📖 About Stuttgart

Stuttgart, the capital of Baden-Württemberg and Germany's seventh-largest city with over 610,000 residents, enjoys the highest level of general prosperity of any German city. As home to both Mercedes-Benz and Porsche headquarters, Stuttgart rightfully claims the title "cradle of the automobile"—both iconic brands were founded here, with the world's first gasoline-powered car invented by Karl Benz in nearby Mannheim and Gottlieb Daimler's workshop located in Stuttgart. The 2.8 million-person metropolitan region represents 180 nations, creating a cosmopolitan industrial powerhouse that has long defined German engineering excellence.

The city's economy centers on automotive manufacturing and engineering, with Mercedes-Benz and Porsche employing tens of thousands directly and supporting a vast ecosystem of suppliers including Bosch and Mahle. However, Stuttgart faces unprecedented challenges as the automotive industry transitions to electric vehicles and new mobility concepts. Industry analysts project that Mercedes-Benz's free liquidity could turn negative by the end of 2025, forcing the automotive sector to navigate the most significant transformation in its history while maintaining its innovative edge.

Tourism in Stuttgart focuses heavily on automotive heritage, with the Mercedes-Benz Museum attracting 440,000 visitors annually—making it the city's most-visited attraction. The Porsche Museum adds to this automotive pilgrimage. Beyond cars, Stuttgart surprises visitors with extensive vineyards within city limits, beautiful parks including the hillside Killesberg, and cultural attractions ranging from world-class ballet to state galleries. The natural amphitheater setting surrounded by hills covered with vineyards gives Stuttgart a uniquely scenic character among German cities.

🏛️ Top Attractions

💼 Economy & Culture

Stuttgart's economy has long been synonymous with automotive excellence and engineering precision. As headquarters for both Mercedes-Benz (Daimler AG) and Porsche, plus major automotive suppliers Bosch, Mahle, and ZF Friedrichshafen, Stuttgart anchors one of the world's most concentrated automotive industrial clusters. This concentration has generated exceptional prosperity—Stuttgart maintains the highest general prosperity level of any German city, with strong employment, high wages, and significant corporate wealth. However, the industry faces its most severe challenges in decades as electrification, digitalization, and changing mobility patterns force fundamental transformation. The projected negative free liquidity for Mercedes-Benz by end-2025 symbolizes the painful transition ahead. Beyond automotive, Stuttgart excels in engineering, IT services, publishing, and insurance. The city hosts trade fairs, conferences, and maintains strong research institutions including several Max Planck Institutes and the University of Stuttgart.

Culturally, Stuttgart balances Swabian pragmatism with surprising sophistication. The Stuttgart Ballet ranks among the world's finest, while the State Gallery houses impressive art collections from medieval to modern periods. The Stuttgart Philharmonic performs in the acoustically superb Liederhalle. Local Swabian culture emphasizes hard work, thrift, and quality craftsmanship—values that built the automotive industry's success. The distinctive Swabian dialect and regional cuisine featuring Maultaschen (filled pasta), Spätzle (egg noodles), and local wines create strong regional identity. Stuttgart's wine culture, unique among major German cities with over 400 hectares of urban vineyards, produces predominantly red Trollinger and white Riesling consumed in traditional wine taverns. The annual Cannstatter Volksfest, Stuttgart's beer festival, rivals Munich's Oktoberfest with 4 million visitors. The city's multicultural population—over 40% have migration backgrounds, particularly from Turkey, Italy, and Greece—reflects decades of labor recruitment for automotive factories. This blend of Swabian tradition, engineering excellence, and international influences creates Stuttgart's distinctive character as a prosperous yet down-to-earth city facing transformation with the same determination that made it the cradle of the automobile.

📜 History

Stuttgart's history begins around 950 AD when Duke Liudolf of Swabia established a stud farm ("Stutengarten" or "mare garden") in the fertile valley, giving the city its name and the horse emblem that still appears on its coat of arms. The settlement grew in importance when the Counts of Württemberg chose Stuttgart as their residence around 1300. Stuttgart became the capital of the County of Württemberg in 1495 and remained the royal seat when Württemberg was elevated to a duchy (1495), electorate (1803), and finally kingdom (1806). The 19th century brought industrialization, with Gottlieb Daimler and Wilhelm Maybach developing the first four-wheeled automobile in Stuttgart-Cannstatt in 1886, while Karl Benz independently invented the first gasoline-powered car in nearby Mannheim the same year. Robert Bosch founded his electrical engineering workshop in Stuttgart in 1886, establishing the city's reputation for precision engineering. Ferdinand Porsche later founded his sports car company in 1931, cementing Stuttgart's identity as the cradle of the automobile. World War II brought catastrophic destruction—Allied bombing destroyed over 50% of buildings and 68% of the city center. Post-war reconstruction embraced modernism while preserving key historic structures like the Old Palace. Stuttgart emerged as capital of the new state of Baden-Württemberg in 1952, combining former Württemberg and Baden territories. The automotive boom of the 1950s-1970s drove rapid growth and prosperity, establishing Stuttgart as one of Germany's wealthiest regions. Today's Stuttgart honors its automotive heritage while navigating the industry's most fundamental transformation, facing challenges that will determine whether the cradle of the automobile can successfully birth its electric, digital future.