1. The Mercedes-Benz Museum: A heritage for the future

2. Timescale: Key dates

3. Facts & figures: Key details of the Mercedes-Benz Museum

4. Architecture: A design masterpiece

5. Exhibits: Innovative concept for an impressive heritage

6. Materials: Man-made leather and parquet for orientation

7. Technology: From lighting to the audio guide

8. A family museum: Perfect for children and young people

9. Stuttgart & surroundings: Art and cuisine highly recommended

10. Travel directions: The quickest way to Untertürkheim

Stuttgart and surroundings: Art and cuisine highly recommended


Stuttgart is the home of the Mercedes-Benz Museum and the city is not only the location of choice for economic experts and fans of the automobile. Art lovers, music fans and gourmets are also drawn to the capital of the federal state of Baden-Württemberg. This major city on the river Neckar has one of Germany’s most highly regarded theatres, is the home of a world-class college of art and music, possesses several internationally known museums and is the birthplace of German commercial Hip-Hop music. It is a city well worth visiting.

With a population of 590,000, this lively city is blessed with an outstanding location deep within a hilly landscape: visitors arriving from the airport and travelling down the "Neue Weinsteige" towards the centre are confronted with an enormous amphitheatre: vineyards close to hand on the right, the city itself nestling in the valley, and at the opposite end a succession of wooded hills interspersed with more vineyards – a delight for the eyes. Stuttgart has hundreds of panoramic vantage points such as this, some of them with benches and explanatory signs put up by the city council. More usually the visitor on foot will discover them completely by accident, when turning a corner or looking out of a window suddenly reveals a sea of houses. The crowning glory is a visit to the viewing platform of the television tower at an altitude of around 400 metres above the valley floor.

Steps as a welcome short-cut

The hilly topography of Stuttgart has always presented traffic planners with a headache, however. One solution was to build flights of steps as a short-cut between roads that could otherwise only be connected by a series of S-bends. The city has around 500 of these public stairways known locally as "Stäffele". They are eminently suitable for walks and panoramic views across the rooftops of the city. Its location deep in a valley has also given Stuttgart two means of transport which are usually only found in Alpine regions, namely a cable-car and a funicular railway. The local residents use them as readily as the bus or subway train.

Sound economic foundations

The cultural upsurge of recent years would be unthinkable without the sound economic foundations on which Stuttgart is based. These are not only due to global players such as DaimlerChrysler, but also to its medium-sized companies and other organisations: the region has 140,000 companies providing employment to around 1.4 million people, two universities, six private colleges of higher education and 14 vocational colleges. This entrepreneurial spirit is rooted in the sheer hardship of centuries past, as the Neckar region has always lacked natural resources. An escape from poverty was made possible by enterprise and inventiveness combined with the hard-working nature of the local population. In addition to the automobile, the city of Stuttgart has given the world inventions such as the steam-plough, the airship, the electric drill, pretzels and the brassiere.

The people of Stuttgart like to take their leisure over a glass of wine. With 440 hectares dedicated to vineyards, the capital of Baden-Württemberg is one of Germany’s largest winegrowing areas. The most important variety of wine, and the Swabian national drink, is Trollinger, of which it is said that "enjoyed in moderation, it is harmless even in larger quantities." Swabians are extremely fond of this unpretentious, ruby-red table wine. Other red wine varieties typical of Württemberg are Lemberger, Samtrot, Spätburgunder (Pinot Noir) and Schwarzriesling (Pinot Meunier), while the predominant white wines are Riesling, Müller-Thurgau, Silvaner and Kerner. "Schillerwein" is a typically Swabian speciality. While wine snobs look askance at this libation fermented from red and white grapes, this suits the locals very well because there is more left for them to enjoy themselves.

A broom hung outside the door is an invitation to dine

The most cosy and traditional way to try out the local wines is provided by the so-called "broom-houses" – public houses where vintners serve up their own wines. As they do not require a licence to do this, they must comply with certain regulations: they are allowed to open at most twice per year for four months, may only offer simple dishes and must not provide more than 40 seats. A broom hung outside the door shows that the establishment is open for business. Most of the roughly 40 "broom-houses" in Stuttgart are in Untertürkheim, not far from the DaimlerChrysler plant. Anybody who has tried to find a seat in one at 8 p.m. knows how popular they are amongst the locals, but once they have managed this, visitors are very quickly made to feel welcome at the table. "Broom-houses" are first-class centres of communication, and a quintessentially democratic institution in which the world is put to rights night after night.

Paradise for gourmets

These impromptu wine-bars are also a very good place to try Swabian cuisine, though this is only offered in the basic form of e.g. onion flan, a meat platter and sauerkraut. Those wanting more should pay a visit to one of the classic Swabian restaurants. The most popular national dish is "Maultaschen" – a large, ravioli-like pocket of pasta filled with sausage meat, ham, meat, spinach, egg, parsley, nutmeg and marjoram. This goes well with Swabian potato salad containing mustard and meat consommé, but without even a hint of the usual mayonnaise! National dish number two (others reverse this order) is "Spaetzle" – hand-made egg noodles which taste best with game or meat dishes and a dark, creamy sauce, but are also delicious when baked au gratin with cheese

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