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Magdeburg (German pronunciation: [ˈmakdəbʊɐ̯k]; Low Saxon: Meideborg, [ˈmaˑɪdebɔɐ̯x]) is the capital city and the second largest city of the state of Saxony-Anhalt, GermanyIt is situated on the Elbe River. Otto I, the first Holy Roman Emperor and founder of the archbishopric of Magdeburg, was buried in the town's cathedral after his deathMagdeburg's version of German town law, known as Magdeburg rights, spread throughout Central and Eastern EuropeUntil 1631, Magdeburg was one of the largest and most prosperous German cities and a notable member of the Hanseatic League. Magdeburg has been destroyed twice in its historyThe Catholic League sacked Magdeburg in 1631, resulting in the death of 25,000 non-combatants, the largest loss of the Thirty Years' War.

Stuttgart ( SHTUUT-gart, also US: STU(U)T-, STOOT-, SHTOOT-; German: [ˈʃtʊtɡaʁt]; Swabian: Schduagert [ˈʒ̊d̥ua̯ɡ̊ɛʕd̥]; names in other languages) is the capital and largest city of the German state of Baden-WürttembergStuttgart is located on the Neckar river in a fertile valley known locally as the "Stuttgart Cauldron"It lies an hour from the Swabian Jura and the Black ForestIts urban area has a population of 634,830, making it the sixth largest city in Germany2.8 million people live in the city's administrative region and 5.3 million people in its metropolitan area, making it the fourth largest metropolitan area in Germany.

The city and metropolitan area are consistently ranked among the top 20 European metropolitan areas by GDP; Mercer listed Stuttgart as 21st on its 2015 list of cities by quality of living, innovation agency 2thinknow ranked the city 24th globally out of 442 cities and the Globalization and World Cities Research Network ranked the city as a Beta-status world city in their 2014 survey., Stuttgart was one of the host cities of the official tournaments for the 1974 and 2006 FIFA World Cup. Since the 7th millennium BC, the Stuttgart area has been an important agricultural area and has been host to a number of cultures seeking to utilize the rich soil of the Neckar valleyThe Roman Empire conquered the area in 83 AD and built a massive castrum near Bad Cannstatt, making it the most important regional centre for several centuriesStuttgart's roots were truly laid in the 10th century with its founding by Liudolf, Duke of Swabia, as a stud farm for his warhorsesInitially overshadowed by nearby Cannstatt, the town grew steadily and was granted a charter in 1320The fortunes of Stuttgart turned with those of the House of Württemberg, and they made it the capital of their county, duchy, and kingdom from the 15th century to 1918.

Stuttgart prospered despite setbacks in the Thirty Years' War and devastating air raids by the Allies on the city and its automobile production during World War IIHowever, by 1952, the city had bounced back and it became the major economic, industrial, tourism and publishing centre it is today.Stuttgart is also a transport junction, and possesses the sixth-largest airport in GermanySeveral major companies are headquartered in Stuttgart, including Porsche, Bosch, Mercedes-Benz, Daimler AG, and Dinkelacker.Stuttgart is unusual in the scheme of German citiesIt is spread across a variety of hills (some of them covered in vineyards), valleys (especially around the Neckar river and the Stuttgart basin) and parksThis often surprises visitors who associate the city with its reputation as the "cradle of the automobile".