When King Wilhelm I of Württemberg’s beloved wife Katharina Pavlovna, daughter of a Russian tsar, died at the age of 30 in 1819, the king tore down the family castle and built this burial chapel. The king was also interred in the neoclassical Russian Orthodox chapel decades later. Modelled on the Pantheon, no less, and built from local sandstone, its pure-white interior is striking, with pillars and statues of the four evangelists lifting visitors' gaze to the dome.
Scenically perched on vine-strewn Württemberg hill, the grounds afford long views down to the valley. Grapkapelle Rotenberg is 10km southeast of Stuttgart’s centre. Take bus 61 from Stuttgart-Untertürkheim station, served by the S1.
