STUTTGART
History

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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.