Exhibit 24.1 Power of Attorney The federal state of Baden-Wurttemberg, represented by Mr. Walter Leibold, Ministerialdirigent of the Baden-Wurttemberg, Ministry of Finance, herewith grants power of attorney to Mr. Gerhard Fink, business address: Landeskreditbank Baden-Wurttemberg - Forderbank, Friedrichstrasse 24, D-70174 Stuttgart, Germany to 1. sign on behalf of the federal state of Baden-Wurttemberg the registration statement of the Landeskreditbank Baden-Wurttemberg - Forderbank relating to the initial issuance of global bonds and 2. appoint Puglisi & Associates, 850 Library Avenue, Suite 204, P.O. Box 885, Newark, Delaware 19715, USA, as so-called "authorized representative" of the federal state of Baden-Wurttemberg relating to the registration of such global bonds with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. This power of attorney is governed by German law. Stuttgart, January 11, 2005 /s/ Walter Leibold - -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Walter Leibold