Stuttgart, Germany

Stuttgart is the capital of Baden-Württemberg in southwestern Germany, with roughly 630,000 residents settled in a valley basin along the Neckar River. The 1304 Old Castle and the 1746 New Palace anchor the city centre, framing squares that lead to the 1986 Mercedes-Benz Museum, where 160 vehicles trace the work of Carl Benz and Gottlieb Daimler from the 1886 automobile onward. Nearby, the 1972 Porsche Museum rotates 80 cars through its galleries, and the 1843 Wilhelma zoological-botanical garden spreads across 30 hectares of cultivated grounds. The 1955 Stuttgart TV Tower rises 216 metres as the world's first concrete television tower, and the 1820 Stuttgart State Opera has been named Opera House of the Year six times since 1998.