Stuttgart Tourist Attractions

In Arnulf-Klett-Platz (underground shopping arcade; late opening) is the Hauptbahnhof, Stuttgart's main railroad station (by Paul Bonatz and E. F. Scholer, 1914-27), with a 58m/190ft high tower. Opposite the station is the Hindenburgbau (1927-28; extended 1951), and beyond this, in Lautenschlagerstrasse, are the Zeppelinbau (hotel) and Post Office Headquarters (1926-27).Facing the station, on the left can be found the Schlossgartenbau (hotel), originally built in 1960-61 as offices.

From the station Königstrasse, the town's main business and shopping street (pedestrian zone), runs southwest, past the Cathedral of St Eberhard (R.C.; rebuilt 1955), to the Schlossplatz, continuing to the Wilhelmsbau.

The spacious Schlossplatz is surrounded by buildings dating from the time when Stuttgart was a ducal and royal capital. In the center of the gardens stands the Jubilee Column, erected in 1841 to commemorate King William I's 25 years of rule. Here too are a cast-iron bandstand (1871) and a number of pieces of modern sculpture (Calder, Hrdlicka, Hajek). On the northwest side of the square is the Königsbau (1856-60; restored 1957-59), with a colonnade and a shopping arcade, and to the southwest, on higher ground, the Kleiner Schlossplatz (1968), with shops and restaurants.

To the southwest of the Schlossplatz, on the Planie, is the massive bulk of the Old Palace (Altes Schloss; by A. Tretsch, 1553-78; rebuilt 1948-69), with a picturesque arcaded courtyard. It now houses the Württemberg Landesmuseum (medieval collection; applied art, religious and secular; the Württemberg crown jewels; watches and clocks, astronomical and musical instruments, costume of various periods, archaeological finds, etc.). In the south wing is the palace church (1560-62).

Flanking the Old Palace is Schillerplatz (underground parking lot), with a monument to Schiller by Thorvaldsen. On the northeast side of the square is the Alte Kanzlei (Old Chancery; ca. 1500).On the northwest side stands the Prinzenbau (begun in 1605 by Schickhardt, finished a hundred years later by Matthias Weiss), which during the reign of Duke Eberhard Ludwig (1677-1733) was the residence of his heir, Prince Friedrich Ludwig; it is now occupied by the Ministry of Justice. On the southwest side of the square is the old Fruchtkasten (Granary; 1390) and adjoining it the choir of the Stiftskirche.

A little way south of Schillerplatz is the Marktplatz, with the Town Hall (Rathaus, 1956; carillon, Ratskeller, 61m/200ft high tower).

On the southern edge of old Stuttgart, in Eberhardstrasse, are the Tagblatt-Turm (1927-28; 61m/200ft high) and the "Kultur unterm Turm" cultural center (theater, periodic exhibitions).

To the south of the Tagblatt Tower lies the large complex of the Schwabenzentrum (Swabian Center; 1980), with shops, shopping arcades and quiet little courtyards with restaurants. Beyond the broad Hauptstätter Strasse is St Leonard's Church (Leonhardskirche; 15th C.).

North of St Leonard's Church, just before Charlottenplatz, on the right, is the Bohnenviertel, a part of the old town of Stuttgart which has been rebuilt in modern style. At Kanalstrasse 4 can be found the Writers' House (Schriftstellerhaus), a forum for discussions between writers from Germany and other countries and for encounters between authors and readers.

In Charlottenplatz, with its constant flow of traffic (underpass, on several levels, for road traffic, trams and pedestrians), is the Wilhelmspalais (built by Salucci in 1840, burned down 1944, rebuilt 1964-65), residence of the last King of Württemberg, William II, now housing a collection of material on the history of the town and the Municipal Library (Städtische Bibliothek). From here Konrad-Adenauer-Strasse runs northeast. On the right-hand side is the Landesbibliothek (Provincial Library; 1970), and farther along the street, on the left, are the Landtag (1960-61), the parliament of Baden-Württemberg (on the right, offices for members of the Landtag, 1984-87), and the State Theater (Staatstheater), an effective group consisting of two buildings originally erected by Max Littmann in 1907-12. The Grosses Haus (opera) is still Littmann's building; the Kleines Haus (theater) is a new building erected in 1960-62 to replace the original which was destroyed during the war.

Along the west side of Konrad-Adenauer-Strasse and Neckarstrasse the Schlossgarten extends from the New Palace to the Neckar in Berg and Bad Cannstatt. In the Oberer Schlossgarten (Upper Garden), diagonally opposite the Wagenburg Tunnel, are the Landespavillon (exhibitions) and the Planetarium. Beyond this are pretty little lakes, sculptures and the "Berger Sprudler" (mineral spring).The Planetarium contains Zeiss VI-A which was installed in 1977. Its dome measures 20 meters.

In the northwestern part of central Stuttgart, near the Ministry of Economic Development, is the Haus der Wirtschaft (State Factory Inspectorate, Stuttgart Design Center, etc.). In the Stadtgarten is the University of Technology.

West of the Haus der Wirtschaft stands the Liederhalle, a concert hall. In nearby Hegelplatz is the Linden Museum of Ethnography (Museum für Völkerkunde).

Above Stuttgart to the north, near the Academy of Fine Art, is the Weissenhof, a pioneering and influential housing development, built in 1927 for an exhibition by the Werkbund, a group of leading international architects, including Le Corbusier, Mies van der Rohe and Gropius.

Near the Weissenhof lies Killesberg Park, laid out from 1937 onwards, with exhibition halls used by the Stuttgart Trade Fair, a congress center, a chair-lift and a summer theater.

In the Berg district on the left bank of the Neckar stands Schloss Rosenstein (1824-29), which together with the Museum am Löwentor (1984) houses the State Museum of Natural History.There are two museums here of nature sciences. One is devoted to biology and the evolution of living species. The other is devoted to the origins of the earth with exhibits of fossils, dinosaurs, and Ice Age man.

Below Schloss Rosenstein is the Wilhelma Zoological and Botanic Garden (named after a little Moorish-style palace built in 1842-53), beautifully laid out, with hothouses, animal houses and enclosures and an aquarium.

On the right bank of the Neckar lies the old district of Bad Cannstatt, with the Kursaal (two mineral springs; restaurant) and the Kurpark. At Taubenheimstrasse 13 was the workshop of Gottlieb Daimler (memorial museum). On the Cannstatter Wasen (Meadows), the scene of the annual Spring and Folk Festival, are the large Neckar Stadium and the Hanns Martin Schleyer Hall, one of the most modern sports halls in Europe.

Hohenheim, situated on the Filder Plateau above the stream of Körsch, south of the city center, was already the seat of a noble family in medieval times.Within the region of Hohenheim, the primary attractions are the Palace and the Botanic Gardens.

The Neckar Stadium, Stuttgart's largest sports arena, with accomodation for 70,600 spectators, was built in 1933 (architect, Paul Bonatz) for the German Gymnastics Festival, enlarged for the Gymnastics Festival of 1973 and further improved for the world football championship matches in 1974.

The Porsche Museum displays its history of sports car manufacturing with 20 famous racing and sports cars. Facts about the auto industry and other vehicles are also highlighted.

The German Agricultural Museum is located in Stuttgart. Exhibits highlight the rural agricultural industry with agricultural equipment and other special exhibitions.

The Hoppenlau Cemetray, Stuttgart's olderst surviving cemetary, lies between the Liederhalle and the Linden Museum.

Stuttgart hosts several events during the year.