Stuttgart

The beginnings of the city date back to 950 AC. It owes its name and coat of arms to the stud farm - the so-called "Stutengarten" (literally "farm for mares") - founded at that time by prince Luidolf. the seat of the counts of von Württemberg, from 1482 the official capital of the county, later of the principality, and from 1806 until the unification of Germany by Bismarck - the kingdom of Württemberg.

Rapid development in the 16th century, slowed down in the 17th century, among others by the Thirty Years War (1618-1648). In 1790, Stuttgart had about 18,000 inhabitants, including 2,000 soldiers and the same number of courtiers and university staff. Most of the capital's inhabitants made a living out of craft and agriculture (wine growing, wine production). It was here, in the "old" Stuttgart with its castle, cathedral church, market square and modest homes of craftsmen and winemakers that the dreams of the princes Ulrich and Christpher  on the great territorial state of Württemberg were born since the Reformation period.

The nineteenth century brought economic growth to the city. 1846 was marked by connecting to  the railway and opening railway station at Bolzstraße 10, where today the Metropol-Palast cinema is located. At the end of World War II, due to Allied bombing, Stuttgart was almost completely swept away.

In 1986, the 37th European Athletics Championships were held at the Neckarstadion. In 1993, Stuttgart hosted an international gardening exhibition. In the same year in August at the Gottlieb-Daimler Stadium the World Athletics Championships and in 2006 the World Football Championships took place.

Stuttgart is a large railway junction. Major rail lines lead in the following directions: Karlsruhe - Strasbourg - Paris (from June 9, 2007 on the TGV route Stuttgart - Paris), Mannheim - Frankfurt am Main (since 1991 the section Stuttgart - Mannheim adapted for train traffic at speeds up to 250km/h), Ulm - Munich, Zurich, Nuremberg, Tübingen and Heilbronn - Würzburg. The main station (Stuttgart Hauptbahnhof) is a head station, but as part of the Stuttgart 21 project it is planned to move the tracks underground and rebuild the station into a through one.

Visiting the capital of Baden-Württemberg is worth starting from the tower of the main station, the "head" of the city or the "navel of Swabia", as the architects called it.

The main station in Stuttgart with monumental halls, portals and a 56-meter tower with a square base (crowned with a Mercedes star since 1952) gives rise to modern city architecture. The demages of World War II did not change the external appearance of the building.
It is worth walking along Królewska Street (Königstraße), the main shopping street over a kilometer long. Despite the dense office and housing development, you can't help but be charmed by the city.

Various cultural institutions offer numerous attractions. The most important institutions in Stuttgart are the State Theater, the State Gallery, the Art Museum, the National Museum of Württemberg, the Natural Museum, the Historical Museum of Baden-Württemberg, where since 2002 you can admire a modern exhibition dedicated to the history of the Land from Napoleon to modern times, famous throughout the Weißenhof estate (the main showcase of modern architecture). In the city center we can meet a rack-and-pinion railway and the first TV tower in the world.

Today, the city combines the features of a large industrial center and spa, full of extensive parks, vineyards, pedestrian zones and bicycle paths. The most valuable monuments of medieval Stuttgart include: the monastery church (Stifskirche) from the end of the 13th century and the 14th-century Old Palace (Altes Schloß). Among the numerous palaces erected since the city became the capital of the principality, the impressive 18th-century New Palace (Neues Schloß) is noteworthy. The State Gallery in Stuttgart (Staatsgalerie Stuttgart) exhibits works of contemporary art (including Picasso, Kandinsky and Dali).

The people of Stuttgart attach great importance to pleasure. Their notable features are their passion for eating and drinking, as well as for loose, casual fun. The obvious manifestation of this is the Stuttgart Beer Festival, which dates back to the nineteenth century, and its size and publicity is second only to the famous Octoberfest. The festival takes place twice a year- in spring and autumn. In August, the Weindorf Wine Festival takes place, during which regional cuisine dominates in addition to noble liquors. The third important festival is Sommerfest - a festival of dance and fun. The Christmas market is an extremely colorful and attractive event. In Stuttgart, booths with stands with gracefully decorated roofs are especially impressive. This city also has a paradise for motoring fans - the Mercedes museum. The three floors of this building contain over 160 car models. There are even the first car models designed by Karl Benz and Gottlieb Daimler. Lovers of water attractions are keen to visit the city's Leuze and Mineral Bad Cannstatt pools, as well as the Berg pool with mineral water.

You probably ask yourself whether it is worth studying in the capital of Baden-Württemberg? What is the housing market like? We answer these questions.
In Stuttgart there are: six Frauenhofer Institutes, two Universities: Stuttgart - whose motto is: (Wissenschaft für die Menschen, Menschen für die Wissenschaf) that is science for people, people for science. It offers its students many faculties, i.e. architecture, chemistry, mathematics, physics, computer science, economics and many others, as well as Hohenheim - located in the administrative district of Plieningen. Most university faculties are in the castle of the same name as the university. The most important and significant faculties are: agriculture, natural sciences and communication and economy. The agriculture department has a particularly good reputation in German and world rankings.
In addition, Stuttgart boasts two Max Planck Institutes, the Academy of Arts and Conservation, the Institute of Technology Management, and numerous higher vocational schools and research institutes.
The cheapest accommodation in Stuttgart is of course the dormitory. The city offers approximately 6,500 places to students. Near the dormitory there is a well-developed chain of stores.

Great poets or philosophers such as Friedrich Schiller (representative of the so-called Weimar classics, author of "Ode to Joy" or "Gloves"), Georg Wilhelm Hegel (creator of the modern idealistic system), Hermann Lenz (author of columns or essays about city).

Youth - inter-school and university cooperation (music academies, universities, medical academy, State School of Theater, Television and Film), exchange of pupils, students, teachers and lecturers. In addition, there was increased cooperation between choirs, youth groups and scholarship holders. Youth from both cities could meet each other in international projects.

Sport - mutual participation in sports competitions, tournament meetings, cycling races, city runs etc. organized in Łódź and Stuttgart.

Citizens - joint seminars, conferences, workshops, lectures, fairs and city holidays. The implementation of the Łódź Days in Stuttgart and the Stuttgart Days in Łódź. Within the framework of the celebrations of the Year of German-speaking Countries 2005/2006 in Łódź the cities strengthened cooperation.

Culture and art - joint exhibitions, exchange of artists and writers as well as workshop and theater cooperation were organized. Joint film screenings, ballet performances and concerts in the philharmonic were arranged. In addition, the Religious Community of Stuttgart established contacts with the Evangelical church in Łódź.

Politics and economy - a lively exchange of experiences took place thanks to the cooperation of the town halls, which influenced the creation of the new Polish act on financing municipalities. In addition, cooperation took place in the field of education, promotion of cities as well as in the fields of culture, sport, environmental protection and urban studio.

The cooperation of municipal companies led to the exchange of experiences and to help Stuttgart in the form of among others commissioning of four  articulated buses to MPK in Łódź, co-financing of the Stuttgart Commune Council in order to acquire and install specialized equipment and software for MPK and UMŁ. The insulation system for the needs of the Łódź Gasworks was transferred similarly by the City of Stuttgart Technical Works.

Valuable contacts also exist in the field of social assistance centers. Thanks to them, in 2004 the ceremonial opening of the "Multigenerational House - Bednarska" (by the Mayor Müller-Trimbusch and President Kropiwnicki in Łódź) took place, in which children from the orphanage as well as the elderly and lonely people stay.

In addition, contacts were established between the Chambers of Commerce and Industry of Łódź and Stuttgart and the banks of both cities.

Stuttgart greets Łódź on the occasion of the Night of Museums and invites Łódź residents to visit Stuttgart after abolition of restrictions imposed in connection with COVID-19.

On 16th May 2020 we invite you to the Greatest Night of Museums in Poland:

uml.lodz.pl/aktualnosci/artykul/najwieksza-noc-muzeow-w-polsce-id34358/2020/5/7/

The main themes of the visit focused on economic, academic and cultural cooperation.

The jubilee celebrations were attended by the Mayor of the City of Stuttgart, Mr. Fritz Kuhn together with the representatives of the Stuttgart City Council and Stuttgart Youth Institutions.

On 5th October 2018, the main jubilee celebrations took place in the Big Meeting Hall of the City of Łódź. His Excellency Knut Abraham, Minister Plenipotentiary, Deputy Ambassador of the Federal Republic of Germany in Poland also took part in the ceremony.

The jubilee celebrations were honored with a joint concert of the youth orchestra from Stuttgart - Telemänner and the symphonic orchestra of the Music School in Łódź. Mayor Hanna Zdanowska and Mayor Fritz Kuhn were honored with the medals of the Highest Polish-German Quality by the Foundation for Polish-German Dialogue - Deutsch-Polnische Geprüfte Qualität. This distinction was presented in recognition of many years of cooperation between cities, especially in the social and cultural field, joint educational projects or cooperation in building local government.

During the visit, the delegation from Stuttgart also visited the School Complex of General Secondary Schools No. 1 and the Krzysztof Augustyniak's School. Both schools have partners in Stuttgart. The delegation from Stuttgart met with the Vice-Rector for Student Affairs of the Łódź University of Technology. During the meeting, cooperation opportunities with the technical university in Stuttgart - Hochschule für Technik were discussed, including research into new technologies and testing of 5G networks.

Ponadto, odbyły się wizyty w Centrum Dialogu i na Stacji Radegast, gdzie Nadburmistrz
z delegacją złożyli kwiaty i uczcili minutą ciszy ofiary Holocaustu.

In addition, visits were made to the Dialogue Center and Radegast Station, where the Mayor
with the delegation  laid flowers and celebrated a minute of silence for the victims of the Holocaust.

The delegation also had the opportunity to visit Łódź - EC1, Priest's Mill, and Film Museum
and the National Film, Television and Theater School in Łódź. The delegation visited the Factory of Creative Industries - Wi-Ma, where they got acquainted with the latest projects of Łódź artists.

As part of the 30th anniversary of partnership between Łódź and Stuttgart and the Four Cultures Festival.

The exhibition consists of large-format photographs of the German artist Claus Friedrich Rudolph and sculptures inspired by his works, which were created by the Russian creator Tanya Krylova.

The unusual, original photographs of Claus Friedrich Rudolph seduce. They take the viewer into the world of illusions, fantasies and dreams. They refer to history and various cultural motifs - religions, myths. Compositions tackle love and death. They are like giant stage designs, reminiscent of frames from the films of Federico Fellini, Ken Russell or Peter Greenaway. They refer to the image conventions of the 1920s. The projects are not accidental, they are based on a well-defined and carefully developed scenario.

The world into which Claus Friedrich Rudolph introduces us is a world suspended between truth and fiction, between visible reality and its imagination, between life and construction full of spectacular appearances. He is both familiar and alien. The products of oneiric baroque imagination consciously balance on the border between "glamor" and kitsch. They are provocative and decadent. They come into play with the sublime aesthetics of advertising formulas. They conduct a discourse with the spirit of our time.

Claus Friedrich Rudolph

German artist born in 1954. He lives and works in Stuttgart. He began his artistic career as a painter, author of posters, but he gained recognition by practicing advertising and artistic photography. He practiced in Germany and New York. For two years he was involved in theater photography at the Staatstheater in Stuttgart. He opened his first private studio in 1983. He exhibits his impressive and unique works all over the world: in Italy, Austria, Switzerland, Russia, the Czech Republic, the USA and Brazil.

Tanya Krylova

Russian artist. Studies and diploma in painting, drawing and sculpture, disciplines, for some time she dealt with applied arts. The first large exhibitions of her work took place in Russia, later they went exhibited in Italy and Germany. She presented watercolors, which later formed the basis for creating large-format, acrylic paintings of cathedral interiors. With the participation of Claus Friedrich Rudolph, she realized the first five groups of bronze castings, inspired by the work of a German artist.

Tanya Krylova lives and works in Russia and Germany.

Challenges for European integration in the 21st century and city partnership in building the European community, were the main themes of the debate that took place at the Faculty of International and Political Studies of the University of Łódź.

The debate was organized as part of the 30th anniversary of cooperation between Łódź and Stuttgart. The discussion was attended by the Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs, Piotr Wawrzyk, Chairman of the City Council in Łódź, Tomasz Kacprzak, representatives of the European Center of Baden-Württemberg, representatives of the City of Łódź and the University of Łódź. During the meeting, the topics of the future and promotion of European integration, the strategy of the Polish government in the face of changes taking place in the European Union, challenges facing the European Union and prospects for the development of international cooperation in Europe based on public, local government, cultural and scientific diplomacy were discussed.

The second part of the meeting focused on the 30th anniversary of the partnership between Łódź and Stuttgart. Representatives of the City of Łódź and the European Center of Baden-Württemberg presented joint projects implemented by both cities over the 30 years of partnership. Then there was the discussion about the importance of city partnerships in building a common Europe.

On 30 June 2018, at the Treffenpunkt Rotebühlplatz educational and cultural center, an event entitled Partner Cities in Action (German: "Partnerstädte in Aktion!"). The event was officially opened by the Mayor of the City of Stuttgart Fritz Kuhn. During the event, participants had the opportunity to watch music concerts, fashion shows, dance and circus art. The Łódź accent was the fashion shows of the collections of Małgorzata Czudak and Katarzyna Pokorska. The presentations were held under the slogan of Future Fashion Show and their leitmotiv was sustainable development and ecology.

During the event, Stuttgart's partner cities presented themselves at several stands: Łódź, Strasbourg, Samara, Brno, Mumbai, Menzel Bourguiba, Cairo, St. St. Louis, Ogaki, Cardiff, St. Helens. Cultural and scientific institutions also had their stands, including GEDOK, Fotoklub Stuttgart 1938 e.V., Deutsch-Amerikanisches Centrum. In total, it was several dozen points of information nature, as well as offering a rich culinary, artistic and cultural offer. The Łódź stand presented the tourist offer of the city. In addition, we presented Łódź as a city of fashion - collections of Łódź fashion designers.

One of the points on the event's programme was the screening of a film about the revitalization of Łódź in English. Łódź was shown through the prism of revitalization processes taking place in the city.

The exhibition „Future of Memories/ Przyszłość wspomnień” tackles the issue of photography's function of storing cultural memories. The title raises the question of how memories are visible and can therefore become an experience for the viewer (in the future). Searching for the informational value of the image, the show will present the works of five contemporary artistic photographers from Stuttgart in relation to the exhibition space of the City of Łódź Museum. One will be able to see from the perspective of German artists: Karolin Back, Ulrich Bernhardt, Barbara Karsch-Chaïeb, Marcella Müller and Volker Schrank, through their photographs and installations, how they build bridges and dialogue between the past and the present.

The exhibition accompanies the International Festival of Photography and the celebrations of 30 years of partnership between Łódź and Stuttgart.

The exhibition in opened from 15 June to 1 July 2018.

Within the framework of the visit to Stuttgart and the celebrations of the 30th anniversary of the Łódź-Stuttgart partnership, the meeting at Daimler AG, inauguration of the tram - "Łódź" and the main celebration at the City Hall in Stuttgart took place.

During the meeting at Daimler AG, possible joint projects were discussed between Daimler AG, the City of Łódź, the Łódź University of Technology, Harman, which manufactures and supplies software components for the MBUX platform in the new A-Class Mercedes. The meeting was attended by representatives of Daimler AG, the City of Łódź headed by Hanna Zdanowska, Mayor of the City of Łódź, Łódź University of Technology - the Vice-Rector dr hab. eng. Witold Pawłowski, Harman company, Mr. Marek Walczak. The talks concerned especially the cooperation of Łódź startups with the Daimler company, the internship and academic cooperation program (exchange of students, academic staff, testing the 5G network on the campus of the Łódź University of Technology), and the possibility of creating a Daimler design center in Łódź.

Within the framework of the visit to Stuttgart, the tram "Łódź" was inaugurated, which will operate in Stuttgart as a regular line. The tram was symbolically baptized with water from the Łódź River. The Transport Company Stuttgart (Stuttgart Strassenbahnen AG) presented its history, rolling stock and implemented projects - improving the rolling stock in terms of the environment, as well as unloading traffic jams in the city. The company from Stuttgart also cooperates with MPK in Łódź, good practices and experiences are exchanged. This year, two tram drivers from Łódź also took part in the Tram - Em driver competition at the beginning of May this year.

During the solemn evening dedicated to Łódź, the residents of Stuttgart had the opportunity to learn about Łódź's city profile, its potential and key projects, including the City's revitalization program. In addition, a presentation of joint Łódź - Stuttgart projects has been prepared, implemented during these 30 years, including exchange of experience in building local government when Poland entered the path of political transformation, Multi-generation House at Bednarska St. in Łódź - which was launched thanks to Stuttgart.

There were also touching moments during the ceremony. The "Orchestra of Cultures" has prepared a special version of the famous hit Vicky Leandros, "Theo wir fahren nach Lodz". The lyrics of the song that changed about our friendship have been changed and its title is - "Stuttgart wir fahren nach Lodz!" - Stuttgart we are going to Łódź!

In addition, Łódź had the opportunity to present itself as a tourist-attractive city with a rich cultural offer and academic potential.

Thanks to the meeting in Daimler, Łódź will be considered as a partner of the company in the field of academic exchange and the possibility of internships for technical students from Łódź at Daimler and a place to test the 5G network.

This visit was very warmly received by the residents of Stuttgart. Very positive articles have appeared in Stuttgart media, including Stuttgartgarter Zeitung- „Stuttgart wir fahren nach Lodz!”.

From 13 to 15 April 2018, the International Waterpolo Tournament of Partner Cities took place in Łódź.

Teams from Stuttgart (Bad - Cannstatt), Lviv, Minsk and Łódź (Ocmer Łódź University of Technology) took part in the tournament. The matches were played in the Łódź Sports Bay Centre.

The Cup of the Mayor of the City of Lodz was won by a team from the partner city of Lviv. The next places were taken by Łódź, Stuttgart and Minsk.

The teams also had the opportunity to visit Łódź - Piotrkowska Street, EC1, Manufaktura, Księży Młyn. Łódź made a huge impression on sportsmen, many of them announced their quick return to Łódź.

Deputy Mayor of Łódź Krzysztof Piątkowski along with the Mayor of Stuttgart Fritz Kuhn solemnly opened a concert of the Stuttgart Philharmonic and artists associated with Łódź (including Janusz Wawrowski, Daniel Raiskin). During the concert, there were also musical accents of Łódź, such as works by Grażyna Bacewicz.

In addition, a meeting was held at the Department of Culture of the City of Stuttgart focusing on the program of the 30th anniversary of cooperation with Stuttgart regarding cultural events in Łódź and Stuttgart, including photography exhibitions at the Poznań Palace in Łódź, or the Arcata Philharmonic concert from Stuttgart, which is scheduled for 29 October 2018 at the Łódź Philharmonic.

Urząd Miasta Łodzi odwiedziła delegacja z Ministerstwa Stanu Landu Badenii - Wirtembergii, która gości na zaproszenie marszałka województwa w Łodzi i w Łódzkiem.

The City of Łódź Office was visited by a delegation from the Ministry of State of Baden-Württemberg, which is invited by the voivodship marshal in Lodz and Lodz.

The head of the delegation, Teresa Schopper - minister, secretary of state of the State of Baden-Württemberg, together with Maria Schulte and Annkatherin Abel from the Ministry of State met with Krzysztof Piątkowski - Deputy Mayor of Łódź and the management of the Departments of Education, Culture and Investor Service and International Cooperation of the City of Łódź.

The talks, held in a very friendly atmosphere, concerned largely the cooperation of the twin cities of Łódź and Stuttgart, which has been developed for 29 years, which is very active and includes numerous institutions and partners - schools, cultural institutions, youth centers, universities, social and sports organizations.

The first expectations were set regarding future areas of cooperation and the shape of the 30th anniversary of city partnerships - guests from Baden-Württemberg were invited to take part in next year's edition of the Festival of Four Cultures and to extend school and cultural cooperation.

The creative nature of Łódź, a vivid artistic exchange with Stuttgart and an interesting profile of artistic schools and universities of Łódź and Stuttgart were recalled.

It was decided to follow the example of the Hering company implementing a science system combining theory and practice, to disseminate the dual education model also in other German companies present in Łódź based on Łódź schools and universities.

German guests got acquainted with the main features of the EXPO 2022 project and expressed their support for Łódź's efforts.

During the visit to the City of Łódź Office, the guests could walk along Piotrkowska Street and have  a commemorative photo.

On the occasion of the 7th Holocaust Remembrance Days and commitment to the oratory "I believe" of the Solitude choir from Stuttgart (as part of a project implemented by the Social and Cultural Association of Polish Jews), the Grand Theater in Łódź was visited by Mrs. Isabel Fezer - Deputy Mayor of Stuttgart, responsible for education and youth education issues.

The programme of the visit of the Mayor included meetings with the management and youth of Łódź schools cooperating with institutions from Stuttgart - Junior High and High School. J. Bosko, run by the Salesian Fathers, Complex of General Secondary Schools No. 3 implementing the logistics exchange program and vocational training together with Kaufmaennische Schule from Stuttgart, as well as ZPO No. 1, which has been cooperating with foreign partners for many years, including Stuttgart.

The Mayor also visited the M. Edelman Dialogue Center and the Academy of Fine Arts in Łódź, where she discussed the possibilities of cooperation of these institutions with partners from Stuttgart.

The culmination of the visit was participation in a concert - oratory "I Believe" composed for a symphony orchestra by Zane Zalis, a large mixed choir, children's choir, vocal ensembles, soloists and narrator. In 12 chapters of the work, with the help of music and singing, the performers brought the mood and emotions closer , accompanying both perpetrators and victims of the Holocaust. They talked in a moving way about the Jewish extermination carried out by the criminal ideology of Nazi Germany in Europe during World War II.

The concert features: Kelsey Cowie (soprano), Jean-Pierre Ouellet (tenor), Marko Zeiler (tenor), Andrzej Ferenc (narrator), Solitude Choir from Stuttgart, Children's Choir of the Grand Theater in Łódź and the Grand Theater Orchestra in Łódź under Klaus Breuninger.

The Solitude Choir began its activity in the 1980s in Stuttgart, under the direction of Klaus Breuninger. Its members mainly come from the Baden-Württemberg region and Stuttgart itself. It is there that you can most often listen to the performances of the Solitude choir, whose repertoire includes works performed a cappella, great oratorios, and sacral and contemporary compositions reminiscent of jazz, pop, swing and gospel. Since 1995, the choir also cooperates with other bands and musicians: the Symphony Orchestra of the University of Hohenheim, the Stuttgart Boys' Choir and many jazz musicians, including Susanne Schempp and Ralph et al Abelein.

Representatives of the City Architect Office, City Strategy Office and Investor Service and International Cooperation Burreau got acquainted with the topic of improving urban mobility and new communication solutions. During the conference, 300 entrepreneurs, planners, transport experts from 35 countries participated in creating friendly cities with a high standard space, with the best communication possibilities.

Łódź boasted of investment activities in the field of urban planning and transport. Two presentations were presented: one depicting the creation process and the final investment result of the new Łódź Fabryczna Railway Station, the concept of the Łódź Centrum Piotrkowska interchange stop was also presented. The second presentation concerned urban planning and public space as well as improving the quality of life in the city.

Students of the Łódź Film School performed in the Stuttgart Renitenztheater with the diploma spectacle "Maria Stuart" directed by Grzegorz Wiśniewiski, based on a text by Friedrich Schiller, translated by Jacek Buras, with a musical arrangement by Rafał Kowalczyk.

The cast of the performance was attended by fourth year students of the Acting Department: Maria Dębska (Maria Stuart), Michał Floriańczyk (Paulet, Aubespine), Filip Jacak (Talbot), Jakub Nosiadek (Mortimer), Maja Pankiewicz (Elżbieta), Krystian Pesta (Burleigh), Krzysztof Rogucki (Davison) and Bartosz Sak (Leicester).

The performance of Łódź students was possible as a theatrical return visit after the April performance of Renitenztheater with the spectacle "Tür Auf-Tür Zu" at the Studyjny Theater and is part of the long tradition of theatrical cooperation between cities.