As a result of Stuttgart's long history of viticulture (Even today there are vineyards less than from the Main Station), there are more than 400 flights of stairs (known in the local dialect as the ""Stäffele"") around the city, equivalent to approximately of steps. Later, in the early 19th Century, the city continued to grow and many vineyards were replaced by houses and streets and the "Stäffele" were used as footpaths to connect the newly built neighborhoods. Some of the stairs were elaborately decorated with fountains and plantings.