Rohrbacher Schlößchen

Rohrbacher Schlößchen stands in the centre of Heidelberg’s Rohrbach district, surrounded by a park that once formed part of its castle grounds. The rectangular building presents an early classicist design, with two storeys and a central projection decorated by a frieze.

Karl II. August built the hunting lodge around 1770 and placed it within a landscaped park. After the estate passed to Baden, Friedrich Ludwig Sckell redesigned the grounds, while Friedrich Weinbrenner shaped much of the building’s present appearance for Amalie von Baden in 1803. Max Joseph later used the property as a refuge during the French Revolutionary Wars, and Alexander I of Russia and Franz I of Austria dined in its grand hall in June 1815. During the First World War, the rooms served as a military hospital before the grounds became associated with Heidelberg’s lung clinic.

Today, the building supports administrative and training work within the Thoraxklinik Heidelberg, while the surrounding clinic grounds remain publicly accessible. The restored main hall, completed in 2005, continues the site’s tradition of hosting celebrations and official gatherings. Its connection with aristocratic families, medical care and Heidelberg’s changing political history makes the park walk especially rich.