When in Germany do as the Romans did

Technology is palpable at the Mercedes Museum in Stuttgart; outside, nature and history are enthralling.

At the museum, a lift takes you 34 metres above ground level and back to 1886 when Gottlieb Daimler and Carl Benz built their first automobile. Then, on foot, you wind your way down seven floors and through 127 years of history to see how their amazing product developed and expanded.

A different sort of voyage, though just as fascinating, can be experienced travelling from Saarbrucken, on the border with Luxembourg, down to Koblenz and then up again to Stuttgart to admire nature at its very best and the rich heritage the region possesses.

The Stuttgart tourism authorities put it succinctly but beautifully: “This is where nature and technology merge, culture and inventive talent meet: an inspiring synthesis of a vibrant business metropolis and an attractive tourism destination, set in topographically delightful scenery.”

Technology comes in the shape of Daimler and Porsche, which both have their headquarters in Stuttgart. But the region boasts of other inventions that have changed the way we live: the power saw (Stihl), the electric drill, (Fein), the loose-leaf binder (Leitz), the square chocolate bar (Ritter Sport)...

Nature, beauty and culture are abundant. Germany has 37 natural and cultural heritage sites that carry the Unesco brand. Next year, the German National Tourist Board will be putting these prime sites at the centre of its global marketing activities under the banner Unesco World Heritage – Sustainable Cultural and Natural Tourism.

Of the top 10 places of interest chosen by visitors to Germany, four are Unesco World Heritage Sites. They are Cologne Cathedral (third place), Loreley Rock in the Upper Middle Rhine Valley (sixth), Lake Constance, with Mainau Island, monastic island of Reichenau (ninth) and Museum Island, in Berlin (10th).

We do export our cars but not our wine. We prefer to drink it ourselves

A prominent Unesco World Heritage Site not far from Saarbrücken is the Völklingen Ironworks plant, which dates back to 1873. Covering an area of 600,000 square metres, it is, as expected, a top tourist attraction but also an exhibition and cultural centre, a far cry from the deadly soot and deafening noise of bygone days.

What is striking is the fact that neither the plant nor the locality were bombed during World War II. The facility must have played a crucial role in the German war machine and, yet, it was never targeted.

“It’s really a mystery”, was the stock reply I got when I enquired over and over again about this. Then, during a brief break in the cafeteria, a pensioner took me aside and, almost whispering, invited me to think about two possibilities: a good friendship between the owners and people in the corridors of power on the other side of the Atlantic, or Masonic alliances. Nice!

A three-hour coach ride takes you to Koblenz, which straddles the Rhine and Moselle rivers. In fact, the city’s name comes from the Latin word confluentes, confluence. Koblenz marks the end of the northern end of the Rhone Gorge, declared a World Heritage Site 11 years ago.

The city plays a primary role in the wine trade in the region, not to mention the export of mineral water. It was the Romans who had introduced grapes to the area, attracted by the mild climate that prevailed and the rich soil. They, thus, sowed the culture of wine-making, which continued to grow and flourish.

A two-hour ride and you are in Trier, which has nine World Heritage Sites. Sitting on the banks of the Moselle, Trier is the oldest city in Germany, founded in, or even before, 16BC.

When I visited, next to Porta Nigra (black gate), a World Heritage Site, stood 500 small statues of Karl Marx in different shades of red. Artist Ottmar Hörl produced them for an installation meant to “spread out a Marxist population in the urban space of Trier” to mark the 130th anniversary of the death of the economist and philosopher, who lived in the city.

Just in case anybody is interested, now that the exhibition is over, the city council is selling them at €300 each, though it seems some over-enthusiastic citizens helped themselves to a few of the one-metre-high statues.

Marx was not the only ‘giant’ to have graced the city; Constantine the Great too was there, way before, of course.

Yet, it is the wine culture that is the talk of the town in the area. According to a guide, the Germans drink about 25 litres of wine a year. “Well, here we say we drink 40 or even 80 litres. Yes, we do export our cars but not our wine. We prefer to drink it ourselves,” she said smiling.

Raise a glass of Riesling to that!

Wine and Stuttgart go together too. As if to highlight it, a vineyard lies bang in the centre of the city. “Red wine is our blood group,” a proud resident cheerfully said. “Welcome to the green city in the welly (valley),” she quickly added.

The capital of the state of Baden Württemburg in southwestern Germany, Stuttgart is the sixth largest city in the country. It is considered to be the ‘cradle of the automobile’.

As if to stress this point, its coat of arms depicts a black horse on its hind legs against a yellow background, also the distinctive mark of the Porsche, modified, of course. A story they like to tell in Stuttgart is that Ferrari had asked permission to use the horse too, which request was upheld.

This is where nature and technology merge, and culture and inventive talent meet

Stuttgart comes from stuotengarten. Stuoten means mare and garten refers to the place where horses are bred. A clear case of a mare that became a winning horse!

Still, the income from wine sales must have proven more attractive to the kings and all those who ruled over the place than breeding horses. And that is all thanks to the enterprising and wise Romans of the past.

So, when in Germany, better to do as the Romans did and enjoy the good life and the good produce of the earth.