Will the three hospital locations remain in operation?
Yes. The district and RKH are committed to the three-site strategy. Ludwigsburg, Bietigheim, and Markgröningen are to remain high-performing hospital sites in the long term.
This does not mean simply maintaining the existing structures as they are. Each location is to further develop its respective strengths in a targeted manner and assume a clear medical profile within the joint hospital network. The goal is to provide reliable, high-quality, and easily accessible hospital care for the people in the county that is also economically viable.
Has a decision already been made on where new hospitals will be built?
No. Long-term construction options are currently being evaluated for Ludwigsburg and Bietigheim. This includes the development of existing sites as well as potential alternative properties. No decision has been made regarding a new building or a specific location.
This review is part of long-term future planning. If the district wants to secure the three hospital sites permanently, it must not only focus on medical and economic development but also clarify in a timely manner what physical infrastructure will be needed for this in the long term. This is precisely why various options are now being examined and compared. The overall process, initiated by RKH, the district, and the cities of Ludwigsburg, Bietigheim-Bissingen, and Kornwestheim, is still in its early stages. A proposal for a decision is not expected until 2029.
Is the W&W site in Kornwestheim already the favorite?
No. Several sites have been publicly identified as possible options. No prioritization or location decision has been made at this time.
The potential sites must be evaluated and compared using uniform criteria. The availability of a property alone is not the decisive factor. The decisive factor is which solution offers the best long-term conditions for high-quality medical care, good accessibility, and economically viable hospital operations. The suitability of the property and potential state funding must also be taken into account.
Only once these questions have been answered conclusively can a recommendation be made to the relevant committees.
Has the Bogenviertel been confirmed as the new hospital site in Bietigheim?
No. The Bogenviertel was proposed as one possible site and is being considered. Here, too, no decision on the location has been made yet.
The same applies to Bietigheim as to Ludwigsburg: The planning decisions are guided by the medical strategy, not the other way around. The Bietigheim site is to be secured for the long term and further developed medically. Within the three-site strategy, Bietigheim will assume its own distinct profile and is to further expand its strengths in collaboration with Ludwigsburg and Markgröningen.
Therefore, an open-ended assessment will be conducted to determine which architectural solution best supports this medical profile in the long term.
Why are potential new sites already being evaluated?
Because responsible hospital planning requires thinking far ahead.
Large hospital construction projects require many years for planning, approval, financing, and implementation. Today’s review therefore does not mean that construction will begin in the short term or that an existing site will be abandoned. It is intended to ensure that the district knows in a timely manner what construction options are available in the long term.
Health care is an essential part of municipal public services. The district’s responsibility therefore extends beyond simply operating today’s hospitals to creating the conditions that will ensure people can continue to rely on high-performing and reliable hospitals in the future.
Precisely because the district is committed to the three locations, their long-term prospects must be examined at an early stage.
How does site planning relate to the hospitals’ future plan?
The two go hand in hand, but involve different time frames.
Through the future plan, the hospitals are already being further developed today—both medically and economically. Services, structures, and resources are being organized in such a way that medical quality, good accessibility, and economic stability are sustainably aligned. The individual locations are being given clearer medical profiles and are collaborating more closely within the network.
Structural site planning looks even further into the future: What buildings and sites will these hospitals need in the long term so that the medical strategy can be implemented in a structurally sound manner?
So one does not replace the other. Medical advancement, economic stabilization, and a long-term sustainable infrastructure are building blocks of the same three-site strategy.
When will a decision be made?
The current plan is to develop the basis for decision-making by 2029. Until then, the goal is to carefully evaluate various options based on transparent criteria.
The results will then be presented to the relevant committees. Only these committees will decide on how to proceed. This means that the properties currently under discussion are options under consideration, not preliminary decisions.
Will the existing hospitals be modernized by then?
Yes. Long-term location planning explicitly does not mean a halt to investment. Today’s hospitals must ensure high-quality patient care for many years to come. Therefore, necessary modernizations and medical advancements will continue.
At the same time, the district is pursuing a clear priority: Public funds should be allocated as strategically as possible to areas where they support medical advancement and the long-term sustainability of the three-site strategy. Economic stabilization and investments in the future go hand in hand here.
What is the goal of the entire process?
The goal goes beyond the question of individual buildings or properties: Ludwigsburg, Bietigheim, and Markgröningen are to remain high-performing hospital locations in the long term.
In doing so, the district aims to combine security of care, medical quality, and economic viability. To this end, the medical profiles will be refined, collaboration within the hospital network will be expanded, the economic foundation will be strengthened, and, in parallel, the long-term structural requirements will be assessed.
