News   Apr 19, 2024
 593     0 
News   Apr 19, 2024
 618     2 
News   Apr 19, 2024
 1K     3 

Europe Tour - Day 3 - Stuttgart

smuncky

Senior Member
Member Bio
Joined
Jun 30, 2007
Messages
1,884
Reaction score
1,154
With no time to lose, the next day was devoted to Stuttgart which is only a 1 hour train ride from Ulm. The transportation system is really awesome if you want to travel regionally and really affordable. Each state has its own day pass for all forms of public transportation for a low price of 28-29 Euros and can accomadate up to 5 people. This includes ReginalBahn, RegionalExpress, and the local systems in cities like the busses, U-Bahn, and S-Bahn.

IMG_0270.jpg

A hotel just across the street from the main railway station.

IMG_0272.jpg


IMG_0274.jpg



IMG_0275.jpg

Staatstheater Stuttgart

IMG_0276.jpg


pano.jpg

The northern side of New Castle

IMG_0279.jpg


IMG_0281.jpg


IMG_0283.jpg

Fruchtkasten building located at Schillerplatz.

IMG_0284.jpg


IMG_0285.jpg

One of the main pedestrian malls. They are just finishing up with renovations as there are small places where they are still installing the stone for the walkway, benches and other installations like the fountain below.

DSC06910.jpg


IMG_0287.jpg


IMG_0288.jpg


IMG_0378.jpg


IMG_0291.jpg

An entrance to an U-Bahn station. As I recall, most stations had escalators which were outdoors and working (which is the opposite of our TTC on both accounts). We were there on a drizzly day and they kept operating. Another neat feature I noticed was that the direction could easily be switched by anyone if it isn't being used. I never tried it but it looked like it was activated by a sensor.

IMG_0292.jpg

A good mix of modern buildings and old ones. This is near Schlossplatz.

IMG_0293.jpg


IMG_0294.jpg


IMG_0296.jpg


IMG_0297.jpg


IMG_0298.jpg


IMG_0299.jpg

Looking down at Schlossplatz.

IMG_0301.jpg


IMG_0303.jpg


IMG_0305.jpg

Schlossplatz

IMG_0307.jpg

Looking at the former Stuttgart Stock Exchange. It's currently a big mall inside.

IMG_0308.jpg


IMG_0309.jpg


IMG_0310.jpg

The main facade of New Castle.

IMG_0312.jpg


IMG_0313.jpg


IMG_0314.jpg


IMG_0315.jpg


IMG_0317.jpg

Inside that mall I mentioned earlier.

IMG_0319.jpg


IMG_0320.jpg


IMG_0321.jpg


IMG_0322.jpg

After walking downtown, we took an U-Bahn train to the TV tower they have there. The Fernsehturm Stuttgart was the world's first concrete TV tower. This is the station we got off at which looks fairly new. It's the terminus to the 15 LRT line but has a nearby connection to other lines as well.

DSC06905.jpg

The tower is located on a hill so the LRV climbs through a part of the city which was interesting to see.

DSC06906.jpg

View from the front.

IMG_0323.jpg


IMG_0324.jpg


IMG_0325.jpg


IMG_0326.jpg


IMG_0328.jpg

Another transmission tower. I saw a few of these that looks exactly the same on the way to Berlin.

IMG_0329.jpg

All stations are equipped with ticket machines and next train displays. This is the same station posted a few pictures above.

The next place we visited that day was the Mercedes-Benz Museum. One thing we didn't know is that all museums are closed on Mondays so I missed out on seeing the inside of the building but had great uninterupted views from the outside.

IMG_0330.jpg

The S-Bahn train we took to get there. It was only a 20 minute ride which is also where the football stadium is located.

IMG_0331.jpg


IMG_0333.jpg


IMG_0335.jpg


IMG_0336.jpg


IMG_0337.jpg


IMG_0338.jpg


IMG_0339.jpg


IMG_0341.jpg


IMG_0344.jpg


IMG_0345.jpg


IMG_0346.jpg


IMG_0347.jpg


IMG_0348.jpg


IMG_0349.jpg

This is the building where the showroom is located. The whole area is very tidy and kept clean. I can only imagine how wonderful the space is on a sunny afternoon with all the trees in bloom.

IMG_0352.jpg


IMG_0354.jpg


IMG_0355.jpg


IMG_0356.jpg


IMG_0357.jpg


IMG_0358.jpg


IMG_0359.jpg

This is an outdoor area where they have live demonstations and show off the cars. The cars drive in from the ramp down and people sit in this ampitheatre space.

IMG_0361.jpg


IMG_0362.jpg


IMG_0366.jpg


IMG_0367.jpg


IMG_0369.jpg


IMG_0370.jpg


IMG_0371.jpg


IMG_0372.jpg


IMG_0373.jpg


IMG_0375.jpg

The parking garage of the Mercedes-Benz workers.

IMG_0376.jpg

Back at the main train station.

IMG_0377.jpg

Some of the underground stations have one ad board with a projector which rotates the video ads. When a train is arriving, the ad is replaced with information about the line number and also gives the current time.

Overall, the city had the appropriate feel of a state capital. Lots of people, great atmosphere (dispite the crappy weather), and lots of interesting sites to visit.

The day after we took a day off before we made our next stop in Berlin.
 
Those damn Europeans and their architecture. Both historic and modern are done so well.
 
I always thought that Stuttgart was just "okay". There are two things that I missed that are worth going back for: Mies' Weissenhofsiedlung and medieval Esslingen. There's also James Stirling's museum.

Overall, though, Stuttgart feels a little too cold and corporate. Munich is about the same size but feels at least three times as big. On that note, the "size" of German cities is something that's worth discussing. Stuttgart's population is actually enormous - something like 4 or 5 million people live in the immediate region - but German statisticians always just use inner city figures, so most people erroneously believe that this is what a city of half a million looks like.
 
I always thought that Stuttgart was just "okay". There are two things that I missed that are worth going back for: Mies' Weissenhofsiedlung and medieval Esslingen. There's also James Stirling's museum.

Overall, though, Stuttgart feels a little too cold and corporate. Munich is about the same size but feels at least three times as big. On that note, the "size" of German cities is something that's worth discussing. Stuttgart's population is actually enormous - something like 4 or 5 million people live in the immediate region - but German statisticians always just use inner city figures, so most people erroneously believe that this is what a city of half a million looks like.
I honestly didn't know about Weissenhofsiedlung but that would've been something nice to see. I was really close to the Staatsgalerie Stuttgart but it wouldn't have mattered because all the museums were closed the day I was there.

I'll also have to agree with you about the comparison of Munich and Stuttgart. Munich feels a lot more lively from what I saw. However, there's less modernity in the downtown, at least where I was. Another thing I noticed while being on the tower in Stuttgart was that there were quite a lot of suburbs but they were all separated by lots of greenry.
 
All those shots of the MBenz building; for a moment I thought you were taking European delivery of a new car (wonder if they still do that?).

Thank you. Like being there.
 
Great shots!

This...

IMG_0378.jpg


...reminds me of this...

DSCN1321.jpg


...in Rotterdam.

I guess the sunken outdoor pedestrian mall is popular in many European cities. Someone posted a picture from another city a few month's back with one as well (but I can't seem to remember where it was).
 
Very nice pics of the Mercedes hometown! Stuttgart is often overshadowed by larger German cities, but certainly has a lot to offer for a regional capital. It helps, of course, to be the capital of one of the wealthiest regions in the country.

All those shots of the MBenz building; for a moment I thought you were taking European delivery of a new car (wonder if they still do that?).

I believe if you purchase a Phaeton you can visit the assembly in Dresden to pick up your vehicle fresh off the line. Maybach, too.
 
Stuttgart is the only part of germany I have been to and it was a brilliant place. I had my first raddler in a park there. Nice to see some new shots of the place.
 

Back
Top