In the vine-decked Neckar Valley, Stuttgart is the capital of the state of Baden-Württemberg. For hundreds of years until the 19th century the city was the seat of the Counts and then the Kings of Württemberg, and they left behind royal palaces for that have become government buildings and museums. Stuttgart was also the city of car-making royalty, as the place where the first car and motorcycle were invented by Karl Benz and Gottlieb Daimler respectively. The headquarters for both Mercedes-Benz and Porsche are in Stuttgart and the stylish new museums for both brands are not to be missed. These are a couple of examples of Stuttgart’s head-turning architecture, joined by an Art Nouveau market hall, a house by Le Corbusier and a state-of-the-art new library. Let’s explore the best things to do in Stuttgart.
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Best Things To Do In Stuttgart, Germany
The Mercedes-Benz Museum
Stuttgart can trace its long love affair with the automobile back as far as 1887, when Gottlieb Daimler and Wilhelm Maybach set up shop here. The Mercedes-Benz Museum celebrates that more than 130 years of automotive history in over 1500 exhibits that cover nine floors and put the invention and development of the automobile into the context of each era’s technology, daily life, and society.
At the heart of the exhibits are 160 vehicles: some of the first ever built, auto racing legends, and prototype cars of the future. Among the cars is the world’s first motorcycle — a Daimler — from 1885, which bears almost no resemblance to today’s, except that it has two large wheels (it also has two smaller ones that look a lot like kids’ training wheels!) You don’t need to be car crazy to have a good time here, but for automobile lovers, this and the Porsche Museum (see below) are the two best museums in Stuttgart.
Staatsgalerie
This excellent art museum started out in 1843 and is still partly set within its original Neoclassical building. In the 1980s the architect James Stirling helped raise the museum’s profile with an ambitious Post-Modern extension. The newer annexe holds 20th-century art by Matisse, Picasso, Salvador Dalí, Franz Marc, Piet Mondrian and Joan Miró. The original building is filled with painting and sculpture up to the 1800s, with a particular interest in the Renaissance and Baroque masters like Rubens, Rembrandt and Hans Memling. A couple of masterpieces to keep in mind are the Corpse of Christ by Annibale Carracci and Jerg Ratgeb’s 16th-century Herrenberger Altar.
Wilhelma Zoological-Botanical Garden
This much-loved zoo and botanical garden is in the north of Stuttgart on the grounds of a royal palace. The Wilhelma was first landscaped as a pleasure park during the reign of William I, and he picked a Moorish Revival theme for the royal bathhouse, which is a miniature version of the Alhambra in Granada. The park opened to the public in 1880 and was rebuilt as a zoo following damage in the war. There are more than 1,000 species at the zoo, exceeded only by the Berlin Zoo. Drawing the most attention are the many great apes like chimpanzees, gorillas and orangutans. The steamy Amazon House is also special, growing 2,000 plant species among habitats for mammals, reptiles and fish. And then there’s the botanical garden, which has Europe’s largest magnolia grove, thousands of orchid species and dozens of varieties of camellia and azalea.
Killesberg Park
Gorgeous green space in the City of Stuttgart, with lush lawns stretching all the way to the horizon, interrupted only by vibrant flower patches and grand old trees. There are all kinds of ways to enjoy your day in this delightful park, be it sunbathing in the summer or swimming in the outdoor pool, catching the mini train, which runs through the park and promises to thrill the kids, much like the creative play park, or simply walking through the gardens leisurely and appreciating the gentle beauty of nature. The park is incredibly welcoming and diverse, with relaxed cafés and beer gardens, and many perfect spots to watch the world go by.
St John’s Church
Visiting this stunning Gothic church is one of the best things to do in Stuttgart. It can be seen perfectly reflected in the Lake of Feursee which surrounds it, dates back to the 19th century. It was carefully rebuilt after it was struck by bombs during the Second World War. The Tower of Johanneskirche was deliberately left unfinished as a kind of war memorial. The details inside have been expertly restored and visitors are in for a real treat. The stained glass windows are a true marvel.
