Travel Guide, Stuttgart

Stuttgart (German pronunciation: [ˈʃtʊtɡaɐ̯t]) is the capital of the state of Baden-Württemberg in southern Germany.The city lies at the centre of a heavily populated area, circled by a ring of smaller towns. This inner urban area called Stuttgart Region has a population of 2.7 million making 'greater Stuttgart' the third biggest agglomeration in Germany after the Ruhr Area and Berlin.Stuttgart is spread across a variety of hills (some of them vineyards), valleys and parks - unusual for a German city and often a source of surprise to visitors who primarily associate the city with its industrial reputation as the 'cradle of the automobile'. In 2007 the Bürgermeister marketed Stuttgart to foreign investors as "The creative power of Germany". Under current plans to improve transport links to the international infrastructure (as part of the Stuttgart 21 project), in March 2008 the city unveiled a new logo and slogan, describing itself as "Das neue Herz Europas" ("The new heart of Europe"). Stuttgart is nicknamed the Schwabenmetropole (Swabian metropolis), a reference to the Swabian dialect spoken by the locals. In that dialect, the city's name is pronounced Schtuagerd.