DEUTSCHLAND	GERMANY
Bundesland: Mecklenburg-Vorpommern	Mecklenburg-West Pomerania
Landkreis: Ludwigslust-Parchim

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• lv: Ludvigsluste
• el: Λούντβιγκσλουστ
• bg, mk, sr: Лудвигслуст • ru: Людвигслюст • be, uk: Людвігслюст

Ludwigslust is situated at an elevation of 34 m in western Mecklenburg on the Ludwigsburg Canal, an artificial waterway linking the StöCanal to the Rögnitz river, about 26 km southwest of the district town Parchim and about 36 km south-southeast of Schwerin, the capital of Germany's state of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern. The municipality has a population of 11,800 (2025).

In 1724 Prince Christian Ludwig (later Duke Christian Ludwig II) decided to build a hunting lodge near a small hamlet called Klenow (first mentioned in 1333). Later, after his succession to the Dukedom, this became his favorite residence and he named it accordingly Ludwigslust ('Ludwig's pleasure/desire'). In 1765, Frederick II, Duke of Mecklenburg-Schwerin made Ludwigslust the capital of the duchy instead of Schwerin. This situation continued until 1837, when Grand Duke Paul Friedrich returned the capital status to Schwerin. Following the 1994 local authority reorganisation, Ludwigslust became the administrative centre of the new Ludwigslust district. Following the local authority reorganisation of 2011, this district was merged into the Ludwigslust-Parchim district, with Parchim as its administrative centre.

Ludwigslust Palace [left, no. 0000] has its origin in a hunting lodge built in 1724 for Prince Christian Ludwig (later Duke Christian Ludwig II). After Ludwigslust had become the residence of the duchy, the hunting lodge in 1772–1776 was remodeled into a palace by the architect Johann Joachim Busch. In 1837, Grand Duke Paul Friedrich returned Schwerin to its capital status but Ludwigslust palace remained a summer residence. In the mid-nineteenth century, much of the park was re-landscaped in the more naturalistic English landscape garden manner, under the directions of Petre Joseph Lenné. The Mecklenburg-Schwerin family was deposed in 1918, but continued to use Ludwigslust palace until 1945. Today, the palace houses the State Museum Schwerin/Ludwigslust/Güstrow.

[https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ludwigslust, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ludwigslust; https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ludwigslust_Palace]