The palace garden lake has always been the central element of the south garden. As early as 1712, Duke Eberhard Ludwig had the "great basin" constructed. A canal, ending in a cascade, led from the circular lake directly to the central axis of the palace facade. Over time, the lake was redesigned several times before a five-meter-high central fountain was added to mark the accession of Duke Carl Eugen.
After Carl Eugen shifted his focus to other building projects in the second half of the 18th century, and Ludwigsburg Palace increasingly lost its importance, the lake was partially dismantled and partially filled in. It was not until 1799 that Duke Frederick II had the garden and the lake renovated according to his own designs and once again aligned a canal towards the palace. This magnificent design, however, was short-lived: King William I ordered the garden leveled, the canal filled in, and replaced the garden features with fruit trees.
] The Schlossgartensee (Castle Garden Lake) finally received its current form as part of the redesign of the South Garden by Albert Schöchle in 1954.