In the Stuttgart Region nature goes hand in hand with technology, and tradition with innovation. Its architecture is both Baroque and ultramodern. It spans the diversity of the pulsating economic metropolis and a wealth of culture on the highest level. And all of this is to be found amidst idyllic, topographically appealing scenery.

The Stuttgart Region comprises 179 towns and communities, divided into five administrative districts and the municipality of Stuttgart. Some 2.7 million people of around 170 different nationalities live here, around 580.000 of them in Stuttgart. The state capital's main landmark is the Television Tower – the first of its kind worldwide.

Stuttgart owes its name to a stud farm, or "Stuotgarten", which Duke Liudolf of Swabia is said to have founded in 950 AD. To defend this stud farm the Old Palace was built. The New Palace was the residence of the kings of Württemberg up to the middle of the

19th century. Today the building contains ministries of the Baden-Württemberg state government and state reception rooms.

Palace Square is the most central part of Stuttgart. It's an absolute must when enjoying a stroll through the city, because this is where the city's heartbeat can best be felt. It is bordered by Königstrasse, Europe's longest pedestrian shopping precinct,

1.2 km in length. The Landtag, the State Parliament building, is located in the Upper Palace Gardens. Directly adjacent are the Staatstheater Stuttgart, Europe's largest triple-branch theatre, comprising Stuttgart Opera, the world-famous Stuttgart Ballet and the Schauspiel Stuttgart theatre company.

The Stuttgart Region has a very active music scene. The state capital alone boasts four big orchestras. Music festivals such as the jazzopen, the Musikfest Stuttgart and the Ludwigsburg Palace Festival make sure there's music in the air all over the region the whole year round. A wide diversity of museums rounds off the culture scene.

The Stuttgart Museum of Art has the world's most outstanding collection of the oeuvre of Otto Dix. The Stuttgart State Gallery has works from 800 years on display and is one of the most visited museums in the country. In addition, the Kunsthalle Tübingen, the Galerie Stihl in Waiblingen and the Kunsthalle Würth have outstanding collections and equally interesting temporary exhibitions. The Museum of Modern Literature and the National Schiller Museum in Marbach am Neckar are the only museums in the world that are used solely for exhibitions of literature.

The automobile is another theme that is found all over the region. With the Motorworld and the V8 Hotel at the former municipal airfield in Böblingen/Sindelfingen, the region acquired two more attractions in 2009 with the automobile as their main focus. The Motorworld is a mixture of classic car trading, a museum, a workshop and catering. The outstanding thing about the V8 Hotel is its ten theme rooms, furnished with objects made from classic cars. With the Porsche Museum (2009) and the Mercedes-Benz Museum (2006) Stuttgart has not one, but two exhibitions centring on the automobile. The Mercedes-Benz Museum is the only one of its kind in the world to document the full history of the development of the automobile. And Gottlieb Daimler's Birthplace in Schorndorf commemorates the town's most famous son. The little town with its timbered houses and historically protected old town centre is well worth a visit in its own right, too. The same applies to Esslingen. Nowhere else are there so many well-preserved timbered buildings from nearly every architectural period. They include the oldest timbered house (1261) and the oldest row of timbered buildings in Germany. Ludwigsburg is also a wonderful place for an outing. In this town just north of Stuttgart there is Germany's largest palace complex, the former Royal Palace of Ludwigsburg (1733), known as the "Swabian Versailles", consisting of 18 buildings with a total of 452 rooms, surrounded by a 32-hectare park with the "Baroque in Bloom" gardens.

If you're looking for entertainment rather than culture, you're sure to find it in the Stuttgart Region. In the autumn the Stuttgart Beer Festival attracts millions of visitors bent on celebration from all over the world, and from the end of November onwards there are countless Christmas markets. The Stuttgart Wine Village and the Fellbach Autumn Festival are just two of the many wine festivals in the Stuttgart Region. Stuttgart is the biggest wine-growing community in Germany. The first vines were brought to the area by the Romans. And this is the only place in Germany where Trollinger wine is produced. All you need to know about the history of wine growing can be experienced at first hand at the Stuttgart Museum of Viniculture.

The wines of Württemberg are the ideal accompaniment to Swabian specialities. Maultaschen (filled pasta), Kässpätzle (cheesy noodles), Gaisburger Marsch (a tasty hotpot) and the Swabian national dish, lentils with Spätzle (noodles) are a must on every bill of fare. The Swabians love these traditional dishes. But haute cuisine is cultivated here, too. The Stuttgart Region has no fewer than 17 starred restaurants.

If you visit the Stuttgart Region with children, you mustn't miss the Wilhelma. These zoological and botanical gardens are home to around 9000 animals. And the combination of animals, countless plants, the historical setting and Moorish architecture make an outing to the Wilhelma an unforgettable experience for adults as well as children.

Additional information on the Stuttgart Region under www.stuttgart-tourist.com

Photo: Ludwigsburg Palace© LMZ-BW _Cohen