Eugenia de Beauharnais, Princess of Leuchtenberg (1808 - 1847) was the last princess of Hohenzollern-Hechingen. As the step granddaughter to the French Emperor Napoleon Bonaparte, she brought considerable wealth to the small residence. In 1826, Eugenia married the heir to the throne and subsequent prince, Frederick William Constantine of Hohenzollern-Hechingen.
Under the princely couple who resided in Villa Eugenia, Hechingen enjoyed a cultural blossoming for a number of years, the so-called 'Orpheic Hechingen'.
Eugenia, who remained childless, was known and loved for her benevolence and proximity to the people. She made a particular name for herself through numerous charities. She founded an old people’s home and in 1839 the Infant Care Institution in Hechingen - a, both by the standards back then and now, modern full-time kindergarten for families of a weak social standing. The interesting kindergarten building now houses the district court and can be seen by walking just a few minutes to the end of Heiligkreuzstraße.
Eugenia fell ill with tuberculosis and died in the summer of 1847. In the collegiate church, which is just 300 metres from here, you can find the crypt in which the princess is buried as well as a church window with a depiction of Eugenia.