The beautiful city of Stuttgart is home to a multitude of attractions, some more mainstream than others. You may wish to see the most popular tourist sights. However, if you wish to escape the crowds, seek out the more unusual spots.

Here are some unique attractions we recommend you check out during your stay in Stuttgart.

Pig Museum

When visiting Stuttgart, the Mercedes-Benz and Porsche museums will most likely be on your to-do list, but why not visit the pig museum that’s just outside of the city centre?

The complex was previously the administration building of Stuttgart's former slaughterhouse, making it the perfect spot to hold thousands of pig-related artefacts from all over the world. The types of items you can expect to see include piggy banks, antique sculptures and cuddly toys.

Inside you’ll discover 25 rooms, each determined by a theme, ranging from the zoology of the animal to famous myths and legends involving them – See which room is your favourite.

Cable Car

Take a ride on this old, wooden cable car from the city centre of Stuttgart to the Degerloch forest that’s home to a historic cemetery. This funicular railway has been running since 1929, taking locals up to see their late loved ones and allowing tourists to get a magnificent view of the city.

The cable car itself is made out of mahogany and teak that has been beautifully preserved. If you’re looking to escape the hustle and bustle of city life and experience some peace and quiet, this is the place to come and walk through the stunning forest.

City Library

The public library in a city centre may not be the most obvious place to visit. However, Stuttgart’s City Library showcases a unique structure, both inside and out. From the outside, the pale-grey cube  looks like a modern art gallery or museum.

If you found the outside impressive, wait until you see the inside – it’s like no other library. It features nine floors with the uppermost of these containing the children’s library, study rooms and a café, all arranged into an outer-ring. This means the centre of the building is open, only occupied by stairs and the bottom few floors.

Winkel Tower

If you want to learn the history of Stuttgart, visit one of the many Winkel Towers still standing. These cone-shaped buildings were used during World War 2 as Nazi bomb shelters and proved somewhat successful. Two hundred were built originally and several are still standing today.

They got their name from their designer, Leo Winkel, who thought a cone shape would help to deflect bombs. However, due to their small size, they were hard to spot from the skies and therefore not destroyed. You can visit the Stuttgart Winkel Tower by the railway station that’s said to have held up to 500 people.

Monte Scherbelino

You may be wondering why a hill is on a list of unique attractions, but the fact that this one is man-made means it’s not like any other. It was originally 980 feet above the city but it has since had 53 million cubic feet of rubble from the allied air raids of World War 2 piled on top. This amount of debris added an extra 130 feet to this already established hill.

The ground was left to grow afterwards and is now a habitat for a wide range of animals that you can see running around during your walk. Alongside the piles of debris, you’ll also be able to see remnants of building walls and window sills made from limestone and marble.

If you would like to book a Stuttgart city break, we can tailor-make your trip to suit your requirements. Contact us via our website or call the Fred. Holidays team on 0800 988 3369.