The pleasure garden of Weikersheim Palace is an outstanding testimony to German garden art. From 1708 it was laid out under Count Carl Ludwig of Hohenlohe in the typical forms of the High Baroque period.
Major sections of the once diverse waterworks have been preserved. The round pool in the axial cross depicts Hercules in battle with the dragon Ladon, a allusion to the garden of the Hesperides. The end of the middle axis is formed by a large, crosswise oval reflecting pool.
An extensive collection of figures, still nearly completely preserved, structures the garden and is used for the iconographic glorification of Carl Ludwig and his reign. In addition to the personification of the seasons, elements, planets and other antique gods, the court personnel is also portrayed, which watches the activities of the gods from the balustrade of the palace mote.
On the northern side, the garden is bordered by the Gardener's House (Gärtnerhaus, 1710) and the Arms Building (Gewehrhaus, 1717). The southern corners are bordered by the Bird Pavilion (Vogelpavillon) and the Grotto.
The garden experienced a climax with the Orangery, the Belvedere and the Arc of Triumph architecture, all built in 1719-23. The latter once provided the setting for the equestrian statue of Carl Ludwig. Restored in 1997, it houses the citrus collection of the orangery parterre in the winter.