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10 reasons to love Baden-Württemberg
Stuttgart, the state capital
With over 600,000 inhabitants, Stuttgart is the biggest city in Baden-Württemberg. The city center lies in a valley basin nestling between vineyards, offering a daily physical challenge for locals, who have to climb or descend the more than 400 steep flights of steps around the city. One of the many attractions in the town center is the “New Castle,” former residence of the kings of Württemberg.
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10 reasons to love Baden-Württemberg
Made in Stuttgart: the hub of the car industry
Baden-Württemberg is seen as the home of inventors and innovators. With his universal combustion engine, Gottlieb Daimler created the basis for the automobile. Today, the Mercedes Benz museum traces the history of the automobile, from the early days to the current prototypes and test vehicles. And if sports cars are more your thing, then you should be sure to head to the Porsche Museum.
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10 reasons to love Baden-Württemberg
Freiburg, the Black Forest metropolis
The idyllic town of Freiburg is surrounded by forested hills and home to almost 230,000 inhabitants. The gothic cathedral and the pretty old town center alleyways are definitely worth a visit. Enjoy a choice of numerous cafes and pubs offering excellent food. Recent environmental protection projects have also earned the city the title of being the German capital for ecological friendliness.
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10 reasons to love Baden-Württemberg
The Feldberg, a favorite among tourists
The Black Forest, with some 20 million overnight stays every year, is Baden-Württemberg’s most visited region. Its highest peak, the Feldberg, is 1,500 meters (almost a mile) high. It is also home to Baden-Württemberg’s biggest nature reserve. 250,000 tourists flock to this spa area annually. It offers something for all seasons, from hiking to skiing.
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10 reasons to love Baden-Württemberg
The cuckoo clock is the souvenir of choice
This has become a symbol for both Baden-Württemberg and the Black Forest: the cuckoo clock. It still has the same traditional design as it did in the mid 19th century. You can find the biggest examples of these clocks in the towns of Schonach and Triberg, where they reach over 15 meters (about 50 feet). The Black Forest cuckoo clock remains a popular tourist souvenir.
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10 reasons to love Baden-Württemberg
Heidelberg and its romantic charm
Many artists have immortalized this city, among them Johann Wolfgang von Goethe and Mark Twain. The Heidelberg Castle is the landmark of the town. What once served as the residence of rulers still towers above the old town center and the Neckar river. Heidelberg University has also left its mark on the city. Founded 630 years ago, it is the oldest university in present day Germany.
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10 reasons to love Baden-Württemberg
Back to nature in the Rheinau wetlands
Baden-Württemberg’s Rheinau wetlands offer floodplain forests, vast meadows and a network of intertwined river arms, where the Rhine still flows unrestrained through nature. The ever changing water level is the life blood of the floodplains, benefitting rare animal and plant species. These are best seen from a flat barge, a boat used by local fishermen to navigate the ancient Rhine tributaries.
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10 reasons to love Baden-Württemberg
Steeped in history: Hohenzollern Castle
The Hohenzollern Castle is located in the foothills of the Swabian Alps. With its many turrets, battlements and vaults, it is regarded as a prime example of Gothic Revival Architecture. The castle still belongs to the Hohenzollern family, the former German imperial house. It attracts over 300,000 visitors every year.
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10 reasons to love Baden-Württemberg
Baiersbronn shines with Michelin stars
Baden-Württemberg is a Mecca for haute cuisine. 77 restaurants boast at least one Michelin star, more than in any other German state. The small village of Baiersbronn, in the northern Black Forest, is home to eight Michelin stars in total. In the restaurant “Schwarzwaldstube” Harald Wohlfahrt (picture) had trained numerous later star chefs.
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10 reasons to love Baden-Württemberg
Holiday destination: Lake Constance
Lake Constance is the third largest lake in central Europe. Its shorelines lie in Baden-Württemberg and Bavaria, as well as Switzerland and Austria. The climate is so mild that palm trees and hibiscus grow here, making visitors feel like they have traveled far south. Another highlight is the island of Mainau, where over a million flowers bloom every year.
Author: Elisabeth Yorck von Wartenburg
This federal state in south-western Germany is known worldwide, especially for the Black Forest. In fact, the “Ländle,” or “little land,” as the locals affectionately call it, has much more to offer: from nature in the Swabian Jura to plenty of art and culture in the state capital Stuttgart.
Baden-Baden
In the 19th century the town of Baden-Baden was particularly popular with Russian guests as a luxurious health spa. Today, the most affluent tourists come from all over the world. Is this place also suitable for young people? Check-in moderator Lukas Stege asked himself this question.
Stuttgart
Stuttgart is known for its automotive history, with Mercedes and Porsche. But it’s not just the museums of the motoring world that make the state capital attractive — also some icons of modern architectural history!
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10 reasons to visit Stuttgart
City of palaces
The Kings of Württemberg once ruled in Stuttgart, and the many palaces in the area bear witness to this time. The New Palace is in the city center, and during summer the square is a popular hangout for locals and tourists alike. The building is now used by the State Ministries of Finance and Education.
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10 reasons to visit Stuttgart
Cars, cars and more cars
Stuttgart is a top destination for car fanatics. Although subject to opinion, it’s widely accepted that the first automobile was invented by Karl Benz in Stuttgart in 1886. Visitors can learn about the inception and development of the car in the Mercedes Benz museum, and the Porsche museum takes guests on a journey through the history of their own brand.
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10 reasons to visit Stuttgart
Weissenhof Estate
A feat of architecture are the buildings of Stuttgart’s Weissenhof Estate. They were designed by the famous architects Le Corbusier and Ludwig Mies van der Rohe in 1927 as an exhibition on modern living. Both buildings by Le Corbusier (pictured) were declared UNESCO World Heritage Sites in 2016, together with several of his other works in seven different countries.
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10 reasons to visit Stuttgart
Take to the stage
Stuttgart’s theaters have something for everyone. There are six large, private theaters, around 20 smaller establishments and the multiple award-winning Stuttgart State Theater with opera, ballet and drama productions. There are 700 shows to choose from every month in Stuttgart.
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10 reasons to visit Stuttgart
Museums and galleries
There are 11 large museums plus 30 smaller exhibition buildings and special collections. The Schweine Museum, for example, is about the art and cultural history of the pig. Among the classics is the Staatsgalerie with paintings and sculptures from the 14th to the 21st century. The architecture is a wonder in itself – a post-modern building combined with traditional building elements.
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10 reasons to visit Stuttgart
City life among the vineyards
Stuttgart lies in a valley surrounded by vineyards. The winemaking industry has more presence here than in any other big German city, and a number of hiking trails take visitors through the vineyards. The tradition dates back 1000 years, and the wine-growing museum (Weinbaumuseum) provides information about the history.
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10 reasons to visit Stuttgart
Swabian cuisine
A drop of Swabian wine goes hand in hand with some hearty Swabian food. Maultaschen, for example, are pasta pockets filled with mince, veal, spinach and parsley. Visitors can sample Swabian cuisine in one of Stuttgart’s many restaurants or in a “Besenwirtschaft” – traditional Swabian wine taverns that operate without a license for a maximum of four months a year.
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10 reasons to visit Stuttgart
Stuttgart Market Hall
The ingredients for a traditional Swabian meal can be found in all their forms at Stuttgart Markthalle. Even the most discerning foodies will be in their element here, and top chefs also come to buy their produce. It’s worth a visit just to see the Art Nouveau architecture, that’s now listed as a historical monument.
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10 reasons to visit Stuttgart
Cannstatter Wasen Festival
The people of Stuttgart certainly know how to eat and drink… and party! Cannstatter Wasen is a huge festival with tents, stalls and fairground rides. It takes place twice a year in spring and fall, and attracts several million visitors every year.
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10 reasons to visit Stuttgart
Stuttgart’s landmark
The best place to view this “Swabian paradise” is from the TV tower. It soars 217 meters above the houses and vineyards, and on a good day you can see the mountains of the Swabian Jura. Looking out from the tower at sunset, it’s easy to understand why many people still see Stuttgart as paradise on Earth.
Author: Elisabeth Yorck von Wartenburg (nr)
Swabian Alb
Protected cultivated countryside, crowned here and there by castles, stretches out south of Stuttgart. In the Swabian Alb Biosphere Reserve in the Jura mountains, hiking trails take you through a distinctive low-mountain landscape, past meadows with scattered fruit trees and through beech forests. Lukas Stege, who hosts our TV travel show Check-in, has put on his hiking boots.
Basilica Birnau
Because the original St. Mary’s Chapel could no longer withstand the onslaught of pilgrims, the monastery church of Birnau was built and consecrated in 1750. Today not only pilgrims want to see this jewel of the baroque age.
Highlights in 360-degree-videos
With 22 million overnight stays in 2018, the Black Forest is more popular than ever before. The capital of the Black Forest is Freiburg with its 800-year-old Gothic cathedral in the city center.
Heidelberg is the epitome of romantisicm in Germany. Its famous castle ruin attracts tourists from all over the world. Take in a panoramic view of this romantic place!
Use the mouse on your computer or your finger on your smartphone to choose what you want to see. Click on the video and drag the image sections wherever you want. If you have VR glasses, you can watch the video in virtual reality.
Your trip to Germany
Are you looking for recommendations for your visit to Germany? We’ve got them: Tips for Germany — state by state.
Article source: https://www.dw.com/en/germany-s-16-states-baden-w%C3%BCrttemberg/a-45148057?maca=en-rss-en-ger-1023-xml-atom