Karlsruhe-Durlach is the most populous district of Karlsruhe with around 30,000 inhabitants.
The Durlach residents refer to themselves colloquially as Dorlacher or Letschebacher. Durlach was mentioned and referred to as a town as early as 1196. In the 13th century, Hohenberg Castle was built by Conrad III. von Lichtenberg, Bishop of Strasbourg, destroyed and then not rebuilt. After the Thirty Years' War, King Louis XIV completely destroyed the town of Durlach except for a handful of residential buildings. In the years that followed, the city fared no better. Looting and destruction haunted the defenseless people of Durlach until the end of the war in 1697. From 1565 to 1718, Karlsruhe-Durlach was an independent city and residential town of the market county of Baden-Durlach. The new residential city of Karlsruhe was founded around 1715, into which Durlach was forcibly incorporated in 1938. The district is located on the edge of the Pfinztal and in the east of the city of Karlsruhe. The Durlacher Turmberg is the district's landmark and one of the many sights in Karlsruhe. This was built in the eleventh century by the Counts of Hohenberg and expanded in the twelfth century. Despite the express vote of the people of Durlach in 1938, they were incorporated into Karlsruhe, but it was agreed that all authorities and offices in Durlach would continue to operate. For this reason, Karlsruhe-Durlach is - even today - the only district of Karlsruhe that has its own tax office and its own district court. 50 years later, Durlach received an independent local assembly and a local council. Guggelensberg, Lerchenberg and Geigersberg border the Turmberg to the south, which are foothills of the Black Forest. Each of these hills still belongs to Karlsruhe- Durlach and are known as Karlsruhe's celebrity and villa districts. Durlach is directly connected to the German motorway with the A5 and can also be easily reached via the B10 and B3. Durlach also has the Karlsruhe-Durlach train station, which is the second largest transfer point in Karlsruhe. The station can be reached via the Karlsruhe Stadtbahn, the RheinNeckar S-Bahn, regional transport and individual long-distance trains. Karlsruhe city center can also be easily reached by tram.