Germany (Lonely Planet, 6th Edition) - Andrea Schulte-Peevers [345]
Just north of Schlossplatz is the classical, colonnaded Königsbau, reborn as an upmarket shopping mall, the Königsbau Passagen. Identified by its copper cupola, the Württembergischer Kunstverein ( 223 370; www.wkv-stuttgart.de; Schlossplatz 2; adult/concession €5/3; 11am-6pm Tue-Sun, to 8pm Wed) nearby stages thought-provoking contemporary art exhibitions.
Duke Karl Eugen von Württemberg’s answer to Versailles was the exuberant three-winged Neues Schloss (New Palace), a baroque-neoclassical royal residence that now houses state government ministries. A bronze statue of Emperor Wilhelm I looking dashing on his steed graces nearby Karlsplatz.
On the other side of the Renaissance Alte Kanzlei (Old Chancellory), south of Schlossplatz, lies cobbled Schillerplatz, where the poet-dramatist Friedrich Schiller is immortalised in bronze. Here an archway leads to the turreted 10th-century Altes Schloss, where the Landesmuseum Württemberg ( 279 3498; www.landesmuseum-stuttgart.de; Schillerplatz 6; adult/under 12yr/concession €4.50/free/3; 10am-5pm Tue-Sun) homes in on regional archaeology and architecture. The historic booty comprises Celtic jewellery, Neolithic pottery, diamond-encrusted crown jewels and rare artefacts like 35,000-year-old figurines carved from mammoth ivory. Time your visit to see, from the arcaded courtyard, the rams above the clock tower lock horns on the hour.
Music buffs should catch one of the Friday lunchtime concerts (€3) at the Instrumenten Museum (Schillerplatz 1; admission free with Landesmuseum ticket; 10am-5pm Tue-Sun), occupying a former wine depot topped by a Bacchus statue. Right next door, the sand-hued Stiftskirche stands out with its mismatched late-Gothic towers.
Return to beginning of chapter
Car Museums
A futuristic swirl on the cityscape, the brand-new Mercedes-Benz Museum ( 173 0000; www.museum-mercedes-benz.com; Mercedesstrasse 100; adult/concession €8/4; 9am-6pm Tue-Sun; Gottlieb-Daimler-Stadion) takes a chronological spin through the Mercedes empire. Look out for legends like the 1885 Daimler Riding Car, the world’s first gasoline-powered vehicle, and the record-breaking Lightning Benz that hit 228km/h on Daytona Beach in 1909. There’s a free guided tour in English at 1.45pm.
Like a pearly white spaceship preparing for lift-off, the barrier-free Porsche Museum ( 9112 0911; www.porsche.com; Porscheplatz 1; adult/concession €8/4; 9am-6pm Tue-Sun; Neuwirtshaus) is every little boy’s dream. Groovy audioguides race you through the history of Porsche from its 1948 beginnings. Break to glimpse the 911 GT1 that won Le Mans in 1998.
Return to beginning of chapter
Parks & Gardens
Wilhelma Zoologisch-Botanischer Garten ( 540 20; www.wilhelma.de; Rosensteinpark; adult/concession €11.40/5.70, after 4pm & in winter €8/4; 8.15am-nightfall; Wilhelma) is a quirky mix of zoo and botanical gardens. Kid magnets include semi-striped okapis, elephants, penguins and a petting farm with Poitou donkeys. Greenhouses sheltering tree ferns, camellias and Amazonian species are among the botanical highlights. Sniff out the gigantic bloom of the malodorous titan arum in the Moorish Villa.
* * *
BOHEMIAN BEANS
To really slip under Stuttgart’s skin, take a wander through one of the city’s lesser-known neighbourhoods. Walk south to Hans-im-Glück Platz, centred on a fountain depicting the caged Grimm’s fairy-tale character Lucky Hans, and you’ll soon reach the boho-flavoured Bohnenviertel (bean district; www.bohnenviertel.net, in German). This neighbourhood takes its name from the beans that Americans introduced in the 16th century. Back then they were grown everywhere as the staple food of the poor tanners, dyers and craftsmen who lived