History of the city of Stuttgart
For centuries the city stood in a valley, flanked on three sides by vineyards and forest, bordering with the river Neckar in the North; in the shade of Cannstadt, site of one of the greatest and most important Roman forts in the Middle Neckar area and intersection of important roads. About 900 years after the Romans, Duke Liudolf of Swabia is said to have built a “Stuotgarten”, a stud in the extension of the valley of the Nesenbach. The civilisation developing thereafter and the later city thus received its name. The Margraves of Baden, later dukes, Western competition of the Württembergian dukes, raised the status of the place to city in the first half of the 13th century; in the 14th century it was extended to the centre of the Württembergian territorial state.
Timeline:
1495 - 1803 Stuttgart was mainly capital and residence of the duchy
1803 - 1805 Capital and residence of the electorate
1806 - 1918 Capital and residence of the kingdom of Württemberg
1918 – 1945 State capital of Württemberg
1945 - 1952 Capital of Württemberg-Baden
since 1977 Stuttgart is the official state capital of Baden-Württemberg
Despite heavy destruction during the Second World War, where approximately 4500 people lost their lives during 53 air strikes and over 57 percent of buildings were destroyed, the history of the city is clearly visible in streets and buildings. Important architectural witnesses are the Schillerplatz in the city centre with the Old Castle as Renaissance emblem, the baroque New Castle, residence of dukes and later kings of Württemberg, and classical buildings such as the Königsbau. Information on the city history are collected and utilised in the city of Stuttgart archive. It is seen as the “centre for city history”, which as the “city’s memory”, guards the tradition, completed by collections and documentations as well as portraying the history of Stuttgart through research, publications, contracts and exhibitions.Further information can be obtained at:
