A few words about Stuttgart

Stuttgart is situated in southern Germany. It is the capital of the province of Baden-Württemberg and counts a population of approximately 590,000 in the city and around 3 million in the metropolitan area, as of September 2005.
The town was originally founded around 950 AD by the Duke Liudolf of Swabia, one of the Holy Roman Emperor Otto I the Great's sons, and used mainly for horse breeding (above all for his father's cavalry). Later on (around 1300), Stuttgart became the residence of the counts of Württemberg, promoted to dukes in 1496by the emperor of the Holy Roman Empire. After Napoleon's dissolution of the Holy Roman Empire, the dukes of Württemberg gained the title of kings and Stuttgart became a royal residence.
In 1871, as an autonomous kingdom, Württemberg joined the German Empire, created by the Prussian prime minister Otto von Bismarck. After World War I, the monarchy collapsed and the Free State of Württemberg became part of the Weimar Republic. In 1920, Stuttgart was the seat of the German Government (since the administration had to flee Berlin during the so called Kapp Putsch). During World War II, Stuttgart's city centre was nearly completely destroyed by allied British-American air attacks.
On September 6, 1946, an early concept of the Marshall Plan for the reconstruction of Europe was presented at the Stuttgart Opera House in a speech given by US Secretary of State James Byrnes. This speech directly led to the unification of the British and American occupation zones, paving the way for the foundation of the Federal Republic of Germany.
The name of of the state originates from a steep Stuttgart hill. On the top of that hill, the mausoleum King Wilhelm I of Württemberg and of Queen Katharina (daughter of the Russian Czar Paul I), dating back to 1824, is located. The city itself, set in a lush valley, lined with vineyards and forests, is one of the most prominent German towns, especially due to its administrative, cultural and huge economic importance.
Stuttgart is the place where the four-wheeled automobile and the motorbike were invented. It's hence the starting point of the world automotive industry. Famous and prestigious brands such as Porsche, Maybach and Mercedes-Benz are produced here.
At present, approximately 150,000 companies are situated in the Stuttgart region. The region is known for its high-tech industry. Some of its most famous companies include Porsche, DaimlerChrysler, Bosch, Neoplan, Celesio, IBM and Hewlett-Packard, all of which have their world or German headquarters located there.
Stuttgart is also renowned for its cultural life, in particular the Staatstheater and Staatsgalerie. The Staatstheater comprises an opera house and three smaller theaters. The world-famous Stuttgart Opera won the prestigious award "Opera of the year" for five years in a row (1998-2002). The famous Stuttgart Ballet is associated with names like John Cranko and Marcia Haydée. The city also offers two broadway-style Musical theaters, the Palladium Theater and the Apollo.
Although the town's centre was completely destroyed during World War II, many historic buildings were afterwards reconstructed and, apart, the city presents numerous fine pieces of modern post-war architecture at present.
Noteworthy is the Collegiate Church. It was built in the 16th centurie, and is the main Protestant church of Stuttgart. Although there is no structural reminder of it, there had been an earlier church on this site dating from the 10th or 11th century and the boundaries of which lie with the centre of the modern Stiftskirche.
Situated at the Palace Square, in the heart of the city, the Neues Schloss (New Castle), is another important highlight. Begun in 1746 by Leopoldo Retti and finished in 1807 by Nikolaus von Thouret, it reflects French influence and houses the Stated Government. In the Palace Square are also situated two fountains dating from 1863, a castiron music pavilion and the Jubilee Column constructed in 1841 to commemorate the silver jubilee of King Wilhelm I.
Well worth visiting is also the Kunstmuseum Stuttgart, which is recently opened. The cubic museum building, comprising 5000 square meters of display space, was designed by Berlin architects Hascher and Jehle. In the day it looks like a glass cube, and during the night the interior lighted limestone walls become visible.
The museum's collection comes from the previous Stadtgalerie (Stuttgart's city gallery). It collection goes back to a gift from the Marchese di Casanova in 1924 and contains one of most significant collections of the work of Otto Dix, as well as works from Dieter Roth, Willi Baumeister, Adolf Hölzel, and others.
The famous "Wilhelma" represents the only combined botanical and zoological garden in Germany. The whole compound has been built around 1850 as a summer resort in moorish style for King Wilhelm I of Württemberg. Close to the Wilhelma are situated the Stuttgart city districts of Bad Cannstatt and Berg, presenting the second largest mineral spas in Europe (after Budapest).