About Cannstatter Zeitung

Cannstatter Zeitung

The Cannstatter Zeitung is the daily newspaper for Stuttgart's district of Bad Cannstatt and the neighboring Neckar suburbs, appearing Monday to Saturday with a sold circulation of around 3,910 copies. Published by the Bechtle Verlag of Esslingen am Neckar, it is one of the oldest newspapers in the Stuttgart region, with a history reaching back to 1824, and describes itself as the last independent local daily of the region. An identically produced edition appears as the Untertürkheimer Zeitung for Stuttgart-Untertürkheim and its surroundings. The paper's national and business pages come from the Stuttgarter Nachrichten, while its own newsrooms in Bad Cannstatt and Untertürkheim cover the Neckar suburbs with dedicated local journalism. Under editor-in-chief Ulrich Nagel, the paper serves the oldest and most populous of Stuttgart's boroughs. Its digital home is cannstatter-zeitung.de.

Overview

The Cannstatter Zeitung appears Monday to Saturday as the subscription daily for Bad Cannstatt, Stuttgart's oldest, largest and most historic borough, and the neighboring Neckar suburbs. Its sold circulation is approximately 3,910 copies, a modest figure that reflects its hyperlocal focus on the districts east of Stuttgart's center.

The paper is published by the Bechtle Verlag, the Bechtle Graphische Betriebe und Verlagsgesellschaft of Esslingen am Neckar, which also publishes the Eßlinger Zeitung. The two papers work in an editorial partnership, the Redaktionsgemeinschaft, that preserves the Cannstatter Zeitung's journalistic independence while sharing resources.

A distinctive feature is the parallel edition: as the Untertürkheimer Zeitung, an identical paper appears for Stuttgart-Untertürkheim and its surroundings, with its own local newsroom. The two titles thus serve the Neckar suburbs with dedicated district journalism.

The paper's structure: the local pages are written by the Bad Cannstatt and Untertürkheim newsrooms, while the national and business sections are taken from the Stuttgarter Nachrichten, one of Baden-Württemberg's leading dailies. The paper is printed in the rheinisches format (350 × 510 mm) at the Bechtle presses in Esslingen.

The readership is the Neckar suburbs' population: families, commuters, Daimler and Porsche workers, winegrowers on the Neckar slopes, club members and seniors. Bad Cannstatt's mineral springs, its Volksfest and its Roman heritage give the edition distinctive themes.

History

The Cannstatter Zeitung was first published in 1824 in the then-independent town of Cannstatt, making it one of the oldest newspapers in the Stuttgart region, with a history of over 200 years. The paper chronicled Cannstatt's 19th century: the spa era, the industrialization, the railway's arrival and the town's growth.

On 12 June 1899, the Untertürkheimer Zeitung first appeared as the "Generalanzeiger für Unter- und Obertürkheim, Wangen, Hedelfingen und Rothenberg," giving the Neckar suburbs' eastern districts their own paper. In 1955, the Cannstatter and Untertürkheimer Zeitungen united under the joint Rotenberg Verlag, while maintaining two separate local newsrooms, a structure that endures today.

On 1 July 1960, the Bechtle Verlag of Esslingen took over the Rotenberg Verlag with both dailies, integrating them into the Esslingen publishing house while preserving their local identities. In October 2016, the Südwestdeutsche Medien Holding (SWMH) acquired 87 percent of the Eßlinger Zeitung, and with it the Cannstatter/Untertürkheimer Zeitung. In 2025, the SWMH sold its shares to the Neue Pressegesellschaft of Ulm, bringing the papers into the Ulm media group.

Through two centuries, the paper has described itself as the region's last independent local daily, a claim rooted in its continuous local newsrooms and its dedicated district journalism. Under editor-in-chief Ulrich Nagel, it continues to serve Bad Cannstatt and Untertürkheim with the thoroughness of a paper that knows no other territory.

The 200-year milestone, reached in 2024, was celebrated as a landmark in Stuttgart's press history: two centuries of continuous publication through kingdoms, empires, republics and dictatorships, surviving the incorporation of Cannstatt into Stuttgart in 1905, the wars and the digital revolution. The anniversary editions recalled the spa era's elegance, the industrial age's dynamism and the postwar rebirth, testifying to a paper deeply woven into the Neckar suburbs' identity.

Coverage and Content

The Cannstatter Zeitung's local pages are the daily record of the Neckar suburbs. The Bad Cannstatt district council's deliberations, the town's development, the mineral baths, the Volksfest preparations and the community life of Stuttgart's largest borough are covered in dedicated detail.

Bad Cannstatt's heritage provides rich material: the Roman origins, the 19 mineral springs, the Wilhelma's neighboring presence, the Cannstatter Wasen festivals and the VfB Stuttgart's MHPArena. The paper covers the Volksfest and the Frühlingsfest with the expertise of a hometown daily.

The Untertürkheim edition covers the eastern suburbs: the Daimler plant, the wine villages of Uhlbach and Rotenberg, the Grabkapelle and the Neckar landscapes. The two newsrooms' district journalism gives the Stuttgart suburbs a local paper that the city-wide dailies cannot replicate.

The Stuttgarter Nachrichten mantle provides professional national, business and state coverage. The paper's focus remains resolutely local: the districts' clubs, schools, parishes and civic initiatives fill the pages.

The paper's mineral springs coverage is a Cannstatt specialty: the 19 springs, the bathhouses and the spa tradition are reported with the expertise of a newsroom that has covered them for two centuries. For Bad Cannstatt's winegrowers on the Neckar slopes, the vineyard and harvest reports are essential reading, while the Untertürkheim edition's Daimler coverage serves the plant's thousands of workers. The districts' parish festivals, club anniversaries and school events fill the pages with the community life that has sustained the paper's 3,910-copy circulation through the digital age.

Organization and Ownership

The Cannstatter Zeitung is published by the Bechtle Verlag, the Bechtle Graphische Betriebe und Verlagsgesellschaft (Bechtle Verlag und Esslinger Zeitung) GmbH & Co. KG of Esslingen am Neckar. Since 2025, the paper has belonged to the Neue Pressegesellschaft of Ulm, following the SWMH's sale of its 87 percent stake, acquired in October 2016.

The editor-in-chief is Ulrich Nagel, who leads the paper's journalism. The Cannstatt and Untertürkheim newsrooms, separate since the 1955 Rotenberg union, write the district pages, while the national and business sections come from the Stuttgarter Nachrichten.

The paper is printed in rheinisches format at the Bechtle Verlag&Druck presses in Esslingen. The editorial partnership with the Eßlinger Zeitung, the Redaktionsgemeinschaft, preserves the paper's journalistic independence, the basis of its claim to be the region's last independent local daily.

Financial details are not publicly disclosed. The company follows the German Press Code (Pressekodex).

Digital Presence

The Cannstatter Zeitung's digital home is cannstatter-zeitung.de, the portal for the Neckar suburbs' news. The site carries the paper's district reporting, updated regularly, along with e-paper access, photo galleries and reader services.

The e-paper reproduces the printed daily page by page for computers, tablets and smartphones, serving subscribers who prefer digital reading. The digital edition extends the paper's reach to the suburbs' commuters and former residents.

On social media, the paper maintains presences that distribute district news, Volksfest photography and event announcements to its audience. Bad Cannstatt's visual appeal, the springs, the festivals, the Neckar views, gives the paper's content strong social media potential.

The digital strategy, now supported by the Neue Pressegesellschaft group, aims to build digital subscriptions alongside the printed paper, while the printed Cannstatter Zeitung, founded in 1824, remains the daily paper of record for Bad Cannstatt and the Neckar suburbs, continuing a publishing history of over 200 years as the region's last independent local daily.

The paper's Volksfest coverage is a Stuttgart institution: the Cannstatter Wasen's beer tents, parades and agricultural shows fill the autumn pages, and the Zeitung's reporters and photographers are fixtures at every event. For the Neckar suburbs' winegrowers, the vineyard reports and harvest coverage are essential reading, and for the districts' clubs and parishes, the paper's announcements remain the authoritative bulletin board of Germany's most historic borough.