A great place to live and work
The Stuttgart Region comprises a vibrant major city, and 178 small and medium-size towns and rural villages. No matter where you choose to live: sports facilities, countryside, and a wide range of cultural events are never far away. On average, the Stuttgart Region is blessed with more than 1,800 hours of sunshine per year. Yet this is only one reason why people enjoy living here. Is there any better way to relax after a long day's work than in one of the many open-air restaurants, beer gardens, or street cafés, where guests can savor a glass of the highly rated local beer or wine?
Culture and leisure
The region has a rich and vibrant cultural life, which benefits from the truly diverse cultural background of its residents: people from 180 countries have found a home in the region. Events cater to a wide range of tastes: from trendy clubs and creative underground music, to world-class ballet and the award-winning Stuttgart opera house.
Its many excellent museums and galleries are a major attraction for art lovers. No less impressive is the wide range of drama and music on offer – from opera, ballet and theater to musicals, variety shows, cabaret, puppetry and mime. In addition, various fairs and concerts – both indoor and outdoor – regularly attract a large number of visitors. The area also boasts architectural treasures – such as the Weissenhofsiedlung, a housing development that pioneered modernist design, and the world's first concrete-built TV tower, which has served as a model for many others. With 5.6 square kilometers of parks and gardens, Stuttgart is one of Europe's greenest cities. The region has many picturesque forests, gardens, parks and vineyards, which often extend into the cities – for example, in Stuttgart and Esslingen.
Just a short train ride takes all nature-lovers away from the bustling city and into a scenic countryside of rolling hills, woods, and lakes. For those in need of a weekend break, the Black Forest, Lake Constance, the Swiss and Austrian Alps, as well as the vineyards and villages of Alsace are all within easy traveling distance.
Other highlights include the Wilhelma, Germany's only combined zoo and botanical gardens, and the area's mineral water swimming pools, which draw on the largest concentration of mineral springs anywhere in Western Europe. What's more, the Stuttgart Region hosts many major sporting events, and has its own thriving amateur sports scene.
Work in the region
For many years, the Stuttgart Region has enjoyed the highest employment figures in Germany. The area employs more people in R&D than anywhere else in Europe. There are many technology-driven companies, presenting outstanding opportunities for skilled professionals, particularly in natural sciences and IT.
This is the case for the region's major international players, as well as many locally innovative SMEs – these “unsung heroes” are often market leaders in their field. Furthermore, the Stuttgart Region leads the way when it comes to salaries.