Stuttgart Palace Square
Stuttgart
The City
Population: 590,000
Airport: Stuttgart Airport
Origins: 900 years after the Romans, Herzog Luidolf of Swabia set up a stud farm, or "Stuotgarten" in the Nesenbach valley. The emerging settlement took its name from this, before obtaining city status in the first half of the 13th Century.
Stuttgart lies in middle of the exciting Württemberg wine growing region.
Württemberg is a rural area of considerable natural beauty between the foothills of the Swabian Jura and the Tauber River Valley. Stuttgart and Heilbronn are the region's major cities; both are rich in history and culture. But it is in the countryside and villages which line the valleys of the Neckar River and its tributaries that the character of Württemberg really comes alive.
Particularly scenic are the stone-terraced vineyards overlooking the Neckar as it loops between Besigheim and Mundelsheim. These so-called Felsengärten (cliff gardens) give a glimpse of how vineyards throughout the region looked prior to being modernized. Württemberg's wine villages are scattered amidst fields and forests. Following the Schwäbische Weinstrasse (auto route) and the signposted Radweg (bicycle trail) as they wind from Weikersheim to Metzingen is a great way to discover the region.
The Swabians are known for their hospitality, hearty country cooking and delicious red and white wines, traditionally served in the Viertele, a round, quarter-litre glass with a handle. Besenwirtschaften, or "Broomstick Inns," in vintners' homes serve the local wines. Look for a birchbroom or wreath over the doorway.
Red wine fans will feel very much at home here - nearly 70 percent of Württemberg's ca. 11,500 ha (28,214 acres) are planted with red wine varieties. Württemberg whites are generally heartier and fuller than their northerly counterparts. Nearly all the wine is consumed locally - the Swabians, like their neighbours in Baden, are a thirsty folk with an annual per capita consumption nearly double the national average!
For further information about activities in the area contact Werbegemeinschaft Württembergischer Weingärtnergenossensch. e.G: Tel: 0049 7141 24460/ info@wwg.de/ www.wwg.de
For downloadable road maps of the region please go to www.multimap.co.uk
