Residenz Ellingen

About the museum

Ellingen belonged to the Teutonic Order from 1216 and was the seat of the commander (Landkomtur) of the Ballei Franken, the most powerful province of the Order. Medieval predecessor buildings and a representative Renaissance building gave way from 1708 to the present palace complex, and the late Gothic palace church was remodeled in the Baroque style. The huge main building was erected in 1718–1720 to plans by Franz Keller. From this period, ceiling paintings, wall paneling, floors and especially the stucco work by Franz Joseph Roth have survived. The colonnade in the inner courtyard goes back to the remodeling by Michel d’Ixnard around 1775.

In 1789, the Order moved the seat of the Ballei to Bad Mergentheim, which ended the residence period. Shortly afterward, the Order was largely dissolved, and Ellingen fell to the Kingdom of Bavaria. In 1815, King Max I Joseph gave the palace to Field Marshal Carl Philipp Prince von Wrede. He had several suites of rooms refitted with precious silk and paper wall hangings, furniture, glass and bronzes from Paris. Together with d’Ixnard's rooms, they are among the most important examples of Classicist interior design in Bavaria.

Today the Bayerische Schlösserverwaltung (Bavarian Palace Administration) looks after the residence. Behind the palace lies a park where hundreds of thousands of Siberian squills (Blausternchen) bloom in spring. The Kulturzentrum Ostpreußen (East Prussian cultural center) is also housed in the palace and has its own admission.

Highlights

• Former seat of the commanders of the Ballei Franken of the Teutonic Order
• Classicist suites of rooms with Parisian wall hangings, furniture and bronzes
• Stucco work by Franz Joseph Roth and colonnade by Michel d’Ixnard
• Baroque palace church
• Palace park with a carpet of squills in spring

Permanent exhibition

• Residenz Ellingen – Räume des Deutschen Ordens und der Fürsten von Wrede – The guided tour shows stucco ceilings and rooms from the Order's era, as well as the Classicist suites of the Wrede family with furniture and wall hangings from Paris.

Operated by

Bayerische Verwaltung der staatlichen Schlösser, Gärten und Seen

Admission & discounts

Prices for 2026. Pupils over 18 at general education schools, ICOM members and holders of the Bavarian Ehrenamtskarte (honorary service card) also enter free. Annual and multi-day passes of the Bavarian Palace Administration are valid.

Accessibility

• Partially wheelchair accessible
• Elevator
• Accessible restroom
• Accessible parking
• Service dogs welcome: no information
• Tactile models & exhibits: no information
• Sign language tours: no information
• Easy-to-read materials: no information
• Audio description: no information

The palace ticket office is not barrier-free (6 steps). The rooms can be reached by elevator (cabin 107 × 140 cm); the route there is step-free across the inner courtyard. Doors are at least 89 cm wide, thresholds 3–4 cm, and seating is available. The accessible toilet is reached via 6 steps or by elevator (register at the ticket office). The palace church is step-free; staff open the door. Public car park 75 m from the ticket office (90 minutes' parking). No tactile guidance system and no induction loop; the information page for hearing-impaired visitors mentions a guided tour in sign language.

Kids & families

Children and young people up to 18 enter free; children under 14 may enter the palaces only when accompanied by an adult supervisor.

Getting there & parking

Schloßstraße 9, 91792 Ellingen. The palace park adjoins behind the residence.

Amenities & dining

The museum hasn’t published any information on this.

Events & venue rental

• Spaces for rent
• Weddings / ceremonies

Up to 1,000 guests.

Palace church for concerts, services, weddings and baptisms for up to 250 people; palace courtyard for concerts, standing receptions and markets for up to 1,000 people.

Plan your visit