| All work and no play |
 Projects in Stuttgart 2010/11The dynamic Swabian maxim "if you work hard, you´ll achieve something" fits perfectly to Stuttgart. With its 600,000 residents – a barrier likely to be broken soon – the regional capital is just a small city but there are so many new construction projects starting all the time that some parts of Stuttgart make bigger cities look old. A showpiece project is the Stuttgart 21 scheme, which is likely to be finished in 2010. This major project will move the train tracks at the city´s central railway station from above to below ground. Also included in the ambitious scheme is a new city district with a spectacular cube-shaped library that will open mid-2011. And that´s only the tip of the iceberg. In recent years – thanks to its automotive industry – Stuttgart has become Germany´s largest producer of goods for export as well as the country´s second most important financial hub after Frankfurt. It is also one of Europe´s leading IT centers. It´s no wonder that the relocation of Stuttgart´s trade fair from the cramped Killesberg Park to brand new premises next to the airport was a big success. Don´t get the impression that Stuttgart only invests in the economy. The city strongly defends its reputation as a cultural capital and in 2010 two very special attractions opened – the Schweinemuseum (pig museum) and the Junges Schloss children´s museum. To ensure that soccer fans don´t miss out on their beloved game, the Mercedes-Benz Arena is being turned into a pure soccer ground during the current season. Stuttgart is also an automotive city, so the new Stuttgarter Meilenwerk car museum in Böblingen and the many events taking place in 2011 during a summer marking the 125th anniversary of the automobile are creating delighted anticipation. Taking into account all that enthusiasm, we certainly have to agree with the Swabian saying: "We can do everything – except speak High German." |
