Strafvollzugsmuseum Ludwigsburg

The Strafvollzugsmuseum Ludwigsburg is the first museum in the German-speaking world dedicated entirely to penal justice. It occupies the former fortress wing of a prison closed in 1990 and holds about 5,000 objects. The displays trace more than three centuries of punishment, from the 18th century to today. Run by a professional director and volunteers, it attracts up to 6,000 visitors each year. The museum is supported by a local association and relies largely on donations. It belongs to the Baden-Württemberg state museums federation.

The idea for the museum came when the prison moved to Heimsheim and its teaching collection risked being lost. A group of mainly justice officials formed a support association in 1988. Their statutes describe the project as preserving artefacts and opening them to the public. The association still defines itself by that founding mission. The first exhibition opened on 22 September 1988 on the ground floor. Four years later the upper floor was added.

The ground floor has two main sections. One covers historical punishments, corporal and dishonouring penalties, the death penalty and the Zuchthaus as the severest form of imprisonment. The other shows the 1930 teaching collection with a reconstructed cell from the old prison. The upper floor focuses on the imprisonment of RAF members and modern penal practice. There a new learning area is being built with a media room, a walk-through prison corridor with doors from the Stammheim trials and a contemporary cell. The museum also offers special guided tours and occasional public events.