The Old Palace Stuttgart (Altes Schloss) is connected with the commencements of Stuttgart. In 941 as a simple water-surrounded castle for protection of a stud farm (in German "Gestüt", from which the original name "Stutengarten" was derived) and expanded up until the Renaissance in the middle of the 16th century as the residence of the counts and dukes of Württemberg. The squares and buildings surrounding the palace arose as an ensemble with direct reference to this center of royal power, and still mark the appearance of Stuttgart's historic center today. The Württemberg State Museum (Württembergisches Landesmuseum) is housed in the Old Palace.