Baden-Württemberg

One of Germany’s most southerly states is demarcated as Baden-Württemberg, bordering France, Switzerland and Austria over the glistening shores of Lake Constance, and within Germany it shimmies up to Bavaria, Hesse and Rhineland Palatinate. 

The third largest state in Germany, Baden-Württemberg was occupied by the Roman Empirein 100 AD and it later became part of the Holy Roman Empire, with Catholicism influencing its people and architecture. Twentieth century history saw the region broken apart and in peacetime, Baden-Württemberg was officially formed in 1970. A commercial hub for the automobile industry, Porsche and Mercedes headquarters are here keeping the region full of skill and expertise. Yet its standout natural sights are worth highlighting too with its bucolic mountain scenery and authentic villages clasped by rolling valleys, especially seen in the Black Forest in the southwest of Baden-Württemberg, the lush Danube Valley and the shores of Lake Constance. In the state capital Stuttgart, the royal estate of Wilhelma encapsulates nearly two centuries of architecture and history, including designs by the architect Karl Ludwig von Zanth which added a Moorish feel and a winter garden. After a few stops and starts the zoological-botanical garden opened in 1952 and was home to the oldest recorded Asian elephant; today there are a variety of animals including snow leopards. 

In the south, the Hohenzollern castle stands sentinel on a hilltop of the Swabian Jura plateau, a pristine example of ancestral Prussian architecture; other architectural hotspots include the medieval Ulm Münster - the tallest church in the world. You’ll also find Germany’s oldest and most respected universities in Baden-Württemberg including Heidelberg, founded in 1386 and Freiburg founded in 1457 which keep a young and entrepreneurial crowd thriving here.