The Birkenkopf () is a prominent hill in Stuttgart,

Germany Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwe ...

. At an elevation of 511m, is almost 260m higher than city centre. It is in part a

Schuttberg ''Schuttberg'' ( en, debris hill) is a German term for a mound made of rubble or out of a rubbish heap. Many were amassed following the extensive damage from strategic bombing during World War II. These types are more specifically termed ...

, an artificial hill built from the ruins and rubble from

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...

. During the war, 53 Allied bombing missions destroyed over 45% of Stuttgart, and nearly the entire city center. Between 1953 and 1957, 1.5 million cubic metersPanoramas of Birkenkopf
/ref> of rubble were cleared and moved to the hill, which resulted in an increase in height of around 40 meters. At the summit there are many recognizable facades from ruined buildings. The locals colloquially call the Birkenkopf "Monte Scherbelino", which roughly translates as "Mount Shards" but in an expression alluding to Italian. One of the pieces of rubble has a

plaque Plaque may refer to: Commemorations or awards * Commemorative plaque, a plate or tablet fixed to a wall to mark an event, person, etc. * Memorial Plaque (medallion), issued to next-of-kin of dead British military personnel after World War I * Pl ...

attached to it, which says: ''Dieser Berg nach dem Zweiten Weltkrieg aufgetürmt aus den Trümmern der Stadt steht den Opfern zum Gedächtnis den Lebenden zur Mahnung.'' This translates roughly as: ''This mountain, after World War II piled up from the ruins of the city, stands as a memorial to the victims and a reminder to the living''. From the summit the whole city center can be seen, and on a clear day the view extends to the Swabian Alb, to the

Black Forest The Black Forest (german: Schwarzwald ) is a large forested mountain range in the state of Baden-Württemberg in southwest Germany, bounded by the Rhine Valley to the west and south and close to the borders with France and Switzerland. It is t ...

, and the lowlands of

Württemberg Württemberg ( ; ) is a historical German territory roughly corresponding to the cultural and linguistic region of Swabia. The main town of the region is Stuttgart. Together with Baden and Hohenzollern, two other historical territories, Württ ...

. On the summit there is a steel cross, which in 2003 replaced the original 1953 wooden cross. In the summer, early morning services are held here on Sundays.

References

External links

Stuttgarter Zeitung: Der Birkenkopf
(in German)

(in German)
Attractions in Stuttgart
Geography of Stuttgart Mountains and hills of Baden-Württemberg Germany in World War II {{BadenWürttemberg-geo-stub