Legal notice/data protection:

- Status: June 2025 -

The controller in the sense of data protection laws, in particular the EU General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), is:

Steffen Ludwig
Im Nonnengarten 33
67098 Bad Dürkheim
info{at}ludwigfriends.de

Introduction and Cookie Consent

Protecting your personal data is very important to us. This Privacy Policy informs you about which personal data we collect when you visit and use our website, how we process it, and for what purposes.

To enable you to control your data and comply with legal requirements, especially regarding cookies and similar technologies, we use a Cookie Consent Management Tool. This tool appears when you first visit our website and allows you to set your preferences for the use of cookies and other tracking technologies.

Technically necessary cookies, which are essential for the basic operation of the website (e.g., to ensure security or store session information), do not require consent. All other cookies and tracking technologies used for analysis, marketing, or integrating external content will only be activated after your explicit consent.

Your Data Subject Rights

You can exercise the following rights at any time using the contact details of the controller provided above:

•Right to information (Art. 15 GDPR): You have the right to obtain information about your personal data stored by us and its processing.

•Right to rectification (Art. 16 GDPR): You have the right to request the immediate rectification of inaccurate personal data concerning you.

•Right to erasure (Art. 17 GDPR): You have the right to request the erasure of your personal data stored by us, unless legal retention obligations or other reasons prevent this.

•Right to restriction of processing (Art. 18 GDPR): You have the right to request the restriction of the processing of your data if, for example, the accuracy of the data is disputed or the processing is unlawful.

•Right to object to processing (Art. 21 GDPR): You have the right to object, on grounds relating to your particular situation, at any time to processing of personal data concerning you which is based on Art. 6 para. 1 lit. e or f GDPR (data processing based on a balancing of interests).

•Right to data portability (Art. 20 GDPR): You have the right to receive the personal data concerning you, which you have provided to us, in a structured, commonly used and machine-readable format and have the right to transmit those data to another controller, where the processing is based on consent or on a contract.

If you have given us your consent to process your data, you can revoke this consent at any time with effect for the future.

You can lodge a complaint with a supervisory authority at any time, e.g., with the supervisory authority responsible for your place of residence or with the authority responsible for us as the controller.

A list of supervisory authorities (for the non-public sector) with addresses can be found at: https://www.bfdi.bund.de/DE/Service/Anschriften/Laender/Laender-node.html.

Collection of General Information when Visiting Our Website (Server Log Files)

Type and Purpose of Processing:
When you visit our website, meaning when you do not register or otherwise transmit information to us, general information is automatically collected. This information (so-called server log files) includes, for example, the type of web browser, the operating system used, the domain name of your internet service provider, your IP address, the date and time of access, and similar data.

This data is processed for the following purposes in particular:

•Ensuring a smooth connection to the website.

•Ensuring smooth use of our website.

•Evaluating system security and stability.

•Optimizing our website.

We do not use this data to draw conclusions about your person. Information of this kind may be statistically evaluated by us in an anonymized form to optimize the technology behind our website and its presentation.

Legal Basis and Legitimate Interest:
Processing is carried out in accordance with Art. 6 para. 1 lit. f GDPR based on our legitimate interest in improving the stability and functionality of our website and ensuring IT security.

Recipients:
Recipients of the data may be technical service providers who act as processors for the operation and maintenance of our website.

Storage Period:
The data will be deleted as soon as it is no longer necessary for the purpose for which it was collected. For data used to provide the website, this is generally the case when the respective session has ended. Further storage may be necessary in individual cases to track system errors or attacks, in order to protect our legitimate interest in IT security.

Provision Required or Necessary:
The provision of the aforementioned personal data is neither legally nor contractually required. However, without the collection of your IP address, the service and functionality of our website cannot be guaranteed. For this reason, an objection to the processing of this technically necessary data within the scope of the website visit is excluded.


Contact Form

Type and Purpose of Processing:
The data you enter into our contact form is stored and processed for the purpose of individual communication with you. For this, a valid email address and your name are required to assign and answer your inquiry. The provision of further data is optional and serves to enable us to process your inquiry more precisely.

Legal Basis:
The processing of the data entered into the contact form takes place on different legal bases, depending on the purpose of your contact:

•If the contact is made to answer a general inquiry or to clarify questions, the legal basis is our legitimate interest in accordance with Art. 6 para. 1 lit. f GDPR, to enable you to contact us easily and to process your inquiry.

•If you contact us to request an offer or to initiate a contractual relationship, the processing of the data entered into the contact form takes place for the performance of pre-contractual measures or for the fulfillment of a contract in accordance with Art. 6 para. 1 lit. b GDPR.

Recipients:
Recipients of the data may be processors who support us in communication or the technical provision of the form.

Storage Period:
The data will be deleted no later than 6 months after the final processing of your inquiry, unless there are legal retention obligations preventing this. If a contractual relationship arises, we are subject to statutory retention periods (e.g., according to the German Commercial Code (HGB) and Tax Code (AO)) and will delete your data after these periods have expired.

Provision Required or Necessary:
The provision of your personal data via the contact form is voluntary. However, we can only process your inquiry if you provide us with at least your name, email address, and the reason for the inquiry.

Use of Google Maps

On this website, we use the services of Google Maps, a service provided by Google Ireland Limited, Gordon House, Barrow Street, Dublin 4, Ireland ("Google"). This allows us to display interactive maps directly on the website and enable you to conveniently use the map function, for example, to show our location.

Type of Data Processed and Purpose of Processing:
By integrating Google Maps and your corresponding consent, Google receives information that you have accessed the corresponding subpage of our website. This happens regardless of whether you have a Google user account and are logged in, or whether no user account exists.

The data processed by Google may include your IP address, location data, device information, browser information, and the URL accessed. Google uses this data to provide, improve, and optimize Google Maps services, as well as for its own purposes such as advertising, market research, and the needs-based design of its products. If you are logged into Google, your data will be directly associated with your account.

Legal Basis:
The integration of Google Maps and the associated data transfer to Google takes place on the basis of your consent in accordance with Art. 6 para. 1 lit. a GDPR, which you provide via our Cookie Consent Management Tool. Without your consent, Google Maps will not be loaded.

Recipients and Third-Country Transfer:
The recipient of the data is Google. It cannot be ruled out that data may be transferred by Google to servers in the USA. For this data transfer to the USA, we rely on the Standard Contractual Clauses (SCCs) of the EU Commission, which are intended to ensure an adequate level of data protection.

Further information about Google's data processing, including storage duration and your setting options, can be found in Google's privacy policy: https://policies.google.com/privacy. There you can also change your personal privacy settings in the privacy center and find comprehensive instructions for managing your data in connection with Google products: https://www.dataliberation.org.

Revocation of Consent:
You can revoke your consent to the use of Google Maps at any time with effect for the future via our cookie settings. Please note that in this case, you may no longer be able to use our website fully or the map function may not be available.

General Information on Third-Country Transfer

We generally only transfer personal data to recipients in a third country outside the European Union or the European Economic Area (EEA) if:

•An adequacy decision by the European Commission exists for the country concerned (Art. 45 GDPR), stating that a comparable level of data protection exists there as in the EU, or

•Appropriate safeguards are in place, such as the Standard Contractual Clauses (SCCs) issued by the EU Commission (Art. 46 para. 2 lit. c GDPR), which are intended to ensure an adequate level of data protection, or

•Your explicit consent for the specific transfer is available (Art. 49 para. 1 lit. a GDPR).
Information on specific third-country transfers and the applied protective mechanisms can be found in the corresponding sections of this privacy policy for the respective services (e.g., Google Maps).

SSL Encryption

To protect the security of your data during transmission, we use encryption procedures corresponding to the current state of technology (e.g., SSL/TLS) via HTTPS.

Information About Your Right to Object According to Art. 21 GDPR

Right to Object on a Case-by-Case Basis:
You have the right to object, on grounds relating to your particular situation, at any time to processing of personal data concerning you which is based on Art. 6 para. 1 lit. f GDPR (data processing based on a balancing of interests). This also applies to profiling based on this provision within the meaning of Art. 4 No. 4 GDPR.

If you object, we will no longer process your personal data unless we can demonstrate compelling legitimate grounds for the processing which override your interests, rights, and freedoms, or the processing serves the establishment, exercise, or defense of legal claims.

Recipient of an Objection:
Steffen Ludwig, info{at}ludwigfriends.de

Changes to Our Privacy Policy
We reserve the right to adapt this Privacy Policy so that it always complies with current legal requirements or to implement changes to our services in the Privacy Policy, e.g., when introducing new services. The new Privacy Policy will then apply to your renewed visit.

Questions about Data Protection

If you have any questions about data protection, please send us an email to info{at}ludwigfriends.de. The person responsible for data protection, Steffen Ludwig, will handle your request.


This Privacy Policy was last updated on: June 26, 2025