History of Ludwigsburg

Foundation of the Palaces and the Town

Originally, Duke Eberhard Ludwig only had plans for a summer residence at Erlachhof for hunting purposes. Following the example of other lords and the fixed opinion that the creation of a town reflected the power of the feudal lord, he then decided to build a town next to the palace. Construction works started in 1704 and invited people to reside here in 1709. He sponsored the building plots and building materials and also guaranteed 15 years tax-free existence. But it was not till the Duke himself promised to actually live in Ludwigsburg that people began to build.

The Vordere (Front ) and the Hintere (Back) street, the Charlotten and Marstall street, the street now known as Bauhof street and other important traffic routes were completed first. To speed up the construction of his town the Duke let his official authorities build official buildings, which he then gave to people who were in his favour. Up to now, the town of Ludwigsburg, whilst retaining its baroque charm, has grown pretty large. 

The historical town centre

The historical town centre has a variety of attractions to offer. Theodore Heuss called the market square with its arcades and two baroque churches "the proudest square that Württemberg has".

A series of interesting buildings are: the birthplace of Justinius Kerner (Marktplatz 8), the birthplace of Eduard Mörike (Kirchstrasse 2) and his own living quarters (Obere Marktstrasse), the birthplace of the poet and writer Friedrich Theodor Vischer (Stadtkirchenplatz 1) and the birthplace of the theologist and literature historian David Friedrich Strauss (Marstallstrasse 1).

In his early days Friedrich Schiller used to live in the "Maudersschen Haus" (Mömpelgardstrasse 26) and the "Cotta Haus" (Stuttgarter Strasse 26). At this time, he went to the Latin School in the opposite of the city council building. In 1793/94 he lived in Wilhelmstrasse 17, where he also worked on his "Wallenstein".