City Portrait

Going back in history, the State Capital (now with a horse in its coat of arms) was once only a stud farm, for many hundreds of years it advanced to become a residence for counts, dukes and kings of Wuerttemberg. Today the Stuttgart region is an innovative and worldwide leading industrial location. People from more than 170 nations live here together and enjoy their everyday life. That is what makes the city special.

If buildings could tell stories you would be able to listen for hours in Stuttgart. The city not only has grand castles, but bold new buildings and groundbreaking architecture. From the automobile museum to the baroque castle and the world’s first steel-structure television tower – Stuttgart has fascinating sites to visit. 

The versatile cultural institutions are well-known far beyond the state borders. One highlight is the Stuttgart theatres which, with opera, ballet and drama, form the largest three-division theatre in Europe. Stuttgart is also quite unique with its high concentration of museums among the German metropolitan regions: more than 40 institutions with various orientations. 

There is always something going on in Stuttgart: there’s one event, one festival after another. Some 80 national and international festivals and highlights add to the regular portfolio of the cultural institutions in Stuttgart. The Stuttgart Spring Festival and Cannstatter Volksfest are certainly among the outstanding annual events, each of which attracts some four million visitors from home and abroad. The Stuttgart Wine Village, the Stuttgart Christmas Market or the Summer Festival of Cultures are also much loved and well-attended events.

Part of any celebration is always having a good time, high on Stuttgart’s list of priorities. Arriving at the main station, you’ll see vineyards belonging to the City of Stuttgart since 1949. In no other German city does wine play such a major role as here, with vines growing right down into the town – and the vineyards are a popular destination offering fantastic views.

Stuttgart‘s topography is certainly quite unique in Germany. The hillsides form a frame around the centre of the city in a valley basin. From above, you always have a fantastic view. No matter if you are looking at Stuttgart from Birkenkopf or Killesberg: with its scenery the city literally lies at the feet of the observer. But the best view can be had from the 216-metre high television tower, which was opened in 1956.

Stuttgart is one of the cities richly blessed by nature. Green spaces, parks, forests and vineyards are major characteristics of the city and make a considerable contribution to the quality of life. Another special feature: everyday up to 44 million litres of mineral water bubble up from the depths. This is why Stuttgart is also a spa city with 13 state-approved healing springs. In Europe Stuttgart is only second to Budapest with the largest mineral water resources. 

The view of the local economy is also impressive: The Stuttgart region is characterized by a broad entrepreneurial diversity - a balanced mix of global brands and extremely innovative medium-sized companies. In addition, Stuttgart has a first-class research infrastructure with many leading universities and institutes that develop cutting-edge technologies.

Stuttgart boasts an excellent local public transport system which offers high transport standards and is also embedded in the regional public transport system. The city has been promoting sustainable mobility for many years. Stuttgart's mobility therefore offers a diverse public transport network with good connections: to  Stuttgart Airport (opens in a new tab),  Trains (opens in a new tab),  Bus and Rail (opens in a new tab) and  Bicycle Routes. (opens in a new tab)

If you would like to visit Stuttgart, you’ll find more information and more highlights at  www.stuttgart-tourist.de (opens in a new tab).