Birkenkopf

Today I decided to head to the highest point in Stuttgart, a hill called Birkenkopf. The day started out cloudy, but with no rain in sight I continued on my journey.

Train coming into the station

After getting into central Stuttgart, actually traveling underneath the Birkenkopf, I then began the walk back up the hill. For those not aware, Stuttgart is situated in a particular hilly region of Germany.

Starting uphill

Eventually I reached the edge of the city and took a forest trail up the hill.

Start of the forest trail

Further Uphill

After all that, there was still a bit more to go. So I began walking up the winding path to the top of Birkenkopf.

Start of the path to the top

Sign pointing to the top

Getting close to the top

Finally though, the top was in sight and you can see the other thing Birkenkopf is known for.

Top in sight

In the wake of WW2 every German city that had been bombed was forced to deal with the issue of what to do with all of the rubble and debris that the Allied bombing campaigns had left behind. Stuttgart decided to dispose of it all on this hill, which actually raised its peak by 40 meters. Pretty much all of it is covered up, so you can't even tell walking up, but right at the top there are a few piles left exposed.

First pile of rubble you see when walking up

The plaque says "This mountain piled up after World War II from the rubble of the city stands as a memorial to the victims and a warning to the living."

There's also a cross overlooking the city in the midst of everything.

I think I was lucky to have the chance to be at the top by myself for a while. It's a very solemn atmosphere up there, especially when you remember there's 40 meters of rubble beneath you. You stand on the ruins of the old city while looking out over the rebuilt on. It was a great experience and I'm glad I took the time to walk all the way up there. 

I also thought a nice touch was the single tree planted at the top.

Broken lion facade

Eventually though it was time too leave and I started my way back down the hill. Just at the right time well, as a ton of people came up as I headed down. The only odd thing I noticed was a German family letting their kids play on the rubble piles. Pretty disrespectful in my opinion, but I moved on. 

My next destination was the center of Stuttgart to Karlsplatz, a square right in the center of the city, for another flea market. This one though is pretty much the biggest in all of Stuttgart and occurs weekly. I'm not sure for how long, but it was pretty cold today and the square was still packed. 

Karlsplatz

There was a huge selection of items compared to the others I went to, everything from vintage electronics to antique military gear to antique silver could be found here.

This time around, I actually bought a few items. Which as I've said, can be rare for me. My haul included,

Four pins from the 1980 Moscow Olympics.

Olympic Pins

A 5000 Mark note from 1922. The guy had a couple of the million mark notes, but I didn't think they looked as interesting.

And finally, coat of arms for the city's of Frankfurt and Ulm

Finally to end the day, I went to to the movies. Since theaters in Germany tend to play movies dubbed in German, rather than using subtitles, I found one that plays movies in their original languages. The Corso Cinema International actually reminded me a lot of the Plaza theater in Atlanta. Not so much in aesthetic, but in atmosphere of lobby. Something different I noticed was that all of the seats had a shelf in front of them to rest drinks on. As for the movie I saw, I decided to see The Martian. I thought it was pretty good, and was just like that one part of Apollo 13 where they dump all of the parts onto the table.