GERMANY : STUTTGART HISTORY
The area around
Stuttgart was inhabited by a Germanic tribe called the Alemanni when the
Romans took over in the 1st century AD and established a fortress at
Cannstatt. For centuries Cannstatt overshadowed the city, situated in a
basin and surrounded on three sides by vineyards and woodlands and by
the Neckar to the north, which was the largest and most important Roman
fortress in the central Neckar region as well as an intersection of
several major roads. In the 5th century arrived another tribe, called
the "Suevi" (from which the name "Schwaben" or "Swabia"is derived).
After the Romans,
the region went through a succession of rulers - the Frankish Empire,
the Carolingian Dynasty and Charlemagne, to name a few.
In 950, Duke
"Liudolf von Schwaben" is said to have founded a "Stuttgarten" or stud
farm further along the Nesenbach valley. The settlement that established
around this area, later developing into a town in its own right, bore
the same name. The earliest dated records of "Stuttgarten" are from the
year 1229.T he margraves of Baden, who were western rivals of the
Württemberg Earls and later became Dukes, conquered the area in the
first half of the 13th century and declared it a town. The growing city
got a boost in the 15th century, when it was declared the capital of
Württemberg.
Political unrest and
tussles for power plagued the area throughout the Middle Ages,
Throughout history the City of Stuttgart was often tested very hard,
especially during the 30 years war. The yearly People's Fair was first
celebrated in 1818 when King Wilhelm organised the fair for the citizens
of Stuttgart.
In the 19th century,
the region became industrialized, and the inventions of Gottleib Daimler
(petrol engine) and Robert Bosch (spark plug) revolutionized the city.
In 1871, Württemberg joined the newly united German Empire.
During the Second
World War the city was heavily damaged by several air raids. The
buildings were quickly restored after the war, and in 1952 Stuttgart
became the capital of the state of "Baden-Württemberg" and is located on
the "Neckar" river. The city is the centre of a region, which today, is
the third most densely populated area in the Federal Republic of
Germany. This region is one of the most important economic centres in
Europe; and its capital Stuttgart, is one of Germany's most
industrialized large cities.
