Franziska von Hohenheim (1748–1811) moved to the palace a widow. However, she played an important role in Kirchheim from the beginning of her association with Carl Eugen. She remains famous to this day for turning the wild Duke of Württemberg into a good sovereign, but is this a legend?
Duke Carl Eugen.
Franziska first came to Kirchheim with her husband, Chamberlain Baron von Leutrum, in 1771, when they participated in a hunt hosted by Duke Carl Eugen. The 23-year-old Franziska quickly caught the duke's eye. Only a few months later, Carl Eugen appointed her his official mistress and Franziska divorced from her husband. Franziska married the duke in 1785, after the death of his first wife, and became the official Duchess of Württemberg.
Carl Eugen had actually passed Hohenheim Palace near Stuttgart on to Franziska in 1772 and she was to spend her widowhood there. After his death in 1791 however, his successor did not recognize her status as a dowager duchess, simultaneously depriving her of her right to Hohenheim Palace. Franziska was forced to relocate to Kirchheim Palace, the equivalent of being banished from court. She even had to leave behind a large portion of her personal items at Hohenheim.
Bridge to the palace entrance.
She found it rather outdated and before her arrival in 1795, hired architect Reinhard Ferdinand Heinrich Fischer, an illegitimate son of the duke, who was also responsible for building Hohenheim Palace. He lent the structure a more palace-like charm, particularly by adding the prestigious passageway on the ground floor and the spacious stairwell. Franziska's living areas were outfitted with handsome stoves, subtle stucco and silk wall coverings in fashionable colors or wallpaper.
Kirchheim Palace portal.
Franziska lived a quiet life, but it was by no means as modest as is often claimed. Her royal household consisted of approximately 50 people. This included ladies-in-waiting, servants and footmen, a table setter, a barista, a personal bather, several coachmen and gardeners, as well as a hairdresser and a French cook named Henri Frommage. Two noble gentlemen and two ladies-in-waiting lived with her, all relatives of hers. Sisters residing locally often visited Kirchheim along with other prominent figures from town.
Franziska was a pious and respected woman. When she died of cancer on January 1, 1811, her funeral was celebrated with courtly pomp. Her body had been laid out in the palace for two days, so that Kirchheim's citizens could say goodbye. Subsequently, her coffin was conveyed to the St. Martin's church, accompanied by a grand funeral procession and military escort. A commemorative plaque still marks the burial site in the crypt beneath the choir.
The coffin containing Franziska's remains is located in the crypt below the choir in the St. Martin's church.
