Capital of the province ot Baden- Württemberg is Stuttgart, situated at the bottom of a wide valley surrounded by hills, bordered to the northeast by the River Neckar and the adjoining town of Cannstatt. Duke Liutolf set up a stud here in around 950. The town's name is derived trom Stute, the German word for mare, and Garden, literally "mare's garden". The most impressive and important square in town is the Schlossplatz (Castle Square), across which the Altes Schloss (Old Castle) and the Neues Schloss (New Castle) face each other. The old castle is a massive Renaissance building, erected in the second half ot the 16th certury.
Many of the most remarkable structures in today's Stuttgart are of progressive design, created by such architects as Ludwig Mies van der Rohe, Walter Gropius, Hans Scharoun, and Le Corbusier. The Liederhalle, Schloss-Strasse, constructed in 1956 of concrete, glass, and glazed brick, is fascinating inside and out. The hall contains three auditoriums.
The town's older section is clustered around Schillerplatz and the statue of the great German poet and dramatist, Schiller. Neues Schloss, on Schlossplatz, can be visited only by group tour. It was originally constructed between 1746 and 1807 and rebuilt beginning in 1958. Today, it houses state government rooms. The modern Rathaus faces the old Marktplatz, where flowers, fruit, and vegetables are sold in open stalls.
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