
Karlsruhe.
A baroque palace at the center of a fan-shaped city

Karlsruhe was designed in the 18th century as a planned city, its streets radiating outward like the spokes of a fan from the baroque palace at its center. This geometric design gave the city its nickname, the fan city. The palace now houses the Badisches Landesmuseum.
The city also hosts Germany's Constitutional Court, giving Karlsruhe a quiet institutional weight alongside its architecture. The ZKM Center for Art and Media focuses on digital and media art.
Karlsruhe lies between the Rhine plain and the northern Black Forest, with river landscapes on one side and forested hills on the other. The Botanical Garden sits beside the palace grounds. Wide boulevards and open green spaces still reflect the Enlightenment planning principles behind the city's original design.
Things to do.
- 01Explore the baroque palace and gardens
- 02Walk the fan-shaped street layout
- 03Visit ZKM Center for Art and Media
- 04Discover the Badisches Landesmuseum
- 05Stroll through the Botanical Garden
- 06Tour the Constitutional Court area
Nearby attractions.
What's on.
Monthly weather.
Nearby destinations.
15 kmAsked & answered.
- Late spring and early autumn offer mild weather for walking the palace gardens.
Turn a shortlist into a routed trip.
Drop the places you like into one list. The planner orders them by day and works out the distances.