Stuttgart

Stuttgart is the largest city and capital of the German state of Baden-Württemberg with a population of about 623,738 in the city alone (making it the sixth largest city in Germany) and is one of the most important cities in the Federal Republic. The city is the capital of Baden-Württemberg and thus the seat of the State Government of Baden-Württemberg: the Minister-president (currently Winfried Kretschmann), who resides at Reitzenstein Villa, his cabinet, and the State Parliament. It is also home to one of the two co-seats of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Rottenburg-Stuttgart and the seat of the Bishop of the Evangelical-Lutheran Church in Württemberg. Stuttgart is also the capital of the greater Stuttgart Metropolitan Region, making it the center of political goings on for a population of 5.3 million people (2008). It is the fourth-biggest metropolitan in Germany after the Rhine-Ruhr area, Berlin/Brandenburg and Frankfurt/Rhine-Main. Stuttgart is an Independent city that controls 23 City districts that form the center of a densely populated area, surrounded by a ring of smaller towns. This area is called the Stuttgart Region and has a population of 2.7 million.