The Seven Secrets of Stuttgart
One of the books our classes had to read in preparation for our trip to Germany was The Seven Secrets of Germany written by Erik E. Lehmann and David B. Audretsch. With this, I went through my time in Stuttgart reflecting to myself on what would be my personal “seven secrets” of Stuttgart regarding why the city is so great, here is what I came up with:
Secret #1: Stuttgart’s Green Infrastructure
The first evening our class spent in Stuttgart, we had the pleasure to dine and speak with the Head Planner of Stuttgart, Thorsten Donn. Throughout the night, Thorsten provided extremely insightful views regarding city sustainability and planning, especially when discussing Stuttgart’s urban green infrastructure. During our Stuttgart walk-through after the dinner, he explained the plans that the city holds in implementing green infrastructure throughout with the implementation of rain gardens, bioswales, and more to mitigate the impacts of floodwater runoff and other environmental damages due to gray infrastructure. During my time in Stuttgart, I took note of the green infrastructure throughout the city, and its implications for the environment.
Secret #2: The Porsche Horse
The Porsche logo has become a symbol that is recognized across the globe. What I learned about this logo is that the horse is not just a stylistic design for a sleek and luxurious look, but rather a homage to an important part of the company’s heritage. On the Porsche logo is the coat of arms for the city of Stuttgart, where the company is located. When we were at the Porsche museum, I developed a more comprehensive understanding of the significance of the logo and how important it is to the identity of the company, hence them making very minimal changes to its design since the 1940s.
Secret #3: Stuttgart Central Station → Tübingen Hauptbahnhof
About an hour’s train ride away from Stuttgart is the picturesque university town of Tübingen. Before this trip, I held a particular interest in Tübingen due to their climate activism and strides towards environmental sustainability. To say the least, Tübingen lived up to my interests, and walking through the city allowed me to contextualize what we had learned about the city in class thus far. Something that stood out to me here was the amount of people who were outside disconnected from the digital world even though it was a rainy day. This just further affirmed to me why Tübingen is so successful in sustainability because even outside of their municipal policies, the people truly have a love for the outdoors and being with the Earth.
Secret #4: The Mercedes-Benz Touch
As soon as I stepped out the doors of the Stuttgart airport, something that I was immediately taken aback by was the use of Mercedes-Benz vehicles as regular taxi cabs. Back home in the United States, Mercedes vehicles are attributed with luxury, elegance, and exclusivity, and certainly is not the type of vehicle that you would see being used as a cab in New York. However, after visiting the Mercedes-Benz museum and learning a good deal about its history and rise to esteem, I realized that the culture surrounding the brand in Germany is not the same as the reputation we have. The museums displayed their share of fancy vehicles and racing cars, but alongside that, they also displayed the buses, emergency vehicles, trucks, and more that have been used to serve the German people, and now the world, for years. With that, I learned that the Mercedes taxi vehicles I saw at the Stuttgart airport were not symbols of status or exclusivity, but a part of the culture and identity of Stuttgart as an automobile giant in the world.
Secret #5: The Hidden Tunnels of Stuttgart 21
This past Saturday our class had the privilege to go and visit the highly polarizing Stuttgart 21 project and get an inside look at its progress thus far. Our tour included an information session regarding the history of the project and its current fate alongside a private walkthrough of the train tunnels and platform station’s progress thus far. The entirety of the tour allowed me to understand why Stuttgart 21 holds the level of contention it does amongst the German people. On one side, I gained a better understanding of how the constant delays, budget increases, and inconsistent planning put into question the amount of value to be gained from the project juxtaposed to its costs. On the other hand, walking through the tunnel and getting a detailed description from my tour guide on the technicalities of the tunnel and platform design made me realize that there was at least some careful thinking involved in the process of the project with the best interests of the German people in mind.
Secret #6: Stuttgart Sundays
Across the nation of Germany, Sundays are usually a quiet day due to the Ladenschlussgesetz or “store-closing law”. This law prohibits the operations of most stores on Sundays, aside from restaurants, museums, and transportation centers. In addition, it is expected to maintain a certain level of quietness and peace on Sundays to have a day where Germans can prioritize their rest and get a mental reset for the week ahead. Our class spent a Sunday in Stuttgart, and we can all confirm that Sundays there are as quiet as they sound. Luckily, we had an exciting visit to both the Porsche Museum and the city of Tübingen to make up for it!
Secret #7: A Blend of Cultures
Immediately upon arrival into Stuttgart, one of the first things that I noticed was the vast blend of cultures in the city. With the rise of the AfD across Germany and other alarming sentiments, it is now easy to overlook the fact that the nation is a blend of many different cultures and people to celebrate. Stuttgart was a reminder of this fact. According to a New York Times article, “40% of Stuttgart’s 600,000 residents (or 60 percent of people under the age of 18) come from abroad”. During my time in Stuttgart, not only did I notice an array of people from different cultures and backgrounds, but also within grocery stores, restaurants, and entertainment as well, reaffirming the cultural diversity of the city.
We are only a couple days into our Germany trip, however, in the short time we were there, Stuttgart brought upon us a whirlwind of exciting experiences, newfound knowledge, and an abundance of enjoyment.
