Wednesday, March 14, 2018

TRAVEL SPECIAL.... Stuttgart’s List


Stuttgart’s List

The German city might be the automobile capital but it is also the hub of eclectic cultural landscape and heritage

Standing at the top of the hill at the Burgholzhof, a 19th century observation tower, Stuttgart seemed blissful and contented, with vineyards and the city comfortably intertwined. And yet, down below, it was quite a different perspective altogether.
Wine and vineyards were closely associated with Stuttgart’s history, which in turn hinged on its geography. The city itself went back to 600 BC, a sought-after place owing to its lush fertility on account of resting in the Neckar river valley. But it got its current name only in 10th century AD when the Duke of Swabia (region in southern Germany with Stuttgart as its centre) established his stud farm and the area came to be known as Stuotgarten or Stutengarten, meaning mare’s garden, which was gradually shortened to Stuttgart. It rapidly rose in prominence to ultimately become the capital of the Wurttemberg kingdom, suffered losses and destruction at various times including Allied bombing but bounced back to become the centre of the automobile industry and a leader in several others.
Up until a couple of centuries ago, the whole area was carpeted in vineyards and greenery, with innumerable flights of steps and stairs facilitating access to the terraces on the undulating land. As the vineyards slowly disappeared to make way for the growing city, the steps (Stuttgarter staffele or Stuttgart’s steps) remained and continue to form an important part of the city’s heritage. According to estimates, there are anywhere between 400 and 500 flights of stairs and it is said that climbing all of them will equal a staggering 20 km in length!
It was these aspects, which lay a bit beneath the surface and seemed to form Stuttgart’s soul, that fascinated me. Back in the centre of the city, the Schlossplatz, the largest square in the city was buzzing with people. A favourite meeting place, it housed the Neues Schloss or New Palace, a sprawling 18th century Baroque structure. It seemed a bit intimidating, and not at all like the lovely Altes Schloss or Old Castle, a 10th century building which was ranged around a cosy central courtyard with an imposing statue of Count Eberhard on a horse surrounded by with arcades, balconies and Renaissance motifs. But Konigstrasse, the King’s Street, which led off the Schlossplatz, was full of buzzing cafes and restaurants.
Beer & More
Stuttgart’s reputation as the city of automobiles was personified by the Mercedes-Benz and the Porsche Museums, but I chose instead to wander around the rather strange Schweine Museum or Pig Museum. An essential component of Swabian cuisine, pork went back a long way but everything about the museum was cheesily excessive and yet incredibly fun too. It was housed in a former slaughterhouse and was a glorious mishmash of over 50,000 articles from all over the world spread over two floors separated by various themes.
I got a different kind of local experience at the Cannstatter Volksfest, the annual harvest festival held during autumn at the Wasen grounds. A 35-acre funfair and carnival, the festival grounds had several joy rides, games, shops, activity areas and food stands selling a variety of food though the aroma of frying bratwurst (German sausage) overrode everything else. However, the biggest attraction was the seven massive beer tents, each with the capacity to seat anywhere between 1,800 and 5,200, prompting people to label the fest Stuttgart Beer Festival. The tents pulsated with live bands and were bursting with people drinking beer accompanied by local burgers and sausages, singing along, jiving and stamping their feet on tables.
If the wild night at the Volkfest was all about high spirits, the neighbourhood of Waldenbuch, south of Stuttgart, was bucolic. Red roofed houses lay in clusters amidst lush green rolling meadows and sweeping farms on undulating countryside interspersed by clumps of trees. At the heart of Waldenbuch was Ritter Sport, the renowned century-old chocolate brand. Though the factory was off limits to visitors, my focus was on the interactive Choco Exhibition which highlighted the history of the brand itself and explained how some of the more popular chocolates were made, such as the squares with yogurt filling. This, together with the sprawling store with discounted chocolates, put me on a high much stronger than the Volkfest.
Back in Stuttgart and famished, I headed to Markthalle, the covered market near the Schlossplatz housed in an Art Noveau building with stunning murals on the facade. I headed to the stall specialising in the Swabian dish maultsachen, a large pasta pocket filled with minced meat, spinach and herbs. I had fallen in love with the dish during my time in Stuttgart but my interest was piqued when my guide told me it was called the ‘little God-cheater’ and had been invented in the Maulbronn Monastery just outside the city.
Intrigued by the story, I headed out to see the monastery and was quite taken aback to come upon a sprawling church complex. The central courtyard was massive, around which were ranged a variety of ancient halftimbered buildings set up for various purposes such as storage and stables, as well as towering turreted walls and gigantic arched gates. But the main attraction was the Abbey, an 850-year-old Romanesque church with Gothic elements and a designated UNESCO World Heritage Site.
Back in Stuttgart, it was tempting to soak up the buzz of the Schlossplatz, but I wanted something a little more serene so I headed West for about a mile to the Feuersee, literally fire lake. Flanked by narrow avenues with tall trees on either side, it was a beautiful water body with a stunning neo-Gothic church on its banks. Dedicated to St John, the mid 19th century church was striking in appearance as well as for the Gothic elements on its facade. It was almost entirely destroyed in World War II and subsequently rebuilt but without the original towering spire and hence was also wryly referred to as the ‘church without the tip.’ As the sun completely disappeared, I slowly weaved my way back to Schlossplatz where the buzz had gone up several notches and the night vibe was electric. All around me I could feel the different aspects of Stuttgart mesh and overlap, which seemed like the perfect picture of the city.
Anita Rao-Kashi
ETM 4MAR18

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