Stuttgart
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Categories: Cities in Baden-Württemberg | Settlements established in the 10th century | Articles needing additional references from January 2008 | All articles with unsourced statements | Articles with unsourced statements since January 2008 | Articles with unsourced statements since December 2007 | Articles with unsourced statements since July 2007 | Stuttgart region | Stuttgart | German state capitals | Spa towns in Germany
|
For other uses, see Stuttgart (disambiguation).
Stuttgart (IPA: [ˈʃtʊtgaʁt]) is the capital of the state of Baden-Württemberg in southern Germany. The sixth-largest city in Germany, Stuttgart has a population of 595,452 while the metropolitan area referred to as Stuttgart Region has a population of 3.46 million (both: February 2007.)[2]
Coat of armsThe coat of arms of Stuttgart shows a black, rampant horse on a yellow or golden field. It is a canting seal due to the fact that the name "Stuttgart" is an over the centuries modified version of "Stutengarten", in English roughly "mare garden", a type of stud farm. This is due to the origin of the city as a horse stable in the 10th century, where horses were bred for cavalry (see History). The Stuttgart-based company Porsche designed part of its logo after the model of Stuttgart's coat of arms. History
Ca. 950, Stuttgart was founded by Duke Liudolf of Swabia, one of the sons of Holy Roman Emperor Otto I the Great, and used for horse breeding (especially for his father's cavalry, see Battle of Lechfeld). Ca. 1300, Stuttgart became the residence of the Counts of Württemberg. In 1496, the counts were promoted to dukes by the Holy Roman Emperor. During Napoleon Bonaparte's breakup of the Holy Roman Empire, the Dukes of Württemberg received the title of kings in 1805 and Stuttgart became a royal residence. The name of the royal family of Württemberg and of the state originates from a steep Stuttgart hill, formerly known as Wirtemberg, nowadays called Württemberg. On top of that hill, the mausoleum from 1824 of Queen Katharina (daughter of Tsar Paul I of Russia) and King William I of Württemberg is located. During the revolution of 1848/1849, a democratic pan-German national parliament (Frankfurt Parliament) was formed in Frankfurt to overcome the division of Germany. After long discussions, the parliament decided to offer the title of the German emperor to King Frederick William IV of Prussia. As the democratic movement became weaker, the German princes regained control of their independent states. Finally, the Prussian king declined the revolutionaries' offer. The members of the parliament were driven out of Frankfurt, and the most radical members (those who wanted to establish a republic) fled to Stuttgart. A short while later, this rump parliament was dissolved by the Württemberg military. In 1871, as an autonomous kingdom, Württemberg joined the German Empire, created by Otto von Bismarck, Prime Minister of Prussia, during the unification of Germany. After World War I, the monarchy broke down and the Free State of Württemberg was established, as a part of the Weimar Republic. In 1920, Stuttgart was the seat of the German National Government (since the administration had to flee from Berlin, see Kapp Putsch). During World War II, the city center of Stuttgart was nearly completely destroyed due to Allied air raids. In 1945 the Allied Forces took control of Germany. They merged parts of the former German States of Baden and Württemberg and later in 1952 on the new, democratic state Baden-Württemberg (3rd largest German state) with Stuttgart as its capital was created by a referendum. After World War II, an early concept of the Marshall Plan to support the reconstruction and economic/political recovery of Europe was presented during a speech given by US Secretary of State James F. Byrnes at the Stuttgart Opera House (September 6, 1946). This speech led directly to the unification of the British and American occupation zones, resulting in the so called bi-zone. Two years later, the French also joined the bi-zone, creating the tri-zone and thereby paving the way for the foundation of the Federal Republic of Germany. Stuttgart, like Frankfurt, was a serious contender to become the federal capital, but finally Bonn succeeded. In the late 1970s, the city district of Stammheim was center stage of one of the most controversial periods of German post-war history: The Red Army Faction trial at the Stammheim high-security court and the subsequent suicides of Ulrike Meinhof, Andreas Baader, Gudrun Ensslin and Jan-Carl Raspe (all imprisoned in the Stammheim jail). The trial and the period thereafter were accompanied by several new terrorist assaults to liberate the inmates (German Autumn 1977 including the abduction and murder of the German industrialist and President of the German Employers' Association Hanns Martin Schleyer and the hijacking of Lufthansa flight LH181, redirecting the jet to Mogadishu). During the Cold War, the joint command center of all United States military forces in Europe, Africa and the Atlantic was moved to Stuttgart (US European Command, EUCOM). EUCOM is still headquartered there today. U.S. Army bases in and around Stuttgart include or included the following: Patch Barracks (HQ EUCOM), Robinson Barracks, Panzer Kaserne, Kelley Barracks (General Patton's son once lived there). GeographyStuttgart lies about an hour from the Black Forest and a similar distance from the Swabian Jura. The city center, situated in a lush valley, ringed with vineyards and forests, close to the River Neckar, covers an area of 207 square kilometres (80 sq mi). Stuttgart's metropolitan area (the political entity "Stuttgart Region") contains the nearby cities of Ludwigsburg, Böblingen, Esslingen, Waiblingen, Göppingen and their respective districts. The Stuttgart Region is the nation's fourth largest conurbation (behind Ruhr Area, Rhine/Main Area and Berlin).[citation needed] City districtsThe city of Stuttgart is subdivided into 23 city districts. Among the most well-known are:
ChurchesStuttgart is the seat of a Protestant bishop (Protestant State Church of Württemberg) and one of the two co-seats of the bishop of the Roman Catholic diocese Rottenburg-Stuttgart. The Stuttgart-based pentecostal Biblische Glaubens-Gemeinde is the largest evangelical megachurch in Germany.[citation needed] EconomyThe Stuttgart area is known for its high-tech industry; some of its most prominent companies include Daimler AG, Porsche, Bosch, Celesio, Hewlett-Packard and IBM -- all of whom have their world or German headquarters here. In fact, the Porsche badge, as seen on the front of Porsche cars, has the town's name in the center of the badge, something that is unique amongst the world's vehicle makers. The cradle of the automobileThe motorbike and four-wheel automobile were invented in Stuttgart (by Gottlieb Daimler and Karl Benz; industrialised in 1887 by Gottlieb Daimler and Wilhelm Maybach at the Daimler Motoren Gesellschaft). As a result it is considered by many to be the starting point of the worldwide automotive industry, and is referred to as "The cradle of the automobile". Mercedes-Benz, Porsche and Maybach are all produced in Stuttgart and nearby towns. The very first prototypes of the VW Beetle were manufactured in Stuttgart, based on a design by Ferdinand Porsche. Image:Stuttgart from the TV Tower.jpg
View of Stuttgart from the top of the TV Tower
The region currently has Germany's highest density of scientific, academic and research organizations, and tops the national league for patent applications.[citation needed] 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 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).[citation needed] 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 Wüstenrot&Württembergische, 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 "Württemberg Wine Growing Area" (110.30 km², one of 13 official German growing areas, according to the German Wine Law), and also celebrates an annual wine festival called "weindorf". Stuttgart is also home to several famous breweries, such as Stuttgarter Hofbräu, Dinkelacker, and Schwabenbräu. To the south of Stuttgart, next to Stuttgart Airport, stands Germany's ninth biggest exhibition centre: Stuttgart Trade Fair. Under the major rail project Stuttgart 21, which will see a new underground through station built under the current Stuttgart central station at right-angles to existing platforms, the trade fair will be linked by train to the centre of Stuttgart. TransportationImage:Umweltzone rot-gelb-gruen frei small.jpg
Sign marking the Low Emission Zone which affects the whole of Stuttgart
Following the suit of other German cities such as Berlin, Cologne and Hanover, on 1 March 2008 a Low Emission Zone (LEZ) came into effect in Stuttgart with the aim of improving air quality. This affects all vehicles entering the Stuttgart "Environmental zone" (Umweltzone), including vehicles from abroad. [3] [4] Local transportImage:Stadtbahn Stuttgart - Hst Rathaus.jpg
Stuttgart Stadtbahn underground station
Stuttgart 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 Untergrund). The last regular tram service (line 15) ceased to operate on December 8th, 2007 and was replaced by the Stadbahn line U15 on the same day. Stuttgart also has a large bus network. The Stadtbahn lines and buses are operated by the Stuttgarter Straßenbahnen AG (SSB), the local public transport operator. Stuttgart 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. The Zahnradbahn has a tray on the front or back of it in which bicycles can be transported free of charge (along with a paying ticketholder). There is also 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 centre on the territory of the neighbouring town of Leinfelden-Echterdingen. The airport is within 30 minutes travelling time from the city using S-Bahn lines S2 or S3. The airport is adjacent to the Autobahn A8.[5] 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. In June 2007, an SNCF-operated high speed (TGV) service was inaugurated between Stuttgart and Paris four times a day, with a journey time of 3 hours 40 minutes.[5] The Hauptbahnhof terminus is also used by DBAG's RegionalExpress and RegionalBahn regional services, which 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.[5] Stuttgart is also a rail freight centre, with marshalling yards and a container terminal at Stuttgart Obertürkheim.[5] Stuttgart 21After years of political fighting and controversy, plans were approved in October 2007 to convert the main station to a through station. The Stuttgart 21 Project, will include the rebuilding of surface and underground lines connecting the station in Stuttgart’s enclosed central valley with existing railway and underground lines. Building work is expected to start in 2010 and should be completed in 2020. Road linksThe motorway Autobahn A8 (Luxemburg - Saarbrücken - Karlsruhe - Stuttgart - Munich - Salzburg - Vienna) forms the southern boundary of the city. The city is also served by the Autobahns A81 (Zürich – Singen – Würzburg – Hamburg) and A831.[5] Waterway linksThe city has an inland port at Stuttgart Hedelfingen on the River Neckar.[5] People, culture, and architecture
Image:Stuttgart.04.März.2006 012.jpg
Neues Schloss and Schlossplatz in Winter 2006
Stuttgart is known for its strong cultural heritage, in particular its State Theater (Staatstheater) and State Gallery (Staatsgallerie). 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 Haydée. The city also offers two broadway-style Musical theaters, the Apollo and the Palladium Theater (each approx. 1800 seats). 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 Stuttgart's Gaisburg district. Stuttgart also hosts the world-famous annual "Volksfest", originally a traditional agricultural fair which now also hosts beer tents and a French village and is second in size only to the Oktoberfest in Munich. With more than 3.6 million visitors in 2006, Stuttgart's Christmas Market is the largest and one of the oldest and most beautiful traditional Christmas markets in Europe. It is especially renowned for its abundant decorations. Stuttgart is home to the Württembergische Landesbibliothek (WLB) state library. Stuttgart will also be the host city of the 2008 World Individual Debating and Public Speaking Championships. 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.
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 Württemberg. 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 the baths of Budapest). Other important towns in the Stuttgart Region are Ludwigsburg with its enormous baroque palace, Sindelfingen and Esslingen. SportsAs in the rest of Germany, football is the most popular sport in Stuttgart. The most famous and popular local club is VfB Stuttgart, an established team in the German Bundesliga. The club has won five German titles since 1950, mostly recently in 1992 and 2007. The team is nicknamed die Roten (the Reds) and is based at the Gottlieb-Daimler-Stadion. The city also has a reputation for other major events, including the 1993 World Championships in Athletics. It was one of the twelve host cities of the FIFA World Cup 2006. Six matches, three of them secound round matches, including the 3rd and 4th place playoff, were played at the Daimler Stadium. Stuttgart was also 2007 "European Capital of Sports"[6], hosting events such as the UCI World Cycling Championships Road Race and the IAAF World Athletics Final. Stuttgart's Regionalliga Süd, i.e. third division, football side, Stuttgarter Kickers (nicknamed die Blauen, the Blues), hosts matches at the smaller Gazi Stadium, close to the TV tower in the southern district of Degerloch. The stadium is also the home ground of the German first division American Football team Stuttgart Scorpions. Other famous sports venues are the Weissenhof tennis courts, where the annual Mercedes Cup tennis tournament is played, the Porsche Arena (hosting tennis, basketball and handball) and the Schleyerhalle (boxing, equestrianism/show jumping, gymnastics, track cycling a.o.). Sportfreunde Stuttgart are another lower-division football team. They are most famous for taking part in the Sir Thomas Lipton Trophy in 1908, considered the first World Cup.[7] Sister cities
Notable residentsNotable people born in Stuttgart or residents who influenced the history of the city:
 Wikimedia Commons has media related to:
Gallery
External links
References
als:Stuttgart ar:شتوتغارت an:Stuttgart bar:Stuggart bs:Stuttgart bg:Щутгарт ca:Stuttgart cs:Stuttgart da:Stuttgart de:Stuttgart et:Stuttgart el:Στουτγκάρδη es:Stuttgart eo:Stutgarto eu:Stuttgart fa:اشتوتگارت fr:Stuttgart fy:Stuttgart gl:Stuttgart ko:슈투트가르트 hr:Stuttgart io:Stuttgart id:Stuttgart is:Stuttgart it:Stoccarda he:שטוטגרט pam:Stuttgart ka:შტუტგარტი sw:Stuttgart ku:Stuttgart la:Stuttgartum lv:Štutgarte lt:Štutgartas hu:Stuttgart mk:Штутгарт mr:श्टुटगार्ट nah:Stuttgart nl:Stuttgart ja:シュトゥットガルト no:Stuttgart nn:Stuttgart oc:Stuttgart uz:Stuttgart nds:Stuttgart pl:Stuttgart pt:Estugarda ro:Stuttgart qu:Stuttgart ru:Штутгарт sq:Shtutgarti simple:Stuttgart sk:Stuttgart sl:Stuttgart sr:Штутгарт sh:Stuttgart fi:Stuttgart sv:Stuttgart ta:ஸ்டுட்கார்ட் th:ชตุทท์การ์ท vi:Stuttgart tr:Stuttgart uk:Штутгарт vec:Stocarda vo:Stuttgart yi:שטוטגארט | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
