The night heron is on the Red List of endangered breeding bird species. In 2023, it had settled on Cupid Island in the Schlosssee. It is currently the only occupied breeding site in the whole of Baden-Württemberg. Until now, the district office assumed that the heron had completed its breeding activities by the time of the Klassik Open Air. However, ornithologists noticed last year that significantly fewer night herons were observed in Monrepos after the fireworks than before.
For this reason, representatives of the regional council, the city of Ludwigsburg and the Ludwigsburg district office have been trying to find a solution since autumn 2024 to allow the fireworks display to take place without endangering the night heron. Different locations for launching the fireworks were tested. These were between 150 and a maximum of 800 meters away from the breeding site of the night heron. However, the experts from the regional council came to the conclusion for all of the options presented that there would be a significant disturbance to the night heron during the breeding and rearing season and that there was a risk that the population would decline. With late breeding times for night herons, there is also the possibility of injury or even death of young birds that are not yet able to fly. It is impossible for visitors to the Festival am See to marvel at the fireworks and for the strictly protected bird species to remain largely unaffected.
The Ludwigsburg District Office therefore had to prohibit the Ludwigsburg Castle Festival as the organizer from holding the fireworks display. The concert itself can take place as planned.
