Stuttgart [ˈʃtʊtgaʁt], located in southern Germany, is the capital of the state of Baden-Wrttemberg with a population of 591,528 (as of April 2006) in the city, and 2.7 million in the Stuttgart Region.
GeographyStuttgart, Germany, the capital of Baden-Wrttemberg state (pop. 11 million, 36,000 square kilometers) and the Administrative Region of Stuttgart (pop. 4 million, 11,000 km), is located in the center of the very densely populated southwestern Stuttgart Region (population 2.7 million, 3,700 km) of Germany, close to both the Black Forest and the Swabian Jura. The city center (situated in a lush valley, ringed with vineyards and forests, close to the River Neckar) itself has a population of 591,528 (as of 30 April 2006) and covers an area of 207 km. Stuttgart with its metropolitan area (the political entity 'Stuttgart Region' enlarged by the nearby cities of Ludwigsburg, Bblingen, Esslingen, Waiblingen, Gppingen and their respective districts is one of the most prominent and well-known German towns, especially due to its cultural, administrative and huge economic importance.
Stuttgart is the sixth largest city in Germany and Stuttgart Region is the nation's fourth largest conurbation (behind Ruhr Area, Rhein/Main Area and Berlin). Neighbouring large cities are Frankfurt (210 km north of Stuttgart), Nuremberg (200 km northeast of Stuttgart) and Munich (220 km southeast of Stuttgart).
The City of Stuttgart is subdivided into 23 city districts, among the most well-known are:
Stuttgart is also the seat of a Protestant bishop (Protestant State Church of Wrttemberg) and one of the two co-seats of the bishop of the Roman Catholic diocese Rottenburg-Stuttgart. The Stuttgart-based pentecostal Biblische Glaubens-Gemeinde ist the largest evangelical megachurch in Germany.
EconomyApproximately 150,000 companies are located in the Stuttgart region. The area is known for its high-tech industry; some of its most prominent companies include DaimlerChrysler, Porsche, Bosch, Celesio, Hewlett-Packard and IBM all of whom located their world or German headquarters here. In fact, the Porsche badge, as seen on the front of Porsche cars has this town's name in the centre of the badge, something that is unique amongst the world's vehicle makers. A theory even suggests that also the Ferrari logo 'Cavallino Rampante' had its origin in the Stuttgart coat-of-arms.
Stuttgart is the place where the motorbike and the four-wheeled automobile were invented (invented by Gottlieb Daimler and Carl Benz, industrialised 1887 by Gottlieb Daimler and Wilhelm Maybach in their 1887 Daimler Motoren Gesellschaft), it's hence the starting point of the worldwide automotive industry. Such famous and prestigious brands as Mercedes-Benz, Porsche and Maybach are produced there. Also the very first prototypes of the eventual VW Beetle were fabricated in Stuttgart, based on a design by Ferdinand Porsche.
The region currently has Germany's highest density of scientific, academic and research organizations, and tops the national league for patent applications. More than 11% of all R&D-expenses in the Federal Republic of Germany are generated in the Stuttgart Region (approximately 4.3 billion Euro per year). In addition to several universities and colleges (i.a. University of Stuttgart, University of Stuttgart-Hohenheim and the several branches of the University of Applied Sciences Stuttgart), the area has six institutes of the Fraunhofer Gesellschaft, four institutes for collaborative industrial research at local universities, two Max-Planck Institutes, as well as one large-scale research centre—the German Aerospace Centre (DLR).
Stuttgart holds top place of all European Union regions according to the share of employment in high-tech and medium-high tech manufacturing with a figure of 21.0% (2001 data from Eurostat).
The Stuttgart Stock Exchange is the second largest in Germany (second only to Frankfurt Stock Exchange) and important financial companies are headquartered in Stuttgart (e.g. LBBW Bank or Wstenrot&Wrttembergische, and Allianz Life Insurance), as well. In addition to these global players, the Stuttgart economy consists of many highly versatile and dynamic medium-sized enterprises (the so-called 'Mittelstand').
Furthermore, Stuttgart is still one of Germany's largest wine-growing towns with a century-long tradition and is situated at the geographic center of the 'Wrttemberg Wine Growing Area' (110.30 km, one of 13 official German growing areas, according to the German Wine Law). Stuttgart is also home to several famous breweries such as Stuttgarter Hofbru, Dinkelacker and Schwabenbru.
Transport Local transportStuttgart has a light rail system, known as the Stuttgart Stadtbahn, which has incrementally replaced the city's tram lines. In the city centre as well as in other densely built-up districts of the city, the Stadtbahn runs underground and uses the 'U'-symbol (for U-Bahn). One regular tram service still operates in the city, together with a couple of heritage routes. Stuttgart also has a large bus network. The Stadtbahn, trams and buses are operated by the Stuttgarter Straenbahnen AG (SSB), the local public transport operator.
Stuttgart, like other cities in Germany, is also served by a rapid transit system called the Stuttgart S-Bahn, which operates on the rails of the national Deutsche Bahn AG (DBAG). Although the S-Bahn is operated by a subsidiary company of the DBAG, rather than the SSB, both undertakings are part of the regional transport cooperative, the Verkehrs- und Tarifverbund Stuttgart (VVS), which coordinates tickets and fares among all transport operators in the metropolitan area.
A peculiarity of Stuttgart is the Zahnradbahn, a rack railway operating from Marienplatz in the heart of the city to the Degerloch district; it is the only urban rack railway in Germany and is powered by electricity. Furthermore, there is the Standseilbahn Stuttgart, a funicular railway that operates in the city's Heslach district to the forest cemetery (Waldfriedhof), employing cars built of wood. In the Killesberg Park, on a prominent hill in the city, there is the Killesberg park railway run by diesel (and on weekends with steam).
Air linksStuttgart is served by Stuttgart Airport (in German Flughafen Stuttgart), which is an international airport located approximately 8 miles (13 km) south of the city center in the neighbouring town of Leinfelden-Echterdingen. The airport is within within 30 minutes travelling time from the city using S-Bahn lines S2 or S3. The airport is adjacent to the Autobahn A8.[1]
Rail linksStuttgart is a hub in the InterCityExpress and InterCity networks of Deutsche Bahn AG (DBAG), with through services to Berlin and most other major German cities. There are also international services to Strasbourg, Paris, Vienna and Zurich. These long distance trains call at Stuttgart Hauptbahnhof, the city's main line terminus. From June 2007, the new TGV POS will run between Stuttgart and Paris four times a day, taking 3 hours 40 minutes for the journey.[1]
The Hauptbahnhof terminus is also used by DBAG's RegionalExpress and RegionalBahn regional services, which do serve other stations in the Stuttgart metropolitan area. Below the terminus are separate underground stations on the city's two local rail networks, the S-Bahn and the Stadtbahn.[1]
Stuttgart is also a rail freight center, with marshalling yards and a container terminal at Stuttgart Obertrkheim.[1]
Road linksThe motorway Autobahn A8 (Paris - Strasbourg - Karlsruhe - Stuttgart - Munich - Salzburg - Vienna) forms the southern boundary of the city. The city is also served by the Autobahns A81 (Zrich – Singen – Wrzburg – Hamburg) and A831.[1]
Waterway linksThe city has an inland port at Stuttgart Hedelfingen on the River Neckar.[1]
People, culture, and architectureStuttgart is known for its cultural life, in particular the Staatstheater and Staatsgalerie. The Staatstheater contains an opera house and three smaller theaters, where opera, ballet, theatre and concerts are produced. The Staatstheater was awarded the title 'Theatre of the year' (Germany/Austria/Switzerland) in 2006. The world-renowned Stuttgart Opera won the prestigious 'Opera of the year' (Germany/Austria/Switzerland) award six times: 1994, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2002 and again in 2006. The famous Stuttgart Ballet is connected to names like John Cranko and Marcia Hayde. The city also offers two broadway-style Musical theaters, the Apollo and the Palladium Theater (each approx. 1800 seats).
Stuttgart is home to the Wrttembergische Landesbibliothek (WLB) state library.
Stuttgart's city center was heavily damaged during World War II and its aftermath. Nevertheless, many historic buildings have been reconstructed, and the city boasts of some fine pieces of modern post-war architecture.
In 1992, the VfB Stuttgart (a leading Bundesliga football team) claimed the first German Championship title after the reunification of the football federations of West and East Germany. The city also has a reputation for organizing other major sports events. It hosted the 1993 World Championships in Athletics and many other world and European championships of all kind of sports. The town was one of the twelve hosts of the Football World Cup 2006. I.a. the 3rd and 4th place playoff of the World Cup was held at the City's Daimler Stadium. Stuttgart also is 'European Sports Capital 2007' and will host the 2007 UCI World Cycling Championships Road Race and Time Trials for elite men, women, and under-23 year old riders.
Stuttgarts third division football club, Stuttgarter Kickers, host its matches at a pure football stadium ('Gazi Stadium'), close to the city's TV tower, in the city district of Degerloch. That stadium is also the home ground of the German first division American Football team 'Stuttgart Scorpions'.
Stuttgart's Swabian cuisine, beer and wine (produced in the area since the 1600s) are also well known. The Gaisburger Marsch, a stew, was invented in Stuttgarts district Gaisburg. Stuttgart hosts a world-famous annual beer festival; the 'Cannstatter Volksfest' (English: 'Cannstatt Festival') on the 'Cannstatter Wasen' - the Cannstatt Festival is only second in size to the Oktoberfest in Munich. The Christmas Market of Stuttgart is the largest (more than 3.6 million visitors in 2006) and one of the oldest and most beautiful in Europe, especially renowned for the abundant decorations.
The famous 'Wilhelma' is Germany's only combined zoological and botanical garden. The whole compound was built around 1850 as a summer palace in moorish style for King Wilhelm I of Wrttemberg. Close to the Wilhelma, there are the Stuttgart city districts of Bad Cannstatt and Berg which are the second largest mineral spas in Europe (only surpassed by Budapest).
Other important towns in the Stuttgart Region are Ludwigsburg with its enormous baroque palace, Sindelfingen and Esslingen.
Famous people from StuttgartNotable people born in Stuttgart or residents who influenced the history of the city:
