Altes Waisenhaus

Altes Waisenhaus stands on the northwest side of Charlottenplatz, in Stuttgart’s Mitte district. Its asymmetrical rectangle encloses a long, tree-lined courtyard. Two sculpted portals open onto three-storey wings beneath a hipped roof with raised dormers.

Construction began in 1705, when P. J. Jenisch and Johann Ulrich Heim designed barracks for the mounted royal guard. The guard moved to Ludwigsburg in 1710. Stuttgart then converted the unfinished complex into an orphanage, correctional institution, and workhouse, completed in 1712. By the late eighteenth century, expansions had reshaped the courtyard and helped the institution develop into a respected school. After the school moved to Ellwangen in 1922, Paul Schmitthenner led partial demolition and reconstruction between 1922 and 1924.

Today, the Institut für Auslandsbeziehungen owns the complex, which houses NABU Stuttgart and the German-American Center. Offices, associations, and the Süddeutsche Rundfunk once occupied these rooms, while postwar repairs restored damage to the building. Restaurant Amadeus occupies part of the site. On summer evenings, the courtyard hosts cultural outdoor events beside a popular beer garden.