09-May-2018

LBBW is celebrating its bicentenary

Press Release

LBBW is celebrating its bicentenary – beginning in May with the jubilee day and an official ceremony

LBBW is celebrating its bicentenary in 2018. LBBW's oldest predecessor institution, Württembergische Spar-Casse, was founded on 12 May 1818. The bank will therefore open its jubilee celebrations on 12 May with the jubilee day at the BW-Bank Königstrasse branch in Stuttgart, followed by the official ceremony on 15 May. "On the occasion of our jubilee, we look back with pride at our bank's successful history, but we also very consciously wish to look to the future," said Rainer Neske, Chairman of LBBW's Board of Managing Directors.

  • Princess Catharina founded the Württembergische Spar-Casse on 12 May 1818
  • Jubilee day in the BW-Bank Königstrasse branch in Stuttgart on 12 May, jubilee ceremony on 15 May
  • The bank is issuing a jubilee medal in gold and silver
  • Rainer Neske, Chairman of LBBW's Board of Managing Directors: "Our success story is also that of our customers and the economy of the region"

LBBW is celebrating its bicentenary in 2018. LBBW's oldest predecessor institution, Württembergische Spar-Casse, was founded on 12 May 1818. The bank will therefore open its jubilee celebrations on 12 May with the jubilee day at the BWBank Königstrasse branch in Stuttgart, followed by the official ceremony on 15 May. "On the occasion of our jubilee, we look back with pride at our bank's successful history, but we also very consciously wish to look to the future," said Rainer Neske, Chairman of LBBW's Board of Managing Directors.

As a "savings bank for the benefit of the people in the poorer classes", the then Princess Catharina of Württemberg founded Württembergische Spar-Casse in 1818, prompted by the famine in Europe and Württemberg. With an initial 2,000 guilders capital, the bank subsequently developed into a strong bank with deep regional roots, active both nationally and internationally. Possessing total assets of around EUR 240 billion and represented in some 160 locations, LBBW is today the largest bank in south-west Germany and one of the largest commercial banks nationwide.

"Just as we did in the past, we have been supporting entrepreneurs and business for 200 years, helping our private customers across all generations and as a bank, we have been taking on social responsibility in many different ways. Our strong growth is therefore also the success story of the people and economy of Stuttgart, Baden-Württemberg and beyond," adds Neske looking back. But for LBBW, the bicentenary is also a time to look forward, as Neske describes it: "Under the motto '200 years. Breaking new ground', we plan to take our customers forward with us into the future, with competence, energy and optimism."

Jubilee day and jubilee medal

The jubilee festivities begin with the major jubilee day on Saturday 12 May at BW-Bank's largest branch in Königstrasse in Stuttgart. Königstrasse 3 is one of LBBW's historical head offices. The branch foyer features presentation boards showing key milestones in the bank's 200-year history, and there are also a number of historical items on display. After the jubilee day the historical exhibition can be viewed for a further six weeks in the customer area. BW-Bank colleagues will also be giving insights into the service offerings of the "Kundenhaus Kö3", and snapshots can be made in a photobox for direct mailing or posting.

There will be a genuine premiere in BW-Bank's precious metal and coin cabinet on the first floor: new jubilee medals, specially minted for LBBW's bicentenary and featuring the face of Princess Catharina, will be sold there for the first time. The medal is available in gold and silver.

Official ceremony to mark the bicentenary

The official ceremony takes place on 15 May 2018. Around 400 invited guests from the worlds of finance, politics, culture and society will be given insights into the history in Stuttgart-based Savings Bank Academy. Baden-Württemberg's Minister President Winfried Kretschmann will deliver the ceremonial address; other speakers during the evening will be Peter Schneider, President of the Baden-Württemberg Savings Bank Association (Sparkassenverband Baden-Württemberg), the Mayor of Stuttgart Fritz Kuhn and Rainer Neske, Chairman of LBBW's Board of Managing Directors.

More events in the jubilee year

LBBW is marking its bicentenary with further events. For example, the bank is holding an open day when the public can view parts of its famous art collection: on 7 July, LBBW's main building in Stuttgart (Am Hauptbahnhof 2) will exhibit around 500 artworks under the title "Collecting Contemporary." The exhibition will provide a panoramic overview of German and international art since the late 1970s. Compared to previous presentations, such as the Long Night of the Museums, in this premiere a substantially larger portion of LBBW's collection is being put on public display.

In the jubilee year, BW-Bank is also supporting the "Oper am See" public screening in Stuttgart on 24 and 25 July: the live transmission from Stuttgarter Staatsoper of Vincenzo Bellini's musical theater "I Puritani." The bank will be sponsoring the "Ekstase" (Ecstasy) exhibition at Kunstmuseum Stuttgart from 29 September 2018 to 24 February 2019.

A range of other events and initiatives for the jubilee are taking place throughout the year, including various customer events, a competition on World Savings Day, the launch of a special investment product to mark the jubilee and a variety of activities for staff.

The history of LBBW

LBBW can look back on a long history and many predecessor institutions, the oldest of which is Württembergische Spar-Casse founded in 1818. During the 19th century, numerous other banks sprang up in south-west Germany, including Badische Bank in 1870, Württembergische Notenbank in 1871, Städtische Sparkasse Stuttgart in 1884, all predecessor institutions of LBBW. In 1975, Städtische Sparkasse and Girokasse Stuttgart merged with Württembergische Landessparkasse to form Landesgirokasse (LG). In 1999, LG in turn merged with Südwestdeutsche Landesbank and the market part of Landeskreditbank Baden-Württemberg (L-Bank) to form Landesbank Baden-Württemberg (LBBW). In 2005, Landesbank Rheinland Pfalz (LRP) became a subsidiary of LBBW and Baden-Württembergische Bank AG was fully integrated into the LBBW Group. 2008 saw the full integration of LRP and takeover of the ailing Sachsen LB, and during the financial market crisis in 2009, LBBW received equity and guarantees from its owners. In subsequent years, the bank was successfully restructured using a new business model, reduced risk profile and lower total assets. Today LBBW is regarded as a medium-sized full-service bank.