This guide follows the palace quarter of Stuttgart: the Schlossplatz, the New Palace, the Old Castle, the Marktplatz and the Hans im Glück fountain. All five sit within a short stroll of each other at the southern end of the Königstraße, and together they tell the story of how a medieval market town became the seat of the counts, dukes and kings of Württemberg, was largely destroyed in the Second World War and was then rebuilt in its own way.
Schlossplatz
The Schlossplatz is the largest square in central Stuttgart, laid out as the forecourt of the New Palace. For about a century after the palace was begun, the space was a military parade ground closed to ordinary residents. Palace and grounds became public property in 1918, and the lawns, paths and flowerbeds you walk across today go back to a complete redesign for the Federal Garden Show of 1977.
At its centre rises the Jubilee Column, designed by Johann Michael Knapp to mark the 25th year of King Wilhelm I's reign. For the celebrations in 1841 a wooden festival column stood here first; the permanent version in granite and bronze followed between 1841 and 1846 and reaches about 32 metres including its base. The figure on top is not the king but Concordia, the goddess of harmony, added in 1863 and modelled by Ludwig von Hofer. The square is used for open-air concerts, children's fairs and part of the Christmas market with an ice rink, and it is one of the stops of our scavenger hunt.
- The four high reliefs on the column's base, carved by Theodor Wagner.
- The two iron fountains of 1863 and the iron bandstand of 1871, both designed by Christian Friedrich Leins.
- The Königsbau along the west side, a long colonnade of 34 columns built for King Wilhelm I as a hall for concerts, balls and trade, completed around 1860 and now lined with shops and cafés.
Neues Schloss
The New Palace is a three-winged Baroque residence begun in 1746. Duke Karl Eugen, who had grown up at the Prussian court, made a palace worthy of a ruler his condition for returning his court to Stuttgart. Leopoldo Retti drew the plans, and the foundation stone was laid in September 1746; after his death in 1751 Philippe de La Guêpière took over. Building slowed badly when Karl Eugen moved his residence to Ludwigsburg in 1764, and it was Nikolaus Friedrich von Thouret who finally completed the palace in 1806, in time for a visit by Napoleon.
Two air raids in February and March 1944 left only the burnt-out outer walls. In 1957 the state parliament of Baden-Württemberg decided by a majority of a single vote to rebuild the exterior, and the work ran from 1958 to 1964. Today the palace houses the state ministries of finance and of economics, and since 2014 parts of it have been open on public guided tours. The Neues Schloss is a stop on our scavenger hunt.
- The cour d'honneur, a square courtyard with sides about 90 metres long, framed by the main wing and two side wings and open towards the Schlossplatz.
- The view of the whole front from the Jubilee Column, the best spot to see how the palace was designed to face the square.
Altes Schloss
The Old Castle is much older than its neighbour. Excavations date the first castle on this site to the late 12th or early 13th century, and in the first half of the 14th century it became the main seat of the counts of Württemberg. A legend credits Duke Liudolf with founding a castle here around 950 beside a horse stud, but no archaeological evidence supports it. From 1553 Dukes Christoph and Ludwig had the castle turned into a Renaissance palace by Aberlin Tretsch, with Blasius Berwart working under him. It remained a moated castle until its moats were filled in during the 18th century.
In December 1931 a fire destroyed a large part of the complex, including the old reception hall wing and both of its towers, and the bombs of the Second World War caused heavy damage before that repair was finished. Paul Schmitthenner led the reconstruction, which lasted until 1971. The castle now holds the Landesmuseum Württemberg, the state museum of history and culture, and the children's museum Junges Schloss. Beneath the castle church lies the royal crypt, where King Karl I and Queen Olga are buried. The Altes Schloss is one of our scavenger hunt stops.
- The courtyard with its vaulted arcade galleries, begun in 1557.
- The riding staircase of 1558, which led up to the upper floors of the residential wing and takes its name from the idea that it could be used on horseback.
- The equestrian statue of Count Eberhard im Bart by Ludwig von Hofer; Eberhard became the first Duke of Württemberg in 1495.
Marktplatz
The Marktplatz was the civic centre of the medieval town: it is recorded as such in 1290, and the market itself was founded in 1304. In November 1456 Duke Ulrich allowed the town to build a town hall on the square, and every town hall since has stood here. After the Second World War almost none of the old houses were rebuilt, a decision that was already criticised in the 1950s. The architects of the new buildings kept the old plot lines and used colour and facade divisions to echo them, and the town hall's wing facing the square was replaced by a new building between 1953 and 1956.
A redesign of the square began in September 2020 and was completed in August 2024 with the reopening of the raised market fountain. In late summer the square hosts the Stuttgart wine village, and throughout Advent it is the centre of the Christmas market, described as one of the largest in Europe. The Marktplatz is a stop on our scavenger hunt.
- The market fountain in its form of 1714, made for Duke Eberhard Ludwig, whose initials decorate it; it first stood on the Schillerplatz and only later came to the Marktplatz.
- Schuhhaus Bletzinger at Markt 14, the one historic house on the square that was restored after burning out in the war.
Hans im Glück Fountain
A few lanes south of the Marktplatz, in the narrow Geißstraße, stands the Hans im Glück fountain. The sculptor Josef Zeitler made it to mark the end of the renovation of this part of the old town, and it was inaugurated on 12 May 1909. It illustrates the Grimm fairy tale of Hans in Luck, the lad who trades a lump of gold for a horse, the horse for a cow and so on down to nothing, and walks home happy. Zeitler said he based his figure on a farm lad from the Filder plateau south of the city whom he met at the slaughterhouse.
The water normally runs from mid-May to mid-September, so in the colder months you see the figures dry. The fountain is the final stop of our scavenger hunt.
- The gilded pig between Hans's legs and the six small ducks on the bell-shaped pedestal, which serve as water spouts.
- The wrought-iron railing with six gilded medallions showing scenes from the fairy tale, and the canopy topped by a gilded four-leaf clover.
How to see them in one walk
Start on the Schlossplatz at the Jubilee Column and look across the cour d'honneur at the Neues Schloss. Cross to the Altes Schloss, walk into its arcaded courtyard and look for the riding staircase and the statue of Eberhard im Bart. Leave towards the Schillerplatz, pass the Stiftskirche and continue to the Marktplatz and its fountain. From there a few lanes lead south to the Geißstraße and the Hans im Glück fountain, where this walk ends, just as our scavenger hunt does.
See Stuttgart with World City Trail
Our Stuttgart scavenger hunt turns the city centre into a game you play on your phone. The route links 10 stops, from the beer garden in the Schlossgarten to the Hans im Glück fountain. All five places in this guide are stops, and the route also takes in the Staatsgalerie, the Schillerplatz, the Stiftskirche and the Kaiser Wilhelm monument.
If you prefer a different format, there is also a self-guided walking tour and an outdoor escape game in Stuttgart.
Play the Stuttgart scavenger hunt →
Take the self-guided walking tour of Stuttgart →
Play the outdoor escape game in Stuttgart →
Facts checked in October 2026.