The Bundeswehr in Ludwigsburg @museum.de

F: With the Bundeswehr, we’ve arrived at the final chapter in the story of Ludwigsburg as a garrison town.

M: The Bundeswehr was founded just ten years after the end of the Second World War. By then, the Cold War was well under way, and old adversaries had become new allies. In 1956, the first German troop unit moved into Ludwigsburg.

F: In the early years, units of the airborne division were stationed here along with units of the maintenance troops and the military police. The Eberhard Ludwig Barracks, the Jägerhof Barracks and the Luitpold Barracks provided accommodation.

M: In the display case, you can see a tunic of a sergeant major of the military police. It doubled as a service and dress tunic and was introduced in the early 1960s. The white belt that runs around the waist and across the chest is specific to the military police, or Feldjäger. The belt buckle is adorned with the federal eagle and the inscription “Einigkeit, Recht und Freiheit“ – "Unity, Justice and Freedom". Next to the tunic is the beret in coral red with the appropriate emblem: the star of the Order of the Black Eagle surrounded by a wreath of oak leaves.

F: In the display case to the right, there’s a collection of decorations and service medals awarded by the Bundeswehr. Among them are medals for overseas missions in Sudan and Afghanistan as well as the Cross of Honour for Valour.

M: With the withdrawal of the US military, the Bundeswehr base was also shut down. In 1994, the history of Ludwigsburg as a garrison town came to an end. On the wall, you can see the original document ordering the closure of the garrison, dated the 6th of May 1994 and signed by the then Defence Minister Volker Rühe.

F: For around 260 years, Ludwigsburg's appearance was dominated by barracks, soldiers and uniforms. What remains: numerous monuments and listed buildings, including the Asperg Gatehouse, which now houses our museum.