Stuttgart Cable Car, Standseilbahn in German, opened on 30 October 1929. At that time it was the first with automatic steerage! The conductor only had to press a button to operate the railway. Until today two cars run between Südheimer Platz and Waldfriedhof to facilitate visitors all the way up to the forest cemetery. 

Stuttgart Cable Car is actually a funicular railway. This means that the cars are connected with a cable which loops over a pulley wheel at the upper end of a track. When one car is descending, it pulls the other one up. You can see the wheel at the upper station.

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When locals talk about Birkenkopf, they usually refer to this hill “Monte Scherbelino”. Sounds Italian, right? But it’s not, it’s “fake Italian” and could be translated to “Mount Debris”. And when you walk all the way up to the top of Birkenkopf aka Monte Scherbelino, you might get an idea where that name comes from: the higher you climb, the more pieces of broken facades of houses you see next to the path. Strange, right?

In the years between 1953 and 1957 around 15,000,000 cubic metres of debris were deposited on top of Birkenkopf, making it rise 40 meters. This debris stems from the ruins of buildings that were destroyed during World War II in Stuttgart. This makes this hill not only a beautiful viewpoint but also a memorial for the destructive power of wars.

You can also visit masses up there. For more information and dates visit www.kirche-im-gruenen.de/orte/birkenkopf-monte-scherbelino/

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The campaign is called “Hitzefrei” – a reference to the fact that school kids in Germany are allowed to go home when it’s getting to hot in summer. When the thermometer climbs up to 25 degrees Celsius (which equals 77 degrees Fahrenheit), the Landesmuseum (State Museum) offers free entry to everybody.

At Landesmuseum Württemberg you can explore the history of Baden-Württemberg, starting at the Stone Age. The museum was established by King William I in 1862 as a “state collection of national antiquities”. The Museum of Decorative Arts was merged into the museum in the 60s, which has been housed in Stuttgart’s old castle since 1969.

More information:

Hitzefrei at Landesmuseum Württemberg

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It’s very easy to reach, just take the U-Bahn to Auwiesen, cross the bridge and you can already spot the ruins of the castle in Stuttgart on the other side of the Neckar.

You have to climb up some stairs…

… before you can step into what is left of “Burg Hofen”.

The castle was built around the year 1250 and burned down during the Thirty Years’ War. In 1783 lots of the stones were broken down from the ruin and reused to build the church St. Barbara and other buildings in Hofen. The city of Stuttgart bought the ruin in 1999 and restored it as much as possible.

The ruin of Castle Hofen make a nice destination for a short excursion. Plus, there is a beer garden nearby . Just step down the stairs again…

… and follow the Neckar downwards. You will find the beer garden “Neckarblick” after a few minutes on your right, just before you reach the pedestrian bridge which brings you on the other side of the river again. There you can hop into the U-Bahn again as the station “”Mühlhausen” is located right in front of you.

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