symmetrical baroque façade and the four onion-domed towers. Inside, the grand staircase and high-ceilinged rooms recall the palace’s former role. The school occupies most of the building, so only certain public areas are open. The remaining fragments of the baroque park lie along the northern edge of the grounds.