The bells melodies of the City.
​(Rathaus tour)

We left in search of a good panoramic picture of Stuttgart and we ended up knowing a little of the history of the city, taking into account that the city of Stuttgart is not identified by having high buildings, and it is worth mentioning that there is a tradition, that although It is not a written law, it is respected by tradition until today, this is the prohibition of building inside the historic center buildings of greater height than the tower of the Collegiate church!
Next to this tower of the church, it is evident to locate almost from the same height the clock tower of the town hall of the city (Rathaus). The Mayor of the city organizes once a month a tour that gives the opportunity to its visitors to know about its history and go up to the bell tower behind the clock, the price is quite accessible and reasonable taking into account that the tour lasts around one hour and half.

The Tour starts exactly at the entrance of the building. The guide makes a brief description of the information and basic architectural characteristics of the building that is currently built in 1956 after the Second World War.
​
Previously the first town hall was established on the right side of the current, always in front of the market square (Marktplatz), this was at the time of Duke Ulrich, who on November 30, 1456 granted permission to the city for the imposition of taxes to different commercial activities. Especially initially because of the need to allow and charge taxes on the sale of salt. At that time salt was a very valuable grain, even came to be taken into account as a bargaining chip, which was why when increasing the commercial movement it was necessary to establish an office for the different fiscal tax procedures to this activity. It was then that the first procuraduria of the city is known, which in its first floor was used for commercial activities and above for the different administrative activities.
Rathaus Stuttgart
Rathaus 1895
The city was growing and in a few years the procuraduria already occupied three different buildings, it was then that at the end of the 19th century the design of a new town hall with more adequate facilities for the time was opened to public competition, involving up to 300 different architects being the winner Heinrich Jassoy, who built a building that cost three million gold marks between the years 1901 and 1905. The design had a flamenco style and was inaugurated in front of a large crowd by King Guillermo 2nd in April 1905.

This building was destroyed almost entirely during the Second World War, the only thing that survived was its tower, which still stands until now. At present the old tower is not visible from the outside since it is completely covered by the current design, but inside there are still obvious parts of the old design. After the war it was tried to construct a different building, reason why the reconstruction of the classic design by one was rejected more according to the time, which at the time of its construction was one of the most modern of Europe.
​
During the tour, visitors can see different paintings of the mayors of the city, works of art, historical photographs and the building. A curious fact that is still preserved is the original menu of the year 1905 that the guests enjoyed on the opening day of 1905.
After listening to the history of the building, the tour continues up the 151 steps to the top of the tower where you can enjoy one of the best views of the city center. It is then that we had the opportunity to meet Eckart Hirschmann, who is in charge of the bells of the tower, who told us that in the 20s of the last century the city ordered special bells that its visitors could ring, unfortunately these were melted and used in the war, but they were replaced by the current ones, which consist of 30 different bells connected to 30 keys, which have a different music tone, although you can not play musical chords with it, if you can play tone songs By tone, Mr. Hirschmann showed his experience and played classical melodies, listen to it, see the movement of the bells to the rhythm of the keys captivating the breathtaking view of the city made this part of the tour a very special experience.

Nowadays there is a fully automatic and mechanical mechanism that sounds the bells five times a day, 10 05, 11 05, 14 05, 18 35 and at 21 35. playing different melodies depending on the time of year, in summer You can enjoy traditional melodies, and during the winter Christmas musca.
The tour is carried out once a month and to be part of the tour you can visit the town hall for more information or communicate by phone at 0711 216 91166, the duration of the tour is one hour and a half.
RELATED LINK
marienplatzfest

What to do in Stuttgat..

More post..

THE MOST MULTI COLOR FESTIVAL OF THE CITY
Afrikafest-Stuttgart
From stable to an impressive Castle
the history of the AlteSchloss
THE CLASSIC NEVER DIE
Markthalle Stuttgart
THE WHIM OF AN ARCHITECT THAT CHANGED THE PANORAMA OF THE CITY.​
Fernsehturm Stuttgart
What to do in Stuttgart  two days visit
The Maultasche, Suaba gastronomy of great tradition and delicious flavor.
Best views of the city
5 Public places, parks or squares with the best view of the city
A weekend at the Bodensee
Visit the Ludwigsburg palace.

How to book a city tour?

Official tours are available at the Tourist Information office, you can find it on the Konig Strasse immediately after leaving the central train station or at the airport. You can get in touch directly on their website http://www.stuttgart-tourismus.de