Discovering Stuttgart: Welcome to the new home town

“Schlossplatz is one of my favorite places in Stuttgart. I often sit there and enjoy the view of the Old and New Palace. Thanks to the city tour, I now also know the history of these impressive buildings,” says Dr. Benjamin Kitambo. The postdoc researcher is from the Democratic Republic of Congo and has been living and working in Stuttgart for four months. At the Geodetic Institute of the University of Stuttgart, he is working on the quantification and distribution of groundwater resources in major ungauged African basins using satellite data. “Our HydroGeoCoPE group, lead by Dr. Mohammad J. Tourian, has a strong international network, including the Laboratoire d'Etudes en Géophysique et Océanographie Spatiales in Toulouse, where I previously worked. I had therefore been familiar with the University of Stuttgart for a long time.” During the Welcome Center's city tour, Benjamin Kitambo not only got to know his new hometown better. Between Schlossplatz, the State Gallery, and main station, he also had the opportunity to exchange ideas with other researchers. “A colleague from my institute was also there. Since we are both new to the city, we immediately had topics to talk about. Events like this are ideal for making connections.”

It wasn't just newcomers to Stuttgart who were there. Sebastián Morales, who is from Mexico, has been living in the “Kessel” for three years now and has clearly taken his adopted home to his heart: “I moved here to do my master's degree. After graduating, I decided to stay: I made new friends here, I like the city, and the University of Stuttgart offers great conditions for quantum physicists.” He has been working as a doctoral student at the 5th Physics Institute for six months. In a Carl Zeiss junior research group led by Dr. Stephan Welte, he is conducting basic research on quantum networks  together with other junior researchers. “My sister is currently visiting from Mexico, and we went on the city tour together. Although I already know Stuttgart quite well, the tour helped me discover a worthwhile new area: the lively nightlife district around the Hans-im-Glück fountain in the old town.”

The city tour was organized by the Welcome Center, the central point of contact for international researchers at the University of Stuttgart. The Welcome Center not only organizes leisure and networking events, but also offers comprehensive practical guidance for new arrivals. “We advise and support on all important non-scientific questions relating to research stays in Stuttgart – from first bureaucratic steps, residence permits to health insurance. We work closely with other institutions inside and outside the university and refer people to the appropriate office, if necessary,” says Welcome Center employee Josephine Mothes, adding: "Coming to a new country and a new city is an exciting but also challenging experience. Through our work, we want to help international researchers settle in quickly and receive as much support as needed so that they can have as pleasant a stay as possible at the University of Stuttgart."