The roots of Stuttgart date back to the 10th century. In those days, Stuttgart, named Stutengarten, was a stud farm for Herzog Luidolf's horses. Stuttgart takes its name and its coat of arms from this stud farm. In the 13th century, Stuttgart obtained its city status. Stuttgart was an unknown settlement until the 14th century, when the Count of Württemberg took up residency in The Old Palace.

However, it wasn't until 1488 that Stuttgart became the official capital and residence of Count Eberhard. The next century, in which Stuttgart was in the hands of Austria for a short time, was characterized by political unrest.

During the first half of the 19th century, Stuttgart became more of an industrial region, instead of the regal region it had been.

During World War II, Stuttgart was heavily damaged by several air raids. The buildings were quickly restored after the war, and Stuttgart became the capital of Baden-Württemberg in 1952.

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• Hohenzollern Castle
• Mercedes Benz Museum
• Hohenzollern Castle
• Wilhelm Zoo and Botanical Gardens

Munich is a sophisticated city with a baroque spirit and with inhabitants who possess a singular sense of humor. This is, after all, the capital of "gemutlichkeit", the untranslatable tongue twister that refers to a supremely cozy state of well-being. Travelers, of course, are drawn like a magnet to the city's charm and superb museums. Munich has sometimes been referred to, by other Germans, as the "City with Heart."

Originally named after the group of settler monks who set up shop by the crystal waters of the Isar River, Munich has at its core a huge pedestrian zone delineated at its far corners by gigantic gates or "Tors." The city's wide boulevards and tempting side streets spell paradise for historians, sightseers, shoppers and gourmands.

The 19th-century architectural treasures that ring the Marienplatz were commissioned by the beloved but somewhat unusual Wittelsbach Royal Family. They left behind a legacy of lovely palaces, wide boulevards, soaring statues and nearby fantasy alpine castles, whose admission tickets add substantially to state revenues.

• History of Munich
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• Nymphenburg Palace, a large baroque 17th-century palace
• Munich Nymphenburg Castle
• Nymphenburg Porcelain Museum
• Neuschwanstein Castle,
• Deutsches Museum Munich, the largest technical museum in the world