Stuttgart, capital of the state of Baden-Württemberg, exudes confidence, wealth and good living. Having started life as a horse stud farm in the 10th century, it has transformed itself into one of the biggest success stories of the industrial revolution. It boasts the highest standard of prosperity of any city in Germany or even Europe. Its industry is built on luxury, this is the birthplace of premium cars - Daimler-Benz and Porsche.
Having been propelled into the machine age, Stuttgart has never looked back. Despite being flattened in World War II, the city rebuilt itself with surprising speed and remains one of Germany’s top industrial centres, at the forefront of the hi-tech industrial world.
Ever since the Reformation, the Protestant work ethic has had a firm grip here and even today its citizens expect to work and play hard. They may churn out the cream of fast cars by day, but at night Stuttgart’s residents throw themselves into a vibrant cultural scene and buzzing nightlife, especially jazz. There’s also a wealth of museums, concerts, opera and ballet, and as for fine wine, the city is almost taken over by the local vineyards which approach the city centre in a rim of green hills.
Despite being a modern city, Stuttgart has a surprising amount of open space; its borders are carpeted in woods, forests, vineyards and orchards - ideal hiking and cycling territory.
For petrol-heads, the Mercedez-Benz-Museum is a must. You’ll see the first cars in the world designed by Karl Benz and Gottlieb Daimler, the earliest motorbike, limousines and sports cars, but it’s the luxury cars and space-age vehicles that steal the show. Porsche fans have their own museum displaying all the company’s editions from the 356 Roadster of 1948 to latest models still in production.
The historic district of Sclossplatz is another major draw, a huge, imposing square featuring the grand New Castle and, facing it, the Königsbau, its 135-metre façade is lined with shops. Not surprisingly, given the wealth of its residents, Stuttgart is extremely good for shopping. The Königstrasse presents a glamorous retail mile, the pedestrian zone is lit up by street artists and buskers, but the market hall, Schulstrasse and Calwer Passage also offer plenty of choice for fashion, jewellery and luxury leather goods.
And although Stuttgart’s citizens are rich and fancy restaurants abound, there’s no shortage of excellent value local cuisine and ethnic eateries.
If you’ve time to explore further afield, west of Stuttgart is Baden-Baden, the ultimate German spa town, also easily reached is Heidelberg, Germany’s best-loved city, not least for its romantic Schloss.
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Begin the day at the Schlossplatz, it’s impossible not to be impressed by the Neues Schloss, the last Baroque castle to be built in Germany. The only part you can visit are the cellars but it’s worth it to see the Römisches Lapidarium, a collection of Roman stone fragments dating back to 200 AD. Opposite the castle, pick up a souvenir from one of the glitzy shops that line the Königsbau.
At the southern end of the Schlossplatz is the Altes Schloss, one wing survives of a 14th century moated castle, built on the ruins of the 10th century stud farm, the first settlement of Stuttgart. If it’s summer, you might catch one of the nominally priced classical concerts staged here.
Then head over to the Kunstmuseum, a spectacular glass cubicle in the centre of the city, opened in March 2005. It exhibits a top-class German modern art collection but world-renowned collections are often here on loan.
Enjoy lunch and a beer on Schillerplatz, Stuttgart’s sole example of an historic square before spending the afternoon at the new Mercedes-Benz Museum. Even if you’re not a car fan, more than 70 vehicles are on display and the luxury car models are superb. There’s the first ‘Popemobile’, a fire engine, plane and boat, but especially impressive are the space-age cars designed for world record attempts, including the Blitzen Benz that Bob Burman drove at 228 mph to set the world record in 1911 at Daytona Beach.
But if you’re not into cars at all, visit Rosenteinpark, beautifully laid out with a lake, rose gardens and statues, and featuring the ritzy Schloss Rosentein, the former country house of the Württemberg kings.
End the day with a gourmet meal at the top of Television Tower, taking in the jaw-dropping views of Stuttgart, the vineyards of Neckar Valley, the Black Forest and the Alps.
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Flybe’s booking company offers a good range of hotels in and around Stuttgart’s centre. If you need to be downtown, try the three-star Rega, a modern hotel in a quiet residential side street, or the four-star Royal Hotel, a smart property in the heart of Stuttgart’s bustling centre. The four-star Quality Residence is a modern bright and cheerful hotel, a 20-minute tram ride downtown, or stay at the four-star Berlin, ideal for business, not far from the centre and close to public transport.
www.flybehotels.com
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There are good links from Stuttgart Airport to the city centre. From level 1 of Terminal 1 take S-Bahn S2 or S3 to Stuttgart Central Station, it takes 27 minutes and buses run from 5am to 12.25pm. They depart every 10-20 minutes, every 30 minutes at weekends.
Trains run from the airport to the central station from 5am (05.48 at weekends) until eight minutes past midnight.
www.stuttgart-airport.com
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The integrated public transport system is operated by VVS and covers nearby towns as well as the city centre. Once you’ve bought a ticket you can switch between buses, trams, U-Bahns and mainline and S-Bahn trains. As most of the key sights are scattered across the city, it’s probably worth investing in a day ticket for around €5, or you can buy a city explorer Stuttcard plus or Stuttcard which give free admission to most museums, cut price entry to theatres and free travel on public transport for three days, including transport to the airport. The Stuttcard plus costs €17.50 or €12 for the Stuttcard, available from the i-Punkt tourist information centre, Königstrasse, tel: +49 (0) 711 22 28 253.
www.vvs.de
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For variety of scenery, the province of Baden-Württemberg is rivalled only by Bavaria. The Black Forest, by far the largest and most famous of Germany’s forests, provides plenty of attractive excursion possibilities, from hiking and biking to boat trips on the River Neckar.
The western and southern boundaries of the province are defined by acres of vineyards, the River Rhine and Germany’s largest lake, the Bodensee. Beyond the Black Forest is another main waterway, the Danube, which forms an impressive gorge at the foot of the Swabian Jura Mountains.
West of Stuttgart is the beautiful town of Baden Baden. Although it’s small, the sights extend across the valley of the River Oos and surrounding hills and that, coupled with its excellent spa facilities, make it well worth spending a few days here. Take a horse-drawn carriage passed its gardens, churches, and market square. Don’t miss the Friedricksbad, one of the most impressive and glamorous bathing halls in the world. The pools are surrounded by opulent pillars, arches and ornate tiles. Indulge in a two-hour programme of showers, hot air and steam baths, soap and brush massage, thermal bathing and a half-hour’s snooze. Or visit the Caracalla Therme, a vast spa complex, situated on the same square. And, then reinvigorated, try your luck at the casino, one of the most lavish buildings in town.
Due north of Stuttgart is Heidelberg, set on the banks of the River Neckar between two ranges of hills, this town is the idyllic German landscape. Centrepiece is the magnificent castle which dates back to the early 13th century, although there have been plenty of additions to it since.
Most of the sights can be covered on a two-hour tour of the old town, but the place is so captivating, you’ll want to spend at least a weekend here. The Hauptstrasse is the main shopping stretch, but other must-sees include the ancient baroque university, the corn market for excellent views of the castle, main market square which boasts the town’s oldest house and a beautiful old bridge gate. If you’re in romantic mood, visit the castle gardens and old town when they’re lit up at night.
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Schlossplatz. The historic centre, housing the New Castle. It’s not open to the public but it’s well worth seeing the impressive 18th century monument. Opposite is the Königsbau, lined with shops.
Kunstmuseum Stuttgart. Open Tues-Sun 10am-6pm, Wed 10am-9pm, tel: +49 (0) 711 216 2188. Opened in March 2005, a modernistic glass cube structure housing German art, including Swabian impressionists, Adolf Hölzel and Otto Dix.
www.kunstmuseum-stuttgart.de
Württemburgisches Landesmuseum. Open Tues 10am-1pm, Wed-Sun 10am-5pm, entry €3, featuring Italian sculptures and Renaissance curios, on the top floor are the 19th century crown jewels.
www.landesmuseum-stuttgart.de
Staatsgalerie. Open Wed, Fri-Sun 10am-6pm, Thurs 10am-9pm, closed Monday. Tel: +49 (0) 711 470 40 0, A collection of 14th-19th century works, including paintings by Rembrandt, Memling and Canaletto. Next door is the New State Gallery featuring modern art.
www.staatsgalerie.de
Mercedes-Benz Museum. Open Tues-Sun 9am-5pm, free entry, Over 70 historical vehicles on display, plus a fire engine, motorboat, aeroplane and bus, but luxury and speed cars are the highlights.
www.mercedes-benz.com
Porsche-Museum. Open Mon-Fri 9am-4pm, Sat-Sun 9am-5pm, free entry. Forty-two displays of 50 vehicles, from the earliest models to those still in production.
Television Tower. With a height of 217 metres, it offers easily the best city views and beyond to the vineyards of Neckar Valley, the Alb landscape, Black Forest and Odenwald. On clear days the Austrian and Swiss Alps can also be seen.
Springs Stuttgart. Pamper yourself at the Bad Cannstatt and Berg spas, the second largest mineral water system in Europe, with 19 springs and fountains. The mineral springs are reputedly therapeutic for rheumatic pains.
Königstrasse. Stuttgart’s main shopping street, a mile of premium shops, department stores and cafés.
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Thanks to its prosperous residents, Stuttgart’s cultural scene is reckoned to be one of the best in Europe. For classical music, contact the Liederhalle, +49 (0) 711 202 7710, which has five halls for staging concerts of all kinds. High-brow theatre is produced at the Staatstheatre, +49 (0) 711 202 090, www.staatstheater.de which is also the venue for ballet and opera.
www.liederhalle-stuttgart.de
There’s also a very lively club scene, the Stuttgarter Monatsspiegel and Prinz are both useful listings newspapers. Boa (+49 (0) 711 226 3113) pulls in a young crowd at its house and techno-music disco, special events are held on Saturday nights. Palais (+49 (0) 711 226 3252) is a flashy dance club and offers a wide range of music. Live bands play everything from jazz to funk at Röhre (+49 (0) 711 299 1590), which also has a very hip disco. Jazzothek Rogers Kiste, Hauptstätter, is popular with locals for live jazz every night.
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The Stuttgart region is without doubt one of the most economically rich in Europe. It has a population of around 2.7 million, giving a work pool of 1.4 million and a gross domestic product of €90 billion, the same as the whole of Finland.
There’s a good mix of well-known large companies and innovative smaller firms principally in the car, electronic technology and mechanical engineering sectors. In addition to Mercedes-Benz and Porsche, Compaq Deutschland, IBM Deutschland, Trumpf, Lapp, Festo and many other firms are located here.
Not surprisingly, property prices are high. A small two-bed flat in Bad Cannstatt costs £65,000 and around £550 a month to rent, but there are plenty of English-speaking agents and lawyers to guide you through buying or renting.
www.region-stuttgart.de
British Chamber of Commerce in Stuttgart. www.bccg.de
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Festivals are a big feature of Stuttgart’s city life. The biggest event is the 16-day Canstatter Volkfest, beer festival, which takes place in the last week in September and first of October. It was started way back in 1818 by King Wilhelm 1 of Württemberg and is the second biggest beer festival in the world, the largest is the Oktoberfest in Munich. In addition to an enormous range of beers, the festival offers the Französische Dorf, a village of French-style brasseries.
But if you’re a wine aficionado, visit the Stuttgarter Weindorf, held in the city centre from the last Friday in August to the first Sunday in September, when more than 300 varieties are available for tasting. If you can’t make that, fly over for the second weekend of October for another big wine festival, the Fellbacher Herbst held in nearby Fellbach.
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