Königstraße is Stuttgart’s central shopping street and one of the busiest shopping streets in Germany. It originated in the 15th century from the former Großer Graben and was developed into a representative street with a series of residential buildings up until the 19th century. Over a length of 1.2 kilometres, it runs through the city centre in a north-south direction and connects the main railway station with Schlossplatz. With up to 12,795 passers-by per hour (as of 2014), it is the third most frequented shopping street in the country. Around 93 per cent of the retail space is used by chain stores.
Obere Königsstrasse 11-19
The section of the upper Königstraße shown here (house numbers 11 to 19) is characterised by a mixture of historical and contemporary architecture, dominated by intensive retail use. On the left of the picture is the Commerzbank building, a historic building with neoclassical elements. Adjacent to it are modern commercial buildings with a clearly structured façade design. At the time the photo was taken (2018), the lower storeys housed various branches of well-known brands such as Pimkie, Fossil, Geox, Timberland, New Yorker and the China Garden restaurant. On the right, a functional, modern building completes the block, which today houses a BOSS shop. The section reflects the typical character of Königstrasse: high public traffic, a strong presence of international retail chains and an architectural diversity between past and present.
