Schloss Rosenstein
(photo by Christoph Coers)

The western districts of Stuttgart are organized in a grid-plan. This city area is mainly devoted to shopping. The only historic sight here is the 15th-century Hospitalkirche. The church was designed by Aberlin Jerg and is among the few architectural monuments, entirely created by this architect, who is largely known for his reconstructions.

On Hegelplatz, again in the western part of the city, overlooking the Stadtgarten, is located the Linden-Museum. This is a worth-visiting ethnological museum with a rich exposition, displaying various features of the non-European cultures. Among the most interesting exponents is a remarkable full-scale model of a typical Islamic bazaar. The elegant Schloss Rosenstein is located in the northern suburbs of Stuttgart, most easily accessible from Nordbahnhof. It set within the lovely Rosensteinpark, on the shore of small artificial lake. This palace is the former countryside residence of the Württemberg's royal family. The complex is a splendid mixture of graceful architecture, flower gardens, heroic statues and pleasant fountains. The Schloss Rosenstein is now turned into a museum of natural history. Near the castle, in the western half of the park, is located another museum - Museum am Löwentor. It shows an attractive collection of dinosaur remains and interesting fossils, most of them excavated in the Swabian Jura. Immediately south of the Rosensteinpark you can find two mineral baths - Leuze and Berg. They are opened to everybody and charges for a two-hour swim starts from € 6.50.

Bad Cannstatt
(photo by Peace Correspondent)

North of the Rosensteinpark is situated the historic spa town of Bad Cannstatt. It enjoys a strategic location at a bend of the River Neckar and initially outrivaled its southern neighbour. But the town declined during 18-19th centuries and was finally incorporated by Stuttgart in 1905. The major sight here is the botanical garden and zoo Wilhelma. Founded as an exotic Moorish garden for King Wilhhelm I in the middle of the 19th century, today it is lovely landscaped park with some eccentric pavilions which survived the war bombings. The garden boasts the biggest magnolia grove in Europe. The zoo is one of the most diverse in Germany and Europe, featuring more than 9000 animal species. On the opposite bank of the river is the terminal of the Neckar Käpt'n sightseeing boats.

Although Bad Cannstatt is most often referred to as the major and recreation district of the Stuttgart conurbation, the town is home to a very popular beer festival too. The centre of Bad Cannstatt, picturesquely located on the bank of Neckar, still maintains the elegance of a fashionable 19th-century spa resort and here visitors can enjoy a wealth of historic architecture. The most convenient connection from Stuttgart city centre is by S-Bahn lines 1,2 and 3, taken from the Hauptbahnhof. The town features some earlier historic monuments too. The Stadtkirche owns its present-day appearance mainly to a reconstruction in 15th century but also preserves some of its older Romanesque and Gothic architectural elements. Another attraction in Bad Cannstatt is the historic Kurpark with its secluded willow alleys and one of the largest mineral baths - the MineralBad Cannstatt.

South of the park you will find the Gottlieb-Daimler-Gedächtnisstätte. This is the former holiday villa of Gottlieb Daimler, who in 1882 abandoned his very successful career and devoted himself to the invention of fast-moving vehicle with an internal combustion engine. He succeeded in his efforts by 1886 and established a motorcar factory in Bad Cannstatt.

Mercedes-Benz-Museum
(photo by iPhotograph)

In the same 1886 another German engineer invented a motorcar too. This was Carl Benz. His factory was united with that of Gottlieb Daimler in 1926 as Daimler-Benz, today known as Daimler-Chrysler. Its headquarters are in Untertürkheim, close to Bad Cannstatt. Here was opened the Mercedes-Benz-Museum to celebrate the 100th anniversary of the first motorcar invention. The museum boasts a rich collection of more than 70 historical vehicles. One of the most interesting is the Daimler Reitwagen - the earliest motorbike, created in 1885. Here you can see the Benz's Motorwagen - a tricycle, which both engine and body were designed by Carl Benz. It is just several months earlier than the Daimler-Maybach Motorkusche, adapted into a four-wheeled carriage. Both vehicles have 1-cylinder engines, capable to reach a maximum speed of 16 km per hour. The first Daimler's Mercedes was manufactured in 1902 and named after the daughter of the company's foreign agent - Emil Jellinek. The museum section of luxury cars attracts most attention. Here visitors can see the Mercedes limousine used by the Japanese emperor's family during the 30s, as well as this one of Konrad Adenauer and the first popemobile. There are also some futuristic car prototypes, including the W125 model which registered the highest speed on a public road - 437.7 km per hour. This record was made before the war and has not been beaten until present day.

The concept model Mercedes-Benz F400
(photo by iPhotograph)

In the Stuttgart's northern suburb of Neuwirtshaus, close to its railway station, is located the Porsche-Museum. The exhibition shows more than 50 cars, comprising all models from the 1948’s 356 Roadster to the contemporary ones. Ferdinand Porsche was born in Bohemia and made an excellent career as a director of Daimler-Benz Austria. He was commissioned by Hitler to create Volkswagen - the middle class car for German people. After the war he established his work in Stuttgart.

One of the main tourist attractions of Stuttgart is the rack railway public transport line, know as Zahnradbahn or just Zacke. Its first station is on Marienplatz, locate south of the city centre and accessible via U-Bahn lines 1 and 14. The route of the established in 1884 Zahnradbahn climbs to the Degerloch suburb. To use it you just need a short-journey ticket.

Mercedes 230SL Pagode
(photo by dnh23)

Nestled among the wooded hills south of the city raises the tall Fernsehturm of Stuttgart. Erected in the 1950s, it was the first TV tower of that kind, imitated throughout Germany and Europe. The panoramic view from its observation platform is indescribable. It spreads over the entire city, the Swabian Jura, reaching the Black Forest and the Odenwald. Even the snowy Alpine peaks are visible on clear days. The tower can be easily reached by public transport using U-Bahn line 1 and tram line 14.

West of the city centre, on a ridge of other picturesque hills, is located the Schloss Solitude. This is a mid-eighteenth century oval palace, a splendid architectural monument and former summer residence of the Württemberg royal family. The schloss is considered one of the greatest masterpieces of the 18th-century architecture, marking the transition form the Rococo to Neoclassical style. Visitors are permitted to see all of its refined marbled interior, from the grand festive hall - Weiser Saal, to the smaller and intimate rooms, such as the Marmorsaal and Palmenzimmer. Behind the main palace building stands the crescent-shaped Kavaliersbau with a luxury restaurant and the recently reconstructed Schlosskirche.