The Palgrave of Tübingen founded Bebenhausen Monastery around 1183/84. He initially had Premonstratensian monks settle there, probably because this order permitted the tombs of laymen in their monasteries and Rudolph also wanted to obtain a tomb. In 1190 the monastery was transferred to the Cistercian Order. Palgrave Rudolph von Tübingen lies buried, as does his wife Mechthild, in the "Kapitelsaal" (Chapter Hall) at Bebenhausen Monastery, although the Cistercians actually do not allow such a tomb according to the rules of their order. This may be the reason why a plain slab without an inscription adorns this grave, which is quite unusual for a man of his standing and importance.
In 1098 monks under Abbot Robert von Molesme founded a Benedictine reform monastery in Cîteaux (the basis for the name Cistercians), which the young noble Bernhard joined in 1112. Under his leadership 12 monks founded Clairveaux Monastery in 1115, which quickly spread to all of Europe with 68 daughter abbeys alone. Bernhard von Clairveaux was an influential advisor to the powerful of his age and ensured the far-reaching importance of the Cistercians. Typical characteristics of the Order were the simplicity of the liturgy, the unadorned nature of its churches and the strict rules which marked its architecture. The strong emphasis on manual labor (Ora et Labora = pray and work) lead to important achievements in the field of agriculture.
Württemberg's first king had the former abbot's house at Bebenhausen Monastery remodeled as a hunting palace. Bebenhausen now became the center of splendid court hunting parties, and these did an excellent job of fulfilling the King's will for representation. The Celebration of Diana (festive hunt) of 1812, which the Court Poet Friedrich Matthisson paid homage to, has gone down in history.
Primarily due to his corpulence, the nephew of Duke Carl Eugen has been remembered by the people of Württemberg as "fat Friedrich". During his reign Württemberg was considerably enlarged and in 1803 first became an electorate, then in 1806 was raised to a kingdom. The price for this elevation was his kingdom's approaching of France and Napoleon. Friedrich succeeded in giving the state a streamlined, central structure.
The German philosopher came from a pietistic Württemberg pastor's family. In the years 1786 -1790 he was a student of the Protestant monastery school at Bebenhausen, where his father had been a professor . Following this schooling he entered the "Tübinger Stift" (seminary) and became friends with Hegel and Hölderlin.
With the help of Goethe, Schiller and Fichte, Schelling became a professor in Jena in 1789. From 1803 he instructed in Würzburg, from 1827 in Munich and from 1841 in Berlin. His philosophical studies included the definition of the task of philosophy, which he believed to consist of leading back to the original state of unity of man and nature. In his late works Schelling attempted a philosophical penetration of the basic teachings of Christianity. Schelling's thinking influenced Schopenhauer, Nietzsche, Freud, Kierkegaard and Heidegger.
The second Württemberg king had no great interest in hunting, and therefore seldom stayed at Bebenhausen. In 1819 he transferred it to the Württemberg state. His services to the monastery lie in the restoration and repair of large parts of the buildings initiated in 1850.
During his reign (1816-64) Wilhelm I pursued a sound domestic policy and attempted to achieve a balance in the relationship of the states in a federal Germany with changing alliances with the major powers. Among the people of Württemberg the King was more respected than loved, and it was primarily his second wife, the Czar's sister Katharina of Russia, who died at a young age, who was revered.
The Swabian poet and Protestant pastor, known for his subtle poetry, visited Bebenhausen in 1863 and 1874 for the summer holidays. He lived in the so-called "Gasthaus" north of the monastery with his friends, the Kielmeyer family. This former "Taberna" (tavern) is still standing today. At Bebenhausen Monastery Mörike wrote his "Bilder aus Bebenhausen" (Pictures from Bebenhausen), eleven poems that erected a literary monument to the monastery and its natural surroundings.
"Nachmittags"
Drei Uhr schlägt es im Kloster. Wie klar durch die schwülige Stille
Gleitet herüber zum Waldrand mit Beben der Schall, Wo er lieblich zerfließt, in der Biene Gesumm sich mischend
Das mich Ruhenden hier unter Tannen umgibt.
King Karl frequently stayed at Bebenhausen and had the second floor of the former monastery guesthouse remodeled to private rooms for his visits. In accordance with the taste of the age, the royal appartements were furnished in the neo-Gothic and old German historicizing style.
To make additional rooms available, the king had a story added to the abbot's kitchen adjacent to the guesthouse and had a personal appartement furnished there. King Karl also devoted himself to the restoration of the monastery, and in 1885 the church was reconsecrated.
Karl was born as the longed-for successor to the throne in the third marriage of his father, Wilhelm I. Following a careful upbringing and education he cultivated intellectual and social interests his entire life. Despite some alienation and several conflicts between the monarch and his subjects (who did not unduly revere him), the 25th anniversary of his rule offered an occasion for the review of a "mild and benevolent" reign.
Queen Olga frequently accompanied her husband, King Karl, to Bebenhausen. The marriage of the Russian Grand Duchess to the successor to the throne in Württemberg in 1846 had begun with diverse dynastic relations between the two houses and Olga was also accepted in Württemberg due to her "truly royal attitude".
On a social level she emulated Queen Katharina, however without being able to make use of as large a personal fortune. The fact that the royal couple was childless also proved to be a serious problem for their marriage. In 1870 Olga's niece Wera was adopted. Queen Olga lies buried in the "Schlosskirche" (Palace Church) in Stuttgart.
King Wilhelm II was a passionate hunter and often visited Bebenhausen. He also had numerous structural changes and additions made. For example, the court kitchen was moved to the former monastery hospital and he had the so-called "Kapfschen Bau" (Kapfschen Building) converted for the court entourage in the style of an English country house.
The modern age now came to Bebenhausen. A modern kitchen with a dumbwaiter, a comfortable bath for the queen and Jugendstil appointments completed the palace. After the Revolution of 1918 the royal couple was given the right of life-long residence in Bebenhausen and retired completely to the former monastery. Wilhelm died in Bebenhausen and lies buried in the "Alter Friedhof" (Old Cemetery) in Ludwigsburg.
AThe queen also cultivated a marked passion for hunting, which was considered just as eccentric as her penchant for sporting activities, including skiing. In 1886 she married the successor to the throne in Württemberg, Wilhelm II, for whom it was (after the death of his first wife) the second marriage.
While the King was very popular with the people, the Queen was treated with reservation. The reasons for this may be her clear reservation with regard to the duties of representation and her pronounced sociopolitical commitment, which particularly represented the political needs of women with regard to the "independence of womankind".
Queen Charlotte died twenty-five years after her husband as Duchess of Württemberg in Bebenhausen, where she had lived in the rooms of King Karl. Her marriage was childless.
In the years 1947-1952 the Landtag of Württemberg-Hohenzollern used the former monastery buildings as a residential and meeting location on order of the French.
The southern Württemberg government and the representatives of the people strove for a reunification of all parts of the state occupied by American and French forces, and from 1948 for a southwestern state as a larger solution. In Bebenhausen the new constitution and a number of laws were worked out.
The 60 representatives enjoyed no luxury whatsoever, living and working under Spartan conditions. The "spirit of the ascetic monastery" is a much cited condition from this age.