An all-time favourite. Restroom, bookstore, cult hangout – the pavilion at the crossroads of Friedrichstraße, Bolzstraße, and Lautenschlagerstraße boasts a storied past. When summer nights arrive, the Palast der Republik comes alive. Stuttgart residents from all corners convene, sharing drinks, conversation, laughter, and lingering until the late hours. The octagonal pavilion and its historically preserved sandstone columns have been witnesses to many tales. Its journey commenced in 1926 as a public restroom. In the 1930s, "Buchhaus Witter" established a kiosk here with the catchy slogan "Books upstairs, toilet downstairs." Emerging unscathed from World War II, the pavilion thrived in the post-war era as one of the first outlets for books. It continued its legacy as the "Außenstelle Stand A" until the 1970s. Today, the hip and happening venue, now known as the "Palast der Republik" within the same pavilion, has earned its status as a cultural haven. Unpretentious yet irresistibly alluring, this is where the entire community converges.
