Landmarks and culture

Landmarks and culture

Main article: Culture of Stuttgart

Solitude Palace

The inner city

The Stiftskirche, seen from the west (Stiftstraße)

At the center of Stuttgart lies its main square, Schlossplatz. As well as being the largest square in Stuttgart, it stands at the crossover point between the city's shopping area, Schlossgarten park which runs down to the river Neckar, Stuttgart's two central castles and major museums and residential areas to the south west. Königstraße, Stuttgart's most important shopping street which runs along the northwestern edge of Schlossplatz, claims to be the longest pedestrianized street in Germany.^[144]
Although the city center was heavily damaged during World War II,^[144] many historic buildings have been reconstructed and the city boasts some fine pieces of modern post-war architecture. Buildings and squares of note in the inner city include:

The Alte Kanzlei on Schillerplatz square

• The Stiftskirche (Collegiate Church), dates back to the 12th century, but was changed to the Late Gothic style in the 15th century and has been a Protestant church since 1534.^[144] Exterior: Romanesque/Gothic; interior: Romanesque/Gothic/Modern. Reconstructed with simplified interior after World War II.
• Altes Schloss (the Old Castle), mostly dating from the late 15th century, some parts date back to 1320.^[144] Renaissance style; reconstructed^[144]
• Alte Kanzlei (the Old Chancellery) on Schillerplatz square which backs onto the 1598 Mercury Pillar
• Neues Schloss (the New Castle), completed in 1807.^[144] Baroque/Classicism); reconstructed with modern interior, currently houses government offices.^[144] The cellars with a collection of stone fragments from the Roman times are open to visitors^[145]
• Wilhelmpalais (the King Wilhelm Palais), 1840
• Königsbau (the King's Building), 1850. Classicism; reconstructed; has been housing the "Königsbau Passagen" shopping centre since 2006.
• The Großes Haus of Stuttgart National Theatre, 1909–1912
• Markthalle Market Hall, 1910. (Art Nouveau)
• The Hauptbahnhof (Main Railway Station) was designed in 1920;^[144] its stark, functional lines are typical of the artistic trend 'Neue Sachlichkeit' (New Objectivity)^[144]
• The Württembergische Landesbibliothek state library, rebuilt in 1970.
• Friedrichsbau Varieté (Friedrich Building), rebuilt in 1994 on the site of the former art nouveau building

Architecture in other districts

Wilhelma Zoo and Botanical Garden, around 1900

A number of significant castles stand in Stuttgart's suburbs and beyond as reminders of the city's royal past. These include:

• Castle Solitude, 1700–1800. Baroque/Rococo)
• Ludwigsburg Palace, 1704–1758. Baroque, with its enormous baroque garden.
• Castle Hohenheim, 1771–1793

Other landmarks in and around Stuttgart include (see also museums below):

• Castle Rosenstein (1822–1830) Classical
• Württemberg Mausoleum (1824) which holds the remains of Catherine Pavlovna of Russia and King William I of Württemberg
• Wilhelma Zoo and Botanical Gardens (1853)
• The Observation Tower of Burgholzhof an 1891 brick observation tower constructed by the Cannstatt municipal architect Friedrich Keppler on behalf of the Verschönerungsverein Cannstatt e. V. ("Society for the Beautification of Cannstatt"), in the style of a Roman tower.
• Weissenhof Estate (1927), (International Style)
• The TV Tower (1950), the world's first concrete TV tower
• Stuttgart Airport Terminal Building, 2000. In neighboring Leinfelden-Echterdingen