Ludwigshafen

Ludwigshafen, officially Ludwigshafen am Rhein, is a city in the German state of Rhineland-Palatinate on the Upper Rhine, directly opposite Mannheim. Together with Mannheim, Heidelberg and the surrounding region it forms the Rhine-Neckar Metropolitan Region. The city grew from the Rheinschanze, a fortress built in 1606 by Frederick IV, Elector Palatine, to protect Mannheim, and it was bought in 1808 by Carl Hornig of Mannheim, who turned it into a way station for river traffic. It became known primarily as an industrial city and is home to BASF, the largest chemical producer in the world. Its population passed 100,000 in 1922, which gave it city status, and reached a peak above 180,000 in 1970. Former German Chancellor Helmut Kohl was born and died here, and the Staatsphilharmonie Rheinland-Pfalz is among its cultural institutions.