One of the most rewarding aspects of genealogical research is when documentary evidence leads to a precise location - a street, a corner, even a house - where our ancestors lived. In the case of the Schochenmayer family from Ludwigsburg, we were able to achieve just that.
From archival records to addresses
Our path began with Günther Bergan’s detailed study Ludwigsburger Bürger- und Handwerkerhäuser nach 1760. This work compiles petitions, house plans, and archival notes from the Hauptstaatsarchiv Stuttgart and Ludwigsburg city archives. Among the many applicants for house-building privileges granted by Duke Carl Eugen, one name immediately stood out: Johann Christian Schochenmayer, Tuchmacher (cloth maker). He was born in 1724, he worked as a master and teacher at the Workhouse, and passed away in 1799. This is the grandfather of Carl Schochenmaier who emigrated to Russia (probably in 1822).
The index of preserved house plans lists his application as Plan Nr. 25, dated 1770/71, for a plot in the newly created Karlstadt district. Most importantly, Bergan’s appendix of localized buildings allows us to connect this plan with a real address still known today:
👉 Stadtkirchenplatz 4, Ludwigsburg.
This corner building later became known as the guesthouse „Zur Sakristei“. Right now it is a coffee house Caffè Pilu Kaffeerösterei.
What the sources reveal about the house
The preserved ground plan and elevation show that Schochenmayer’s house was built according to the standardized “Ludwigsburg model house” style: traufständig (long side of the roof parallel to the street), two stories with a mansard level, and a symmetrical façade. Over the centuries, the building has undergone significant changes. The sources note:
Strong alterations by raising additional stories (Aufstockung).
Shops inserted in the ground floor (Ladeneinbau), which changed the original proportions.
The original function as a craftsman’s and family dwelling gradually shifted, reflecting Ludwigsburg’s growth and modernization.
Yet, despite these changes, the link to Plan 25 and to Schochenmayer’s petition remains clear.
How we reconstructed the location
The identification was possible by combining:
The application records (Suppliken) preserved in the Stuttgart archives.
Bergan’s systematic cross-referencing of house plans with modern street maps.
Surviving descriptions of the Karlstadt expansion under Duke Carl Eugen (1760s–1770s).
The note in Bergan’s appendix that explicitly lists Plan 25: Schochenmayer, Stadtkirchenplatz 4.
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| The re-built first floor |
Thus, we can now confidently state: The Schochenmayer family lived and worked at Stadtkirchenplatz 4 in Ludwigsburg around 1770. It is in 800 meters from his workplace: Workhouse (address today is Schorndorfer Street in Ludwigsburg)
Significance for family history
For descendants and researchers, this discovery offers a tangible connection to the family’s life more than 250 years ago. Stadtkirchenplatz lies at the very heart of Ludwigsburg’s baroque city plan, opposite the Stadtkirche and only steps from the Residenzschloss. To imagine Johann Christian Schochenmayer’s workshop there, among the bustle of cloth makers, bakers, and soldiers’ families, brings the family story vividly to life.
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| You may still see the Evangelical Church out of the window |
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| They still keep an old telephone from the 19th century |
