Esslingen in a gaming frenzy: Monopoly edition coming in 2026!

Esslingen in a gaming frenzy: Monopoly edition coming in 2026!

In exciting news for the city of Esslingen, a very special edition of Monopoly is being announced for spring 2026. According to the motto “Monopoly, but with Esslingen flair”, the game is being played in collaboration with Alpine Editions, Hasbro and Esslingen City Marketing & Tourism. Well-known landmarks and cultural highlights of the city are depicted on the game board, such as the majestic Esslingen Castle, the Inner Bridge, the Old Town Hall and the popular Christmas market. Esslingen itself can be happy; Mayor Matthias Klopfer sees the new edition as a great opportunity for local companies.

There was an Esslingen edition of Monopoly around 14 years ago that quickly sold out. However, the new edition will not be a simple new edition, but a creative new concept that brings a breath of fresh air into the game. Those interested can look forward to pre-orders from December 2025 before the game sees the light of day in March 2026. Overall, this development fits seamlessly into Esslingen's current city marketing and tourism efforts.

Tourism and city marketing on the rise

In general, the Esslingen tourist scene seems to have celebrated a comeback in recent years. The city recorded a high number of overnight stays in 2023, with almost 240,000 tourist overnight stays, the second most since official statistics began. Michael Metzler, managing director of Esslinger Stadtmarketing und Tourismus GmbH, emphasizes that the city marketing company's economic viability, with a turnover of 574,000 euros, exceeded the planned targets by over 100,000 euros.

City marketing particularly benefits from events such as the Christmas market, which was well attended despite the uncomfortable weather in 2022. The increase in day tourism can be seen, among other things, in the increased demand for city tours and the higher number of visitors to the city information center. The newly designed tourism website recorded around 600,000 hits per year, which significantly exceeds the pre-Corona numbers.

Challenges for the event industry

But despite the positive developments, there are also challenges. The events industry is faced with rising costs due to inflation and uncertainties regarding the geopolitical situation. Restaurateurs and market suppliers feel the 40 to 45 percent cost increase directly. Last year was characterized by rainy days at events such as the Estival and the Christmas market, which nevertheless recorded satisfactory visitor numbers.

In summary, it can be said that the introduction of the Monopoly edition for Esslingen not only promises an exciting new product for game fans, but can also contribute to strengthening city marketing and tourism in the region. It will be interesting to see how the people of Esslingen will react to this!