Flak barracks Ludwigsburg

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United StatesUnited States Flak barracks Ludwigsburg
Main entrance (April 2007)

Main entrance (April 2007)

country Germany
status left since 1991
local community Ludwigsburg
Coordinates : 48 ° 54 '  N , 9 ° 13'  E Coordinates: 48 ° 53 '50 "  N , 9 ° 13' 17"  E
Opened 1935 to 1937
owner City of Ludwigsburg
Formerly stationed units
Anti-aircraft Regiment 25
4th U.S. Transport
Battalion 42nd Medical Company
German EmpireWar Ensign of Germany (1938–1945) .svg
United StatesUnited States
United StatesUnited States
Flak barracks Ludwigsburg (Baden-Wuerttemberg)
Flak barracks Ludwigsburg

Location of the anti-aircraft barracks Ludwigsburg in Baden-Württemberg

The flak barracks in the Ludwigsburg district of Oßweil is a former barracks of the German Flak Regiment 25 and later the American army . It is located between the Schlößlesfeld residential area and Oßweil.

history

History until the end of the war

Construction of the barracks began at the end of 1935 and lasted until the spring of 1937, when the first soldiers and officers of Flak Regiment 25 moved into the approximately 19 hectare site. First several accommodation buildings for the soldiers and a temporary barracks yard were built, and in 1938 an elegant officers' mess was built. The topping-out ceremony took place on September 12, 1936 in the presence of Colonel Kolb (commander of the Flak Regiment 25), Colonel Heilingbrunner, former Ludwigsburg mayor Karl Frank and other guests. Military planes flew over the barracks during the celebration.

For the soldiers of the flak regiment, cultural events such as theater or variety show were also offered to amuse them. So in the sports hall (which will not be demolished due to the monument protection) u. a. Zarah Leander and Ilse Werner .

In April 1945 French and American troops occupied the city of Ludwigsburg and the barracks commander handed the area over to the victorious powers. After initial scuffles, the French withdrew from the city. The control of the city now had Captain (later Major ) John Lindsay as head of the American military government.

The flak barracks as an internment camp

As an internment camp, the barracks were called Camp IC74 by the Americans . It was one of the largest Nazi camps in the US Army. After 1948 the barracks served as a refugee camp for expellees for two years. The inmates included u. a. August Wilhelm von Prussia , Richard Walther Darré , Kurt Georg Kiesinger , Franz Nüßlein and Johann Ludwig Graf Schwerin von Krosigk .

The flak barracks as a base for the US Army

In 1950 the barracks became part of the administration of the American armed forces . After renovation work, the 4th Transportation Battalion moved in during the Cold War and stayed until November 1991. With the beginning of the Second Gulf War , the last US soldiers left the barracks.

today

From November 1991 the barracks stood empty. After the soldiers moved out, the area had to be rehabilitated because the earth was contaminated with petrol. Later there was repeated vandalism; Windows were smashed and the interior was destroyed. The area was heavily overgrown with plants. In part it was still used as a parking space for truck trailers or as a practice area for the police .

The site of the former flak barracks has belonged to the city since 2007. After years of negotiations, the purchase contract was signed with the Federal Agency for Real Estate Tasks (BImA) . The new development area "Hartenecker Höhe" is being built on the site. Before that, however, contaminated sites such as toxins, oil and asbestos had to be removed. The purchase price was around 8.25 million euros.

The almost 18 hectare site offers the best conditions for a diverse, high-quality housing offer for all population groups. 1,600 people are to find a new home on the Hartenecker Höhe. The site is to be built on in sections with multi-storey buildings, terraced, semi-detached and single-family houses. In 2007 the demolition work began and the conversion into a residential area. The site was developed in autumn 2008. Since the end of 2009, the first people have been living in the new “Hartenecker Höhe” residential area.

Use of the listed building

In 2008, the owner of a bakery bought the guard building to renovate it and open its sixth branch in it. A café with outdoor management as well as rental apartments and commercial rooms were planned. These plans never materialized and the bakery withdrew from the purchase. Another investor later bought the building to open a bakery there too. The renovation began in 2012. Among other things, the building now houses a bakery, a small museum about the history of the barracks and two condominiums.

The officers' mess, built in 1938, houses, among other things, a dining room with a stucco ceiling and wall paneling and a fireplace room with ornaments. The house offers up to 3500 square meters of floor space. The casino is currently being converted into a residential building.

The old gym on the site of the former anti-aircraft barracks has been converted into a children's and family center. Where once soldiers trained themselves, children can now run around. Accordingly, the new daycare center was built as a "house within a house" in the listed building. The hall remained as the outer shell including the roof structure. The children's and family center was integrated into the interior of the hall as a kind of second building. However, not the entire inner surface is used. A good third has remained as a kind of roofed open area. The children can play "outside" even in bad weather. In order to direct sufficient daylight into the interior of the old gym, the roof and facade were broken open in several places and glazed.

On September 13, 2015, a memorial for the US Army was inaugurated at the former entrance to the barracks. Both the mayor of Ludwigsburg and numerous former US soldiers were present at the solemn ceremony. The memorial bears the following inscription: “In honor and grateful remembrance of the soldiers of the United States Army who served at Flakkaserne from 1950 to 1991.” In German as much as: “In honor and in grateful memory of the soldiers of the United States Army who served in the flak barracks from 1950 to 1991. "

Key data

  • 1935–1939: Construction as a barracks for an anti-aircraft battalion
  • 1945–1948: The flak barracks are used by the Americans as an internment camp
  • 1948–1950: used as a refugee camp for displaced persons and returnees
  • 1950–1991: Headquarters of the 4th US Transport Battalion and 42nd Medical Company (Ambulance)
  • 1991–2007: Land owned by the Federal Republic of Germany
  • 2007–2009: Sale to the city of Ludwigsburg, start of development on the site in August 2007
  • 2010–2011: Conversion of the former gymnasium into a children's and family center

Monument protection

With a few exceptions, almost all of the buildings were demolished. Monument protection requirements are to save at least 300 of the 600 trees, the gym, the former casino, as well as the sentry box and part of the stone wall from demolition. The memorial for the fallen of the 25th Flak Regiment and a memorial plaque for the 50th anniversary of the barracks from 1984 will also be preserved.

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. City Archives Ludwigsburg
  2. ^ Philipp Gassert: Kurt Georg Kiesinger 1904–1988. Chancellor between the ages . DVA, Munich 2006, p. 163 ff .
  3. Main State Archives Stuttgart
  4. a b Ludwigsburg district newspaper