Stuttgart Germany

Capital of  Baden-Württemberg

Schlossplatz, the heart of the city

I first visited Stuttgart in the southwestern region of Baden-Württemberg in 1984 and over the coming years made it a base to start and end my season of street performing. Eventually I settled in Stuttgart. Starting at the main train station, the major pedestrian street known as Königstrasse or King’s Street extends approximately a kilometer with the  heart of the city, the Schlossplatz or castle plaza as one would call it in German half way up. The Schlossplatz is ringed by the Neues Schloss or New Castle, the Altes Schloss or old caste, the Königsbau or King’s building and the Stuttgarter Kunstgebäude or Stuttgart Art Buildings. On the plaza are multiple statues, monuments fountains and a gazebo that add flair to the historic buildings and flower beds seen as an extension of the Schlossgarten or nearby by Castle gardens. A metal relief on the Könisbau shows Eugen Bolz an honored figure in the resistance to Hitler.

Also shown is an image of 3 “Stolpersteine” or literally “stumble-stones”. This was taken not on the Schlossplatz but near the Marienplaz about 2 KM to the south. Am including it here for the lack of a better place. One now sees these bronze plaques set into the sidewalks in many German cities commemorating where victims of the holocaust had lived and what happened to them. One should stumble over them and be reminded of what happened. Stuttgart particularly has many monuments to victims of the Nazis or resistant fighters.

Perfomances in Stuttgart

Here I am doing shows in Stuttgart on the Schloßplatz about 2001. The local population is known for being tight with their money but it is also one of the most economically well off areas of Germany. Like a friend once commented to me, “when I saw the big Mercedes sign rotating on top of the train station, I knew there was money here”. Stuttgart is neither as cosmopolitan as Berlin, Munich or Hamburg. But not as hectic either yet still has a multitude of culture, art and sports. Eventually one has to live somewhere besides in a motor home.

The southern side of the Schlossplatz has been my home pitch for years. In the mid 1980’s they built a tunnel underneath to redirect the traffic that used to pass through. Then they built a series of stairs up to an elevated plaza which was like a theater. There was a restaurant/ice cream place that overlooked the pitch.

Partially because I established the space below as the place to do big shows in Stuttgart, the stairs became a loved place for people to hang out. Eventually they tore the stairs away to make room for a new museum.  But due to the popularity of the place, they built a smaller set of stairs alongside of the museum. Unfortunately, the stairs are set too far back to use as seating for a show but still makes a nice backdrop.

The Schlossplatz still has the advantage of being a huge space and nobody lives close enough to complain about the noise. On the other hand, there are often events taking place on the weekends in the warmer months, which are the only time I tend to work there. There can also be competition with musicians or break dancers who want the space so I am happy to have paying gigs so that I don’t need to bother with street shows but it is still part of my marketing to keep a high profile in Stuttgart.

Stuttgart​ Karlsplatz, Kaiser Wilhelm monument, Markthalle

To the east of the old castle is the Karlsplatz. It is ringed by many shady trees and centered around a monument to Kaiser Wilhelm ranked by 2 large stone lions and 2 columns. Some events are held here but it is most known for the Saturday flea market where I have seen some amazing deals on real antiques – and no cheap junk from China allowed. To the west one sees the Altes Schloss and to the southeast is the Markthalle or market hall. It is a covered market but rather than cheap produce from local farmers, it seems to cater to expensive and exotic imports although some seasonal foods are also to be found. On the second floor are exclusive boutiques selling things for people with classical tastes; more likely to find a gift for one’s grandmother than something new and cool for a teenager.

Stuttgart​ Schillerplatz, Prinzenbau, Fruchtkasten, Stiftskirche, Altekanzlei

From the Schlossplatz there is a pedestrian street, parallel to the Königstrasse, the old Castle to the left and to the right the Schillerplatz, which was originally called the Schlossplatz before the new Castle was built. In the middle is a large monument and statue of Friedrich Schiller one of Germany’s best known authors who was born in the Stuttgart area. The Schillerplatz is ringed by some of Stuttgarts oldest and iconic structures. Across from the old Castle is the Prinzenbau or Prince’s building and the adjacent Altekanzei or old Chancellery building. On the other side is the Fruchtkastenbau or granary building which now holds the music instrument collection of the Landesmuseum, and the Stiftskirche or collegiate church. This church has a special assembly of glass plates hung from its ceiling to amplify the acoustics and concerts are sometimes held here, without needing electronic amplification. In the foreground of one photos of the Stiftskirche  is the Mulan Chinese Restaurant, one of my favorite Stuttgart eateries.

Denker – thinker statue, city library – Stadtbibliotek.

A few hundred meters from Hospitalhof along the Theordor-Heuss-Str. is the Börseplatz. There is an interesting fountain here and the Denkpartner or think-partner statue.Behind the statue one sees the Friedrichbau building that belongs to the LG-Bank. This housed the well-known Friedrichbau Variete’ theater for about 20 years but it has moved to Fellbach and is supposed to move (again) next door into the Theaterhaus building; at least the 4 location in the last 30 years.

Börseplatz , which means stock-market place in German, is just a block from the central Stuttgart university campus so appropriate as a dedication to thinking. About a kilometer due north is the new city library (Stadtbibliotek) also pictured here. It has many good books and media open to the public despite the advance of internet and other alternatives to actually providing books to the public. It is a good place to stop in when one is visiting the nearby Milinao shopping center which seems more of a mecca of consumerism.

Stuttgart​ Wilhelmplatz, Bohnenviertel red light district, Schellenturm

About 500 meters SE from the Marktplaz, across the Hauptstätterstrasse, a major thoroughfare ring-road around the center, is the Wilhemplatz with many restaurants and bars. This marks the border to the Stuttgart Bohnenviertel or “bean quarter” a few blocks which contain a rather sleazy red-light district in a country with legal but regulated prostitution. Whore houses, biker bars but also antique shops and some other interesting boutiques are all to be found here. It looks seedy but is generally safe despite the local junkie scene. The eastern outskirts of the area have a high number of asian restaurants and the Schellenturm, a charming old historical tower.Just above teh Schellnturm is the Alte katholiche Kirche St. Katharina or old catholic church St. Cathirina a rather small but imposing structure.

Stuttgart Stadtpalais, Staatsgalarie

From the Bohnenviertel if one follows the Hauptstätterstrasse back north one passes many large institutions including the pictured Stadtpalais or city-palace which holds city archives and also hosts many events. Back of teh Palai is  statue of King Wilhelm walking his dog

There is also the new Staatsgalerie or State gallery a modern art museum built in a funky modern design directly nest door to the “old” Staatsgalerie with it’s classic style and statue of king Wilhelm on horseback. The 2 buildings are connected, the newer one with more modern impressionist art works and the “old” gallery with classical works by Dutch, French and Italian masters. I visited last in July 2024, getting free admission – I think it was some special week or that a new exhibition had just opened. I was rather blown away by the number of solid works by some of the world’s most renowned artists. I’m not sure which works are in the permanent collection and which might have been on loan but it was simply world class.

Stuttgarter Schlossgarten, Staatstheater, Stuttgarter-ballet

Eventually one reaches the Schlossgarten where one can see (below) a nice monument on the backside of the new castle and the modern Landtag building where the minsters of regional government of Baden-Württemberg have their offices. Next door is the Staatstheater building aka the opera-house, which is a classical construction where theater, opera and also the world class Stuttgart ballet often performs. There is a small pond in front of the opera house, a good view of the side of the new castle and plenty of trees and statues.

Stuttgart Königstrasse, Schlossplatz events

The main walking street Königstrasse or King’s Street runs almost a kilometer through the center and there are other pedestrian zones and plazas but the Schloßplatz is really the center of it all. The Schloßplatz and the pedestrian streets running to and including the Marktplatz or Market Plaza are the setting for one of Germany’s biggest Christmas markets.

Carnival in Stuttgart

Carnival or Fasching is the next big festival after Christmas and is celebrated with a big parade through the center. There are many styles of costumes from shiny modern to middle-age looking one. There is no tradition of marching bands at sporting events like in the USA but some of these groups take it very serious, meeting often although they might only perform at a handful of events during the carnival season.

Most of the traditional costumes depict old hags and grotesque guys often carrying brooms and they might throw candy or confetti but also carry off the occasional teenage girl. Most of the costumes look pretty warm, which fits to the German weather in late winter, in contrast to the sexy girls clad in bikinis that one sees in Brazil. Halloween was not even celebrated in Germany until the new millennium but has slowly made inroads into the society. The traditional occasion to get dressed up is still carnival. There are often events for kids but the carnival parades are mostly adults.

Demonstrations, democracy at work

In addition to celebrations, Stuttgart has been home to many demonstrations in the past years. Here was a huge demonstration against nuclear energy shortly after the catastrophe in Fukoshima. The phasing out of atomic energy had been settled years ago but then the conservatives under Angela Merkel simply gave into the lobbyists and backtracked on the laws. The public outcry after Fukoshima forced her hand to repeal her deal. This demonstration  was not just in the center of Stuttgart but was part of a human chain all the way to one of Germany’s oldest, most dangerous nuclear plants less than 40 Km north of Stuttgart.

The most controversial thing in Stuttgart is the “Stuttgart 21” project to replace the present main train station with an underground one. Debated for years, the political and financial power-brokers are ramming through this disastrous project despite untold levels of fraud and corruption. The Deutsche Bahn has spent millions on propaganda and even the more liberal politicians in the area seem to have their finger in the pie or have buckled under the pressure. The populous has on the other hand; keep up a series of weekly protests and occasional big demonstrations since years.

Stuttgart train project a scandal of corruption

Although it has been proven that the planned station has much less capacity than the present one, the proponents keep up wild claims how it will be the best and greatest project of all time. Undisputed is that it will be the most expensive of all time in Germany. One of the early steps to try to make the decision irreversible was to occupy a large section of the Schlossgarten (castle gardens) and cut down hundreds of trees, many of them 200 – 300 years old.

That the needed permission was lacking was simply ignored as was the arbitration decision that was supposed to settle the conflict. The project leaders were obliged to replant the trees elsewhere but only moved a few small ones. Of course the larger ones would have been expensive if not impossible to transplant, which was one of the points of the project opponents. The promise to move them was a farce like most of the project to date.

An environmental catastrophe

An endangered beetle that only lives in old trees was known to be living here but the DB went around the European law protecting them.  They paid off someone to claim that there were no beetles in the trees they wanted to cut. This proved to be false. And what sense does it make to say an animal is in this particular spot at the moment, so it won’t impact them to destroy their only surrounding living space.

Even in time of war, the residents of Stuttgart had protected the trees from getting cut down for firewood. To add insult to injury, the DB propaganda machine has used exactly the most obnoxious drawbacks to the project to turn around and sell it. They destroy the nature and sell it as a “green ecological” project. The present station has ground level entrances and is convenient for handicaps even without power working. The propose station is a nightmare of safety violations with no escape in case of fire yet is always touted as barrier free.

Beautiful Schlossgarten trees

This is a photo from a happier time after a demonstration calling for the saving of the Schlossgarten. It was really the jewel of Stuttgart’s parks with a long history of royal patronage being sacrificed so that developers can build shopping centers and expensive unneeded office buildings where the tracks are located.

Soccer – World Cup

During the Soccer World Cup in 2010 which was held in Germany, there were large screens for public viewing set up in the Schlossgarten. These photos were made during and after Germany’s quarterfinal annihilation of Argentina. The weather was hot and hundreds of people partied in the fountains while tens of thousands danced in the street.

Only in the last decade have the Germans dared to start waving flags and displaying their national colors while rooting for their national teams. In light of the wars, it was considered in bad taste but that feeling has worn off. Unfortunately, some right-wing extremists are always going to exaggerate such situations to flout their ideology. Fortunately, Germany has become more integrated over the years and it is common in the big cities at least, to see people of obvious different cultural backgrounds speaking fluent German and being an integrated part of society especially in the performing arts.

Soccer – Europe cup 2024

In 2024 Germany sponsored the European championships in soccer. The national team did well but was eliminated by the eventual winners Spain after a controversial game in the second round. Having seen the popular demand for large public viewing opportunities the Schlossplatz, Karlsplatz and .Stadtgarten had massive set ups for tens of thousands of fans. I tended to avoid these places due to the volume but think people of all countires were welcomed and appreciated the German efforts at being good hosts.

Stuttgart Rosenstein Park.  Schloss Rosenstein.

One of the most important green spaces in Stuttgart is Rosenstein Park. If one follows the central Schlossgarten Park north, it ends at the Neckar River. From here is a connected park called Rosenstein that runs up the hill to the east. Rosenstein is much less developed with cafes and grill places although there is at least one large play area for kids; most of the grass here is now left to grow wild for the insects. Within the boundaries of the park there is the Naturkundemusuem or Natural History museum installed in 3 buildings. The first one upon entering the park from the Schlossgarten is the (castle) Schloss Rosenstein. Originally built 1824 – 1829 by a famous Italian architect as a summer palace for Wilhelm the King of Württemberg. It later housed the largest collection of the king’s paintings and sculptures and additionally was a war museum during WWII. Damaged in the war it was restored and since 1953 opened as the Natural History Museum. It is a beautiful building with a large statue of 2 nymphs in the front and a rose garden to the west with various statues and a view over the Neckar River and southern end of the Schlossgarten.

Stuttgart Rosenstein Park.  Wilhelma Zoo

On the South-middle edge of Rosenstein Park is the Wilhelma Zoo. One can actually see into a number of the outdoor areas from the park including the polar bear enclosure. The main entrance is to the west and to the east is an additional exit and a large theater that belongs to the zoo although it can be accessed from outside.

Neckar Käptn boat lines, Bad Canstatt Stadt Strand, Leuze

Just across from the entrance to the Wilhelma zoo is a docking area for multiple boats from the Neckar Käptn. They offer various tours on the Neckar River and have a party boat for events and entertainment. In addition to a train bridge and car bridge nearby there is also a pedestrian bridge over the river to the neighborhood of Bad Canstatt. There is a small park here with a sand volleyball pitch and above is a laid back café with sand, beach chairs and umbrellas known as Stadt Strand or City Beach. Unfortunately, the Neckar River is neither clean enough nor suitable for swimming. But it is a nice atmosphere to meet in the early evening in the warm months and considered a hip insider tip.

A few hundred meters east of the Stadt Strand back across the Neckar River is the Leuze Mineralbad (mineral baths). Leuze is a Stuttgart institution. It has multiple natural hot springs sources, an extensive sauna/spa area as well as outdoor pools and lawns to relax. There is another natural spring pool right next door and yet another about 2 kilomenters towards the far side of Bad Canstatt.Togerther these contain the largest collection of natural thermal mineral springs in Europe next to Budapest. Most pools in Germany charge extra for their sauna areas but it is all included in Leuze. They charge a bit more than a normal pool for swimming but it is the cheapest place in the area to have an extensive sauna area.

Stuttgart Killesberg- Eliszi’s Jahrmarkts- theater and rides

A major draw to Killesberg is the Eliszi’s carnival rides and theater. The shows presented in the tent theater are usually clown or puppet shows offering kid friendly entertainment. The theater is ringed by old circus wagons used as offices and dressing rooms. The is a carousel, waffle stand, swing that looks like  a pendulating ship and throwing booth where one tries to knock the hat off wood head figures.

Stuttgart Killesberg tower

On a hill above where Eliszi’s carnival is stationed is a modern tower that gives great views over the park and surrounding area. It is built around a massive center pole with spiraling stairs and a construction of cables.

Stuttgart Killesberg zoo.

Killesberg park also has a small zoo with free access. It has ponies, donkeys, alpacas, goats, peacocks, flamingos and wild pigs

Stuttgart – Hamburger Fish Market

This is a photo of another foreign artist, my good friend Hugo from Argentina. His German is even much worse than mine but he is a pantomime so it doesn’t matter. Here he is mimicking people on the Hamburger Fish Market, held in late summer on the Karlsplatz close to the Schlossplatz. They mostly offer northern German fish and seafood specialties and the fried fish stand in the background was the same I often saw at the Kieler Woche Festival during my earlier stays in the north. The fish is deep fried on the upper level and is slid down a shoot to the seller on the lower level with a ring of a bell and a cry of “Backfisch”. Alternatively, the Stuttgarter Weinfest (Stuttgart wine festival) is presented each summer in Hamburg as an exchange of culture – in other words, any excuse for a party.

Stuttgart-Bad Cannstatt Volksfest

The largest annual festival in Stuttgart is the Volksfest on the “Cannstatter Wasen”. Similar to the Octoberfest in Munich, it runs for 2 weeks, 3 weekends and starts a week later than the Bavarian version. Octoberfest, started in 1810, is world famous and brings many international visitors. The Cannstatter Volksfest, started in 1841 is actually larger (4.6 million visitors in 2024), brings in more revenue – and is actually in October while Octoberfest is in the end of September. Beer tents holding tens of thousands of visitors putting down liter mugs of expensive beer while dancing on the tables to loud kitschy “Slager” music is what it’s all about at both events. And to additionally out-do Munich, Stuttgart does it twice a year! In the spring they have Frühlingsfest or Spring-fest; same thing, same place as Volksfest.

A couple of decades ago one often saw people at Octoberfest wearing the traditional Lederhosen and Dirndl dresses but this was really the exception at Volksfest. Such clothing was anyway associated with rural Bavaria and not so common in Stuttgart. Then in the last decade or so it became almost expected for people to wear these clothes for Volksfest.  Post WWII it was considered a bit uncouth to show anything that might suggest German nationalism. Now Germans have decided to reclaim some of the traditions and dressing up in certain costumes is now comparable to carnival or the more recently popularized Halloween.

In addition to the beer tents, there are rides, raffle, food and drink stands as well as a market where traditional household goods are sold. Interesting is the bible stand where some Christians are promoting their beliefs among the debauchery of often drunk party goers.

Vegan Days Festival on Stuttgart Pariserplatz

A rather new festival in Stuttgart is the Vegan Days event held in spring on the Pariser Plaza in the Europaviertel or Europe Quarter. This area is a recent addition just north of the main train station that includes the Milanao shopping center, new library, luxury condominiums and bank buildings. The festival is small but at least an attempt to counterbalance the karma of the sterile, almost green-less area that seems to epitomize luxury and materialismover values like protecting animals and the environment.

The Mercedes Museum in Stuttgart

Stuttgart’s claim to world-wide fame is its vehicle production being the home base for both Porsche and Mercedes. For many years, Porsche had a museum displaying some of its cars. Then the huge Mercedes-Benz Museum opened with not only Mercedes but examples of many vehicles and technological products from the area. Much of the motor technology that came to power not just cars but boats and planes as well were developed around Stuttgart. For anyone interested in machine technology, this might be the best museum in the world.

Cars, buses, trucks… there is so much to see that one can hardly do it in one day. With the admission fee, one gets a set of headphones that provide a description of each display in either English or German. Not to be totally outdone, Porsche responded by building a bigger better museum as well. In the outskirts of Stuttgart, the building itself is an icon of sleek design.

Swine museum, Schweinmuseum

In Stuttgart-east is what they claim is the world’s largest swine museum. Not sure how many other museums dedicated to pigs exist but it is in a large, interesting building that was formerly a slaughter house or Schlachthof in German. In front of the building is a large street-car decorated as a pig as well as numerous pig statues. In July 2024 I went there with a friend who wanted to visit the gift shop which has hundreds of pig figure souvenirs. We didn’t actually visit the exhibitions or eat in the ground floor restaurant which I think specializes in pork products. We are both vegetarians and suspected the orientation of the museum would be how good pork is to eat rather than what nice animals they are with such similarities to humans.

Stuttgart Wagenhallen – container city

There is a special place in Stuttgart a bit south of the main train station to promote culture and the arts. It was originally a large hall for repairing train cars (wagons). Since a few decades it has been home to many artists studios. In 2020 a years’ long project to refurbish it was completed. It has been subdivided inside offering separate rooms of various sizes. Painters, sculptors but also performing artists like jugglers and puppet players are now using it as training and practice space. During the Covid-pandemic, I joined with a group of fellow jugglers to establish a training space here.

Next to the various Wagenhallen buildings is a container village; improvised buildings, many built out of transportation containers used on ships – or even old train or circus wagons. The container city retains more of the free-spirited anarchy mood that the Wagenhallen is known for but  will supposedly be cleared out in the coming years.

Stuttgart ​Feuersee, Johanneskirche Stuttgart-West

This is a place just a few hundred meters from my apartment; the protestant church Johanneskirche. Next to it is the Feuersee or fire-sea which is a man-made pond originally created to store water to put out fires with. In the evenings in the warm months people garther at the stairs on one side of the pond to relax. There is a weekly flea-market and various events also held here. There are some carp and turtles that people stocked introduced to the pond. Some years ago there were frogs as well but some locals complained that the croaking in the evenings was too loud. Ironic since thre is a major street on one side with more traffic noise than the frogs could have ever produced.

Stuttgart lakes

There is a river that runs through Stuttgart called the Neckar. It is important for boat traffic but neither scenic nor clean enough to swim in so not used to relax at. On the northern outskirts of town is a lake called Max-Eyth-See. The water is murky and while maybe not polluted, too full of algae and muck to swim in. Despite this it is a popular place on weekends for people to have picnics and grill out, especially for foreigners. The setting is nice as there is a slope on one side covered with vineyards. There are a number of places to eat especially a self-service place with a lot of outdoor seating. There are some paddle boats to rent and even a few nice privately owned sail boats, which I find surprising because the lake is so small that with a good wind one could sail across it in under 2 minutes.

Stuttgart Seilbahn cable-car

Stuttgart has an extensive public transportation system. A special feature of it is a few remaining historical cable cars that take people up some of the slopes. And they are exactly in areas where one otherwise has to take a much longer way around since the modern routes don’t handle the steep inclines. And one can ride the cable cars with a normal ticket rather than needing to pay extra.

Stuttgart – Bad Cannstatt

The oldest and largest neighborhood of Stuttgart Bad Cannstatt lies to the north of the center along the Neckar River. It is at best a middle class area but still has some historical buildings in the center. Included is the local municipal administrative building (Altes Rathaus or Bezirksbau) and adjacent Stadtkirche or city church, Jacobsfountain or Jackobsbrunnen and Rathausbrunnen or City Hall fountain. Nearby is the “Klösterle” or little monastery. Built in 1463, it’s the oldest Wohnhaus or dwelling in Stuttgart and was Europe’s first “Beginenkonvent” or Beguine convent; a convent for lay religious women rather than nuns per se. Seems this was a thing in the 13 – 16^th centuries. It is a very iconic building that now houses a restaurant-café below and is connected to an adjacent historical building that now houses a small, free museum about Bad Cannstatt.