Art plays a prominent role in StuttgART: heading the list is Stuttgart State Gallery, whose top-class art collection makes it one of Europe's most popular art museums. The classical architecture of the old building houses outstanding paintings from various eras from Gothic to Romantic. The adjoining New State Gallery, the postmodern masterpiece designed by the famous British star architect James Stirling, presents works of Classic Modernism, from Expressionism through to Picasso's later oeuvre, as well as contemporary art.

A further temple of arts is Stuttgart’s Museum of Art, a filigree glass cube that floats above the Königstrasse by night like a light sculpture. It invites visitors to view the municipal art collection on an exhibition area of approx 5000 m². Its highlight is the largest public collection – over 300 paintings, drawings and graphics – of the works of Otto Dix, one of the leading representatives of the Neue Sachlichkeit (New Objectivity) movement.

The unique "Wilhelma", Europe's largest zoological and botanical gardens, is an enjoyable experience at any time of year. The combination of some 10.000 animals and plants and magnificent Moorish buildings set in a historical park will delight young and old alike. Also well worth a visit is the Carl Zeiss Planetarium, Europe's most modern planetarium. In addition, a host of highly interesting museums offer fascinating insights into other fields of knowledge: at the Württembergische Landesmuseum in the Old Palace you will not only find information on the history of the region but also gain an impression of life in Stone Age, Celtic and Roman times through to the present day. The Haus der Geschichte (House of History) documents the political history of southwest Germany during the past 200 years. The two state natural history museums, Museum Schloss Rosenstein and Museum am Löwentor, illustrate vividly the diversity and evolution of life forms, including long-extinct animals such as the dinosaurs of the Triassic period or the large mammals of the Ice Age. And the Linden Museum is without question one of Europe's leading museums of ethnology.

In the evening you can enjoy a performance of the famous Stuttgart Ballet or the award-winning, internationally acclaimed State Opera in the magnificent Opera House. And for theatre-lovers there is a huge range of events on offer at over 40 different venues. Stuttgart's orchestras are warmly received as musical ambassadors all over the world. The Stuttgarter Philharmoniker, the SWR Radiosinfonie Orchester, the Stuttgarter Kammerorchester and the Internationale Bachakademie are known for their impelling, top-class performances with a wonderful quality of sound and great artistic diversity.

Those who appreciate the medicinal qualities of mineral spas can relax in one of the three mineral baths in Stuttgart's Bad Cannstatt district. Each day 22 million litres of invigorating mineral water gush from 19 springs – a natural resource which on this scale is unique in Western Europe.

With its exclusive arcades, its elegant shops and attractive department stores, Stuttgart is also a shopper's paradise. And gourmets appreciate its excellent regional delicacies and exquisite, award-winning haute cuisine.

Source: Stuttgart-Marketing GmbH