St. Charles Sister Cities Programs

Our Sister City -- Ludwigsburg, Germany

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Not an old city by German standards, Ludwigsburg was founded by Wurttemberg Duke Eberhard Ludwig in 1704. The duke put architects to work in 1704 building a summer residence where the family and its entourage could escape from the heat in the capital, Stuttgart. By 1733 the 452-room palace, modeled after and actually larger than the Palace of Versailles, outside Paris, was complete. The town grew up around a large MarktPlatz Market Square near the construction site, and received its charter in 1709. Ludwig moved the Ducal capital here from Stuttgart in 1717 after some of the palace's 18 buildings were completed. The royal family continued to winter in Stuttgart, however. The Wurttemberg dukes constructed other baroque-style palaces here, namely Schloss Favorit and the lakeside palace Monrepos, and in 1758, one of Ludwig's successors, Duke Karl Eugen, founded a porcelain manufactory in the Schloss, which is still in operation today.

Ludwigsburg has the distinction of being the only city not to welcome the touring Mozarts with open arms when father Leopold stopped here in the summer of 1763 with seven-year old Wolfgang and his sister, Nanned, 11, near the beginning of a long family trip designed to showcase the musical talents of the precocious youngsters in all the royal courts of Europe - and line Leopold's pockets. Leopold had letters of introduction to Duke Karl, but the family never got to perform in the palace or meet the duke. The slight was unjustly blamed on Karl's Italian-born Kapellmeister Niccolo Jommelli, who wasn't a jealous man but simply was not impressed by the letters of introduction and told Leopold thanks, but the Duke was busy with other things. Ludwigsburg today attracts its share of tourists because of the palace (about 50 rooms are viewed on a guided tour), the magnificent landscaped gardens that surround the site, location of a continuing "Baroque in Bloom' flower festival (Bluhendes Baroque). Several other festivals happen in Ludwidgsburg: the Palace Festival, the Venetian Festival and the Christmas Market. The Baroque architecture of the churches and other buildings on the Market Square, site of summer open-air markets, and the outlying palaces are also worthy attractions.

The city is carefully zoned so that business and industrial activities do not interfere with the 18th century atmosphere preserved and restored in the old-town sections. The city hall (Rathaus), for example, is a model of modern German efficiency, design and technology on the inside, while carefully maintaining its classical Baroque exterior. And a 100-year-old music hall has been lovingly preserved and maintained near the train station, completely restored in the late 1980s. Modern cultural additions in Ludwigsburg include the Forum am Schlosspark, opened in the early '90s near the palace gardens and adjacent to the city's newest hotel, the Nestor, which was shoehorned inside an old Prussian Army barracks and opened in 1996.

The Forum is the site of everything from business conferences to classical music concerts, festival balls and live TV broadcasts. Ludwigsburg also is a center for light industry; the main focus is on mechanical engineering, automobile parts and accessories (Mercedes-Benz), textile manufacturing, food processing and wine production. The city also has five high schools, is the site of a teachers' college, a Public Administration college and the headquarters of one of Europe's largest architectural societies. The tourist information office is located at 10 Wilhelmstrasse near city hall. Telephone 910252 or 910589.

The residents of Ludwigsburg have been very good hosts to the residents of St. Charles since we established our friendship. Why not experience Ludwigsburg for yourself with us?

Ludwigsburg Sister Cities Website

Ludwigsburg City Website