Car city
When they hear the name Stuttgart, most people, in Germany and elsewhere, think of cars. This is because the State Capital of Baden-Württemberg is the home of the world's oldest car manufacturers: names such as Gottlieb Daimler, Carl Benz, Wilhelm Maybach and Ferdinand Porsche all have close links with Stuttgart.
Daimler, Benz and Maybach
In 1886, Gottlieb Daimler and Wilhelm Maybach mounted the fast running petrol engine they had developed themselves in a carriage. A year later, it travelled from Stuttgart to Cannstatt for the first time, at a speed of 18 km per hour. Another pioneer of the motor car was Carl Benz, who put the first two-stroke engine on the road in 1879. In 1885 he installed a petrol engine in a three-wheeled carriage. Benz's motor car was registered with the Imperial Patent Office on 29 January 1886. Following the death of Gottlieb Daimler, the companies "Benz & Cie." and "Daimler Motorengesellschaft" merged in 1926 to form Daimler-Benz AG.
- The oldest known Mercedes, a 1902 Simplex 40 HP, stands in the Mercedes-Benz Museum. Photo: Daimler AG
Porsche
In 1922, Ferdinand Porsche was appointed as Designer in Chief at Daimler, and later became the company's Technical Director and Board member. Among other things, he developed the legendary Kompressor sports cars, the Mercedes SS and SSK. In 1931 he founded the Porsche design office in Stuttgart, thereby laying the foundation for what is now known as Dr. Ing. h.c. F Porsche AG.
- In its logo, Porsche carries the Stuttgart steed out into the world. Photo: Dr. Ing. h.c. F. Porsche AG
The car in Stuttgart
Places of interest
- Mercedes-Benz Museum
- Porsche Museum
- Gottlieb Daimler Memorial
- Emil Kiemlen: Monument to Gottlieb Daimler, 1902
- Stuttgart Railway Station bearing the Mercedes Star
