STUTTGART CENTRAL STATION (GERMANY)

Mercedes leaves mark on city skyline

Photos by Yomiuri Shimbun Photographer Yasushi Wada

By Tsutomu Nanbara

Yomiuri Shimbun Staff Writer

In the still of the night, a neon Mercedes-Benz sign shines bright atop the clock tower of Stuttgart Central Station, a building that could be mistaken for the world-famous carmaker's headquarters.

In 1886, founder Gottlieb Daimler drove the first gasoline-powered engine down these streets. And over the last 110 years, Stuttgart has become the "city of Benz."

Mercedes' starlike symbol--its three spokes representing land, water and air--symbolized the different vehicles Daimler hoped to build.

The original stone building was destroyed in an air raid during World War II, according to the stationmaster. In 1952, the automaker footed the bill to rebuild the central station building in exchange for placing its famous logo on the clock tower--adding a clause forbidding any other company in the city from advertising in the same way.

German train operator Die Bahn says, "It [Mercedes] was a powerful local corporation, and the mark felt as if it belonged."

But locals' reactions were lukewarm when the star was unveiled, with people dismissing it as "undistinctive."

Despite the criticism, in 1972, the sign has increased to five meters in diameter and rotates once every 25 seconds--earning it the nickname, "the new star."

Now, the symbol is part of the station's image, and a law was even enacted to protect the architectural landmark from removal.

"The [2006] soccer World Cup finals are being used as a rallying point to change the city," city public relations spokeswoman Suzanne Schweizer said.

One such change is in local shops and the station, where signs are currently only in German. Locals hope that putting up signs in English will help sell the city as a cosmopolitan destination.

Starting on Aug. 31 to Sept. 11, the city also will hold a festival featuring local wines in the city center. Along the pedestrianized Konigstrasse street, the Palace Square and other places, about 300 local wines will be brought out for the public to sample.

And just for next year, during the World Cup that will open on June 9, the city is planning to set up outdoor food stalls and a big screen so fans can watch matches while taking in the city's atmosphere.

"You know why our wines aren't famous?" Schweizer says. "Because all the locals drink them before we can sell them to anybody else."