Heidelberg

Heidelberg (German: [ˈhaɪdl̩ bɛʁk] ⓘ ; Palatine German: Heidlberg) is

the fifth-largest city in the German state of Baden-Württemberg, and Heidelberg
with a population of about 163,000, of which roughly a quarter consists Heidlberg (Palatine German)
of students,[3] it is Germany's 51st-largest city. Located about 78 km
Town
(48 mi) south of Frankfurt, Heidelberg is part of the densely populated
Rhine-Neckar Metropolitan Region which has its center in Mannheim.

Heidelberg is located on the Neckar River, at the point where it leaves

its narrow valley between the Oden Forest and the Little Oden Forest,
and enters the wide Upper Rhine Plain. The old town lies in the valley, Heidelberg seen from Church of the Holy
the end of which is flanked by the Königstuhl in the south and the Philosophers' Walk Spirit
Heiligenberg in the north. The majority of the population lives in the
districts west of the mountains in the Upper Rhine Plain, into which the
city has expanded over time.

Heidelberg University, founded in 1386, is Germany's oldest and one of Heidelberg Castle Old University
Europe's most reputable universities.[4] Heidelberg is a scientific hub in
Germany and home to several internationally renowned research
facilities adjacent to its university, including the European Molecular
Biology Laboratory and four Max Planck Institutes.[5] The city has also
been a hub for the arts, especially literature, throughout the centuries,
and it was designated a "City of Literature" by the UNESCO Creative
Cities Network.
Old Bridge at dawn
Heidelberg was a seat of government of the former Electorate of the
Palatinate and is a popular tourist destination due to its romantic
cityscape, including Heidelberg Castle, the Philosophers' Walk, and the
Baroque old town.
Flag
Coat of arms
Geography Location of Heidelberg

Heidelberg is located on the eastern edge of the Upper Rhine Plain

(German: Oberrheinebene), at the place where the river Neckar leaves
its narrow valley through the Odenwald mountains and begins the last
leg of its journey across the plain towards Mannheim, where it merges
into the Rhine about 20 kilometers downstream.

A part of Heidelberg, including the historical old town and the famous
Heidelberg Castle, is located in the narrow Neckar valley. Other parts
(mostly quarters from around the 19th century or newer, or originally
independent, later incorporated villages) sprawl out into the Rhine Plain
and along the Bergstraße (lit. 'mountain road'), the narrow strip of
characteristic landscape along the sharp border between the plain and
the Odenwald mountains.

The town is bordered by the Königstuhl (568 m), the Gaisberg (375 m),
and the Heiligenberg (445 m) mountains.
Heidelberg is on European walking route E1 (Sweden-Umbria).

Flora and fauna

Heidelberg is among the warmest regions of Germany, and plants
atypical of the central-European climate flourish there, including
almond and fig trees, and many kinds of palm trees and olive trees.
Alongside the Philosophenweg (Philosophers' Walk) on the opposite
side of the Old Town, winegrowing was restarted in 2000.[6]

There is a wild population of African rose-ringed parakeets,[7] and a Heidelberg

wild population of Siberian swan geese, which can be seen mainly on
the islands in the Neckar near the district of Bergheim.

Administrative structures
Heidelberg is a unitary authority within the Regierungsbezirk Karlsruhe.
Heidelberg
The Rhein-Neckar-Kreis rural district surrounds it and has its seat in the
town, although the town is not a part of the district. Heidelberg is a part
of the Rhine-Neckar Metropolitan Region, often referred to as the
Rhein-Neckar Triangle.

This region consists of the southern part of the State of Hessen, the
southern part of the State of Rhineland-Palatinate (Vorderpfalz), the
administrative districts of Mannheim and Heidelberg, and the
municipalities of the Rhein-Neckar-Kreis. The Rhein-Neckar Triangle
became a European metropolitan area in 2005.

Heidelberg consists of 15 districts distributed in six sectors of the town.

Coordinates: 49°25′N 08°43′E
In the central area are Altstadt (the Old Town), Bergheim and Weststadt;
in the north, Neuenheim and Handschuhsheim; in the east, Ziegelhausen Country Germany
and Schlierbach; in the south, Südstadt, Rohrbach, Emmertsgrund, and State Baden-Württemberg
Boxberg; in the southwest, Kirchheim; in the west, Pfaffengrund, Admin. region Karlsruhe
Wieblingen, and a new district, named Bahnstadt, is built on land in District Urban district
Weststadt and Wieblingen. The new district will have approximately Government
5,000–6,000 residents and employment for 7,000. Further, new • Lord mayor Eckart Würzner[1] (Ind.)
residential space for 10,000–15,000 residents was made available in (2022–30)
Patrick Henry Village following the departure of the US Armed Area
Forces.[8] • Total 108.83 km2
(42.02 sq mi)
Elevation 114 m (374 ft)
Neighbouring communes
Population (2022-12-31)[2]
The following towns and communes border the city of Heidelberg, • Total 162,273
beginning in the west and in a clockwise direction: Edingen- • Density 1,500/km2 (3,900/sq mi)
Neckarhausen, Dossenheim, Schriesheim, Wilhelmsfeld, Schönau,
Time zone UTC+01:00 (CET)
Neckargemünd, Bammental, Gaiberg, Leimen, Sandhausen, Oftersheim,
• Summer (DST) UTC+02:00 (CEST)
Plankstadt, Eppelheim (all part of the Rhein-Neckar-Kreis), and
Mannheim. Postal codes 69115–69126
Dialling codes 06221
Vehicle registration HD
Climate Website [Link] ([Link]
Heidelberg has an oceanic climate (Köppen climate classification Cfb), [Link]/)
defined by the protected valley between the Pfälzerwald and the
Odenwald. The almost year round warm temperatures are usually determined by Atlantic air masses in the winter and
increased influence from the western Mediterranean in summer. In contrast to the
nearby Upper Rhine Plain, Heidelberg's position in the valley leads to more frequent
easterly winds than average. The hillsides of the Odenwald favor clouding and
precipitation.

Spring starts earlier than the average in Germany (usually mid February in the recent
years). While the weather in spring is typically warm, it is also known to change far
more often than in the summer.

Summer starts typically in June and stays until September. In this time the weather is The districts of Heidelberg
typically stable, with single thunderstorms marking the only precipitation. Day
temperatures of around 30 °C are typical, but
can reach up to 40 °C during heat waves.

Autumn starts warm in September and cools

down to typical winter temperatures for the
region by the end of November. Precipitation
levels begin to increase and, due to the
decreasing sunlight, the region is affected by
fog more frequently from the second part of
The Old Town Heidelberg seen from Königstuhl
October onwards.

Winters are mostly mild, though light

nighttime frosts do occur in the coldest months. Snow is a rare event, and precipitation normally falls as rain. Winters are the
wettest time of the year, with frequent western winds blowing from the Atlantic. Storms ("Orkane") can create severe
damage, and the Neckar is often affected by floods.

According to the German Meteorological Service, Heidelberg was the warmest place in Germany in 2009. [9][10][11]
 Climate data for Heidelberg (1991–2010 normals, extremes 1935–2012)

Month Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Year

Record high 16.2 20.0 25.4 31.4 34.0 38.1 39.5 38.8 34.7 28.5 21.4 18.5 39.5
°C (°F) (61.2) (68.0) (77.7) (88.5) (93.2) (100.6) (103.1) (101.8) (94.5) (83.3) (70.5) (65.3) (103.1)

Mean daily
5.1 7.0 11.5 16.4 20.7 24.0 26.0 25.7 20.8 15.3 9.3 5.4 15.6
maximum
(41.2) (44.6) (52.7) (61.5) (69.3) (75.2) (78.8) (78.3) (69.4) (59.5) (48.7) (41.7) (60.1)
°C (°F)

Daily mean 2.6 3.9 7.5 11.4 15.7 18.7 20.7 20.2 16.0 11.4 6.6 3.2 11.5
°C (°F) (36.7) (39.0) (45.5) (52.5) (60.3) (65.7) (69.3) (68.4) (60.8) (52.5) (43.9) (37.8) (52.7)

Mean daily
0.0 0.9 3.7 6.5 10.6 13.5 15.7 15.2 11.5 7.9 4.0 0.8 7.5
minimum °C
(32.0) (33.6) (38.7) (43.7) (51.1) (56.3) (60.3) (59.4) (52.7) (46.2) (39.2) (33.4) (45.5)
(°F)

Record low −26.0 −21.5 −12.0 −5.0 −1.1 3.5 6.0 5.7 0.7 −3.2 −7.6 −18.8 −26.0
°C (°F) (−14.8) (−6.7) (10.4) (23.0) (30.0) (38.3) (42.8) (42.3) (33.3) (26.2) (18.3) (−1.8) (−14.8)

Average
43.6 48.5 56.7 46.9 71.5 65.7 80.1 66.0 57.0 62.1 64.9 60.7 723.7
precipitation
(1.72) (1.91) (2.23) (1.85) (2.81) (2.59) (3.15) (2.60) (2.24) (2.44) (2.56) (2.39) (28.49)
mm (inches)

Average
precipitation
14.4 14.2 15.0 12.8 13.9 13.4 14.9 13.5 13.0 14.4 16.7 17.0 173.2
days
(≥ 0.1 mm)

Average
relative 78.5 75.2 69.3 63.5 65.2 64.8 64.5 65.7 71.6 77.0 81.1 80.9 71.4
humidity (%)

Mean
monthly
46.0 78.2 118.0 173.3 206.0 214.6 233.1 218.5 157.6 101.4 50.8 35.5 1,633
sunshine
hours

Source 1: SKlima[12]

Source 2: Wetterzentrale[13][14]Deutscher Wetterdienst (sun 1981–2010)[15]

History

Early history
Between 600,000 and 200,000 years ago, "Heidelberg Man" died at nearby Mauer.
His jaw bone was discovered in 1907. Scientific dating determined his remains as the
earliest evidence of human life in Europe. In the 5th century BC, a Celtic fortress of
refuge and place of worship were built on the Heiligenberg, or "Holy Mountain".
Both places can still be identified. In 40 AD, a fort was built and occupied by the 24th
Roman cohort and the 2nd Cyrenaican cohort (CCG XXIIII and CCH II CYR). The Heidelberg on the Neckar at night
late Roman Emperor Valentinian I, in 369 AD, built new and maintained older castra
(permanent camps) and a signal tower on the bank of the Neckar. They built a
wooden bridge based on stone pillars across it. The camp protected the first civilian settlements and was eventually captured
by Germanic tribes. The local administrative center in Roman times was the nearby city of Lopodunum, today known as
Ladenburg.

Middle Ages
Modern Heidelberg can trace its beginnings to the fifth century. The village Bergheim (Mountain Home) is first mentioned
for that period in documents dated to 769 AD. Bergheim now lies in the middle of modern Heidelberg. The people gradually
converted to Christianity. In 870 AD, the monastery of St. Michael was founded on the Heiligenberg inside the double
rampart of the Celtic fortress. Around 1130, the Neuburg Monastery was founded in the Neckar valley. At the same time, the
bishopric of Worms extended its influence into the valley, founding Schönau Abbey in 1142. Modern Heidelberg can trace its
roots to this 12th-century monastery. The first reference to Heidelberg can be found in
a document in Schönau Abbey dated to 1196. This is considered to be the town's
founding date. In 1156, Heidelberg castle and its neighboring settlement were taken
over by the house of Hohenstaufen. Conrad of Hohenstaufen became Count Palatine
of the Rhine (German: Pfalzgraf bei Rhein). In 1195, the Electorate of the Palatinate
passed to the House of Welf through marriage. In 1214, Ludwig I, Duke of Bavaria
acquired the Palatinate, as a consequence of which the castle came under his control.
By 1303, another castle had been constructed for defense. In 1356, the Counts
Palatine were granted far-reaching rights in the Golden Bull, in addition to becoming
Electors. In 1386, Heidelberg University was founded by Rupert I, Elector
Heidelberg Castle, here shown in a
Palatine.[16]
painting by Carl Blechen, was
destroyed by the French during the
war of the succession of the
Modern history
Electorate of the Palatinate.
Heidelberg University played a leading part in Medieval Scholasticism, Renaissance
humanism, the German Reformation, and in the subsequent conflict between
Lutheranism and Calvinism during the 15th and 16th centuries. In April 1518, a few months after proclaiming his Ninety-five
Theses, Martin Luther was received in Heidelberg, to defend them.

Heidelberg's library, founded in 1421, is the oldest existing public library in Germany.

In 1537, the castle located higher up the mountain was destroyed by a gunpowder explosion. The duke's palace was built at
the site of the lower castle.

Elector Frederick III, sovereign of the Electoral Palatinate from 1559 to 1576,
commissioned the composition of a new Catechism for his territory. While the
catechism's introduction credits the "entire theological faculty here" (at the University
of Heidelberg) and "all the superintendents and prominent servants of the church" for
the composition of the Catechism, Zacharius Ursinus is commonly regarded as the
catechism's principal author. Caspar Olevianus (1536–1587) was formerly asserted as
a co-author of the document, though this theory has been largely discarded by modern
scholarship. Johann Sylvan, Adam Neuser, Johannes Willing, Thomas Erastus,
Michael Diller, Johannes Brunner, Tilemann Mumius, Petrus Macheropoeus,
Johannes Eisenmenger, Immanuel Tremellius, and Pierre Boquin are all likely to have
contributed to the Catechism in some way. Frederick himself wrote the preface to the
Catechism and closely oversaw its composition and publication. Frederick, who was
officially Lutheran but had strong Reformed leanings, wanted to even out the
religious situation of his highly Lutheran territory within the primarily Catholic Holy
Roman Empire. The Council of Trent had just concluded with its conclusions and
The siege of Heidelberg 1622
decrees against the Protestant faiths, and the Peace of Augsburg had only granted
toleration for Lutheranism within the empire where the ruler was Lutheran. One of
the aims of the catechism was to counteract the teachings of the Roman Catholic Church as well as Anabaptists and "strict"
Gnesio-Lutherans like Tilemann Heshusius and Matthias Flacius, who were resisting Frederick's Reformed influences,
particularly on the matter of Eucharist (the Lord's Supper). The Catechism-based each of its statements on biblical proof-
texts, and Frederick himself would defend it as biblical, not reformed, at the 1566 Diet of Augsburg when he was called to
answer to charges of violating the Peace of Augsburg. This was the Heidelberg Catechism, officially called the ″Catechism,
or Christian Instruction, according to the Usages of the Churches and Schools of the Electoral Palatinate.″

In November 1619, the Royal Crown of Bohemia was offered to the Elector, Frederick V. (He was married to Princess
Elizabeth, eldest daughter of James VI and I of Scotland and England, respectively.) Frederick became known as the "Winter
King", as he reigned for only one winter before the Imperial House of Habsburg regained Bohemia by force. His overthrow
in 1621 marked the beginning of the Thirty Years' War. In 1622, after a siege of two months, the armies of the Catholic
League, commanded by Johann Tserclaes, Count of Tilly, captured the town. Tilly gave the famous Bibliotheca Palatina
from the Church of the Holy Spirit to the Pope as a present. The Catholic and Bavarian House of Wittelsbach gained control
over the Palatinate and the title of Prince-Elector.
In late 1634, after the Swedish army had conquered Heidelberg, imperial forces
attempted to recapture the city. They quickly took the city, but were unable to take the
castle. As they prepared to blow up its fortifications with gunpowder the French army
arrived, 30,000 men strong, led by Urbain de Maillé-Brézé, who had fought in many
battles and participated in the Siege of La Rochelle (1627–1628), and Jacques-
Nompar de Caumont, duc de La Force. They broke the siege and drove off the
Imperial forces.[17]

In 1648, at the end of the war, Frederick V's son Charles I Louis, Elector Palatine,
Main street Heidelberg
was able to recover his titles and lands. To strengthen his dynasty, Charles I Louis
arranged the marriage of his daughter Liselotte
to Philip I, Duke of Orléans, brother of Louis
XIV, King of France. In 1685, after the death
of Charles Louis' son, Elector Charles II, King
Louis XIV laid claim to his sister-in-law's
inheritance. The Germans rejected the claim,
in part because of religious differences
between local Protestants and the French
Catholics, as the Protestant Reformation had
divided the peoples of Europe. The War of the
Grand Alliance ensued. In 1689, French troops
took the town and castle, bringing nearly total
destruction to the area in 1693. As a result of
the destruction due to repeated French
invasions related to the War of the Palatinate
Succession coupled with severe winters,
thousands of German Calvinist Palatines
Hotel zum Ritter St. Georg emigrated in the early 18th century. They fled Old Bridge Gate
to other European cities and especially to
London (where the refugees were called "the
poor Palatines"). In sympathy for the Protestants, in 1709–1710, Queen Anne's
government arranged transport for nearly 6,000 Palatines to New York. Others were
transported to Pennsylvania, and to South Carolina. They worked their passage and
later settled in the English colonies there.

In 1720, after assigning a major church for exclusively Catholic use, religious
conflicts with the mostly Protestant inhabitants of Heidelberg caused the Roman
Catholic Prince-Elector Charles III Philip to transfer his court to nearby Mannheim.
Old Bridge, Konrad Linck, 1788 The court remained there until the Elector Charles Theodore became Elector of
Bavaria in 1777 and established his court in Munich. In 1742, Elector Charles
Theodore began rebuilding the Palace. In 1764, a lightning bolt destroyed other
palace buildings during reconstruction, causing the work to be discontinued.

1803 to 1933
Heidelberg fell to the Grand Duchy of Baden in 1803. Charles Frederick, Grand Duke of Baden, re-founded the university,
named "Ruperto-Carola" after its two founders. Notable scholars soon earned it a reputation as a "royal residence of the
intellect". In the 18th century, the town was rebuilt in the Baroque style on the old medieval layout.

In 1810 the French Revolution refugee Count Charles Graimberg began to preserve the palace ruins and establish a historical
collection. In 1815, the Emperor of Austria, the Emperor of Russia and the King of Prussia formed the "Holy Alliance" in
Heidelberg. In 1848, the German National Assembly was held there. In 1849, during the Palatinate-Baden rebellion of the
1848 Revolutions, Heidelberg was the headquarters of a revolutionary army. It was defeated by a Prussian army near
Waghaeusel. The city was occupied by Prussian troops until 1850. Between 1920 and 1933, Heidelberg University became a
center of notable physicians Czerny, Erb, and Krehl; and humanists Rohde, Weber, and Gandolf.[18]

Nazism and the World War II-period

During the Nazi period (1933–1945), Heidelberg was a stronghold of the NSDAP/Nazi party (the National Socialist German
Workers' Party), the strongest party in the elections before 1933 (the NSDAP obtained 30% at the communal elections of
1930[19]). The NSDAP received 45.9% of the votes in the German federal election of March 1933 (the national average was
43.9%).[20] In 1934 and 1935 the Reichsarbeitsdienst (State Labor Service) and Heidelberg University students built the
huge Thingstätte amphitheatre on the Heiligenberg north of the town, for Nazi Party and SS events. A few months later, the
inauguration of the huge Ehrenfriedhof memorial cemetery completed the second and last NSDAP project in Heidelberg.
This cemetery is on the southern side of the old part of town, a little south of the Königstuhl hilltop, and faces west towards
France. During World War II and after, Wehrmacht soldiers were buried there.

During the Kristallnacht on 9 November 1938, Nazis burned down synagogues at two
locations in the city. The next day, they started the systematic deportation of Jews,
sending 150 to Dachau concentration camp. On 22 October 1940, during the "Wagner
Buerckel event", the Nazis deported 6000 local Jews, including 281 from Heidelberg,
to Camp Gurs concentration camp in France. Within a few months, as many as 1000
of them (201 from Heidelberg) died of hunger and disease.[21] Among the deportees
from Heidelberg, the poet Alfred Mombert (1872–1942) left the concentration camp
in April 1941 thanks to the Swiss poet Hans Reinhart but died shortly thereafter due
Memorial stone marking the site of
to illness he contracted while held prisoner.[22] From 1942, the deportees who had the synagogue in the Lauerstrasse
survived internment in Gurs were deported to Eastern Europe, where most of them
were murdered.

The U.S. 44th Infantry Division took part in combat in Western Europe throughout 1944 and early 1945, and the division's
artillery commander, Brigadier General William A. Beiderlinden, became the subject of international headlines in March
1945, when he helped save Heidelberg from bombing by persuading Nazi troops to withdraw.[23] When his command was
ordered to shell the city, Beiderlinden took the initiative to contact the burgomaster and attempt to persuade Nazi soldiers to
abandon their positions.[23] Though burgomasters were forbidden from conducting such talks, Heidelberg's burgomaster
ignored warnings from the local Nazi gauleiter and discussed the matter with Beiderlinden.[23] The negotiations focused on
the importance of sparing Heidelberg University and other historic and culturally significant sites.[23] Beiderlinden and the
burgomaster agreed to terms, and the Nazis spared the city by evacuating.[23]

On 29 March 1945, German troops left the city after destroying three arches of the old bridge, Heidelberg's treasured river
crossing. They also destroyed the more modern bridge downstream. The U.S. Army (63rd Infantry, 7th Army) entered the
town on 30 March 1945. The civilian population surrendered without resistance.[24]

Heidelberg, unlike most German cities and towns, was spared from Allied bombing raids during the war. A popular belief is
that Heidelberg escaped bombing because the U.S. Army wanted to use the city as a garrison after the war, but, as
Heidelberg was neither an industrial center nor a transport hub, it did not present a tactical or strategic target. Other notable
university towns, such as Tübingen and Göttingen, were spared bombing as well. Allied air raids focused extensively on the
nearby industrial cities of Mannheim and Ludwigshafen.

The U.S. Army may have chosen Heidelberg as a garrison base because of its excellent infrastructure, including the
Heidelberg–Mannheim Autobahn (motorway), which connected to the Mannheim–Darmstadt–Frankfurt Autobahn, and the
U.S. Army installations in Mannheim and Frankfurt. The intact rail infrastructure was more important in the late 1940s and
early 1950s when most heavy loads were still carried by train, not by truck. Heidelberg had the untouched Wehrmacht
barracks, the "Grossdeutschland Kaserne" which the US Army occupied soon after, renaming it the Campbell Barracks.

History after 1945

In 1945, the university was reopened relatively quickly on the initiative of a small group of professors, among whom were
the anti-Nazi economist Alfred Weber and the philosopher Karl Jaspers.[25] The surgeon Karl Heinrich Bauer was nominated
rector.

On 9 December 1945, US Army General George S. Patton was involved in a car accident in the adjacent city of Mannheim
and died in the Heidelberg US Army hospital on 21 December 1945. His funeral ceremony was held at the Heidelberg-
Weststadt Christuskirche (Christ Church), and he was buried in the 3rd Army cemetery in Luxembourg.[26]

During the post-war military occupation, the U.S. Army used the Thingstätte for cultural and religious events. Civilian use
started in the early to mid-1980s for occasional concerts and other cultural events. Today, the celebrations on Hexennacht
(German for 'Witches' Night'), also called Walpurgis Night, the night of 30 April, are a regular "underground" fixture at the
Thingstätte. Thousands of mostly young people congregate there to drum, to breathe fire, and to juggle. The event has gained
fame throughout the region, as well as a certain notoriety due to the amount of litter left behind. Officially, this event is
forbidden due to security concerns. The City declares it will fence the Thingstätte and prosecute any trespassers.[27]

In 2022, a mass shooting occurred in the university, killing a woman and injuring three other people. The gunman then
committed suicide.[28]

Population
The population of the city of Heidelberg exceeded 100,000 for the first time in 1946.
It is a city with an international population, including one of the largest American
communities outside North America, but this is not analysed in the Heidelberg
population statistics. At the end of December 2011, the city had 149,633 inhabitants
with an official primary residence in Heidelberg (not including the soldiers and
employees of the U.S. Army and their dependents, a total of about 20,000 people), a
historic high.[29] Population growth

The following table shows the number of inhabitants within the boundaries of the city
at the time. To 1833 they are mostly estimates, then census results or official updates of the statistical offices of the time or
the city administration. The data refer from 1843 to the "local population", from 1925 to the resident population and since
1987 the "population at the site of their main dwelling." Prior to 1843 the population was determined by non-uniform
collection procedures.

Heidelberg has currently a population of about 160,000 and is the 5th largest city in Baden-Württemberg. About 37,000
(24% of the population) are students, which makes Heidelberg one of the largest university city in Germany. Heidelberg's
population has grown since 1945 (after the WWII) and has almost never declined due to its popularity of this city where
many workers, students and entrepreneurs moved to Heidelberg.

Rank Nationality Population (31 December 2022)

Historical population
1 Turkey 2,921
Year Pop. ±%
2 United States 1,670 1439 5,200 —
3 Italy 1,538 1588 6,300 +21.2%
1784 10,754 +70.7%
4 Ukraine 1,453
1875 22,334 +107.7%
5 Poland 1,283 1900 40,121 +79.6%
6 Syria 1,135
1910 56,016 +39.6%
1919 60,831 +8.6%
7 France 1,067 1925 73,034 +20.1%
8 Croatia 972 1933 84,641 +15.9%
Iraq
1945 95,811 +13.2%
9 915
1950 116,488 +21.6%
10 Serbia 864 1956 121,910 +4.7%
1961 125,264 +2.8%
1965 125,507 +0.2%
With a fertility rate of 1.1 children per woman in the Stadtkreis (county), Heidelberg 1970 129,656 +3.3%
had the lowest fertility rate in Baden-Württemberg in 2008. 1975 129,368 −0.2%
1980 133,227 +3.0%
1985 134,724 +1.1%
Politics 1990 136,796 +1.5%
1995 138,781 +1.5%
Since 2006, the Oberbürgermeister (lord mayor) of Heidelberg has been the 2000 140,259 +1.1%
independent Eckart Würzner. From 1990 to 2006, the mayor was Beate Weber (SPD). 2005 142,933 +1.9%
2010 147,312 +3.1%
The council consists of 48 members with the mayor as chairman. The council is 2015 156,267 +6.1%
directly elected for a term of five years. The task of the council is to decide all the 2020 159,245 +1.9%
affairs of the city, with the mayor presiding. The council controls the city Population size may be affected by
changes in administrative divisions.
administration and oversees the enforcement of its decisions.

Heidelberg has always been a stronghold of The Greens. For the municipal elections in 2009, they split into the Green
Alternative List and Alliance 90/The Greens and each ran their own lists. Together they gained 10 seats to become the
strongest force for the first time. In September 2011, two members of the GAL Group joined the Alliance 90/The Greens, so
that together with the members of [Link], they formed the largest group in the council.

For elections to the Bundestag, the city is part of the Heidelberg constituency.

Mayor and city council

The most recent mayoral election was held on 6 November 2022, with a runoff held on 27 November, and the results were as
follows:

First round Second round

Candidate Party
Votes % Votes %
Independent
Eckart Würzner 25,111 45.9 25,487 54.0
(CDU/FDP/FW)
Theresia Bauer Alliance 90/The Greens 15,655 28.6 20,010 42.4
Sören Michelsburg Social Democratic Party 7,410 13.5 Withdrew
Sofia Leser Independent 2,097 3.8 Withdrew

Bernd Zieger The Left 1,991 3.6 Withdrew

Björn Leuzinger Die PARTEI 982 1.8 1,562 3.3
Alina Papagiannaki-
Heidelberg in Motion 799 1.5 Withdrew
Sönmez
Mathias Schmitz Independent 342 0.6 Withdrew
Sassan Khajehali Independent 271 0.5 Withdrew
Other 67 0.1 113 0.2
Valid votes 54,715 99.7 47,172 99.5

Invalid votes 186 0.3 237 0.5

Total 54,901 100.0 47,409 100.0
Electorate/voter turnout 107,030 51.3 107,410 44.1
Source: City of Heidelberg (1st round ([Link]
00/praesentation/[Link]?wahl_id=786&stimmentyp=0&id=ebene_-5884_id_9647), 2nd round ([Link]
[Link]/lb/produktion/wahltermin-20221106/08221000/praesentation/[Link]?wahl_id=934&stimm
entyp=0&id=ebene_-6018_id_9823))
The Heidelberg city council governs the city alongside the Mayor. The most recent city council election was held on 9 June
2024, and the results were as follows:

Party Votes % +/- Seats +/-

Alliance 90/The Greens (Grüne) 828,031 26.4 5.5 13 3
Christian Democratic Union (CDU) 457,787 14.6 0.4 7 0
Social Democratic Party (SPD) 388,434 12.4 1.5 6 1
The Heidelbergers 336,053 10.7 3.7 5 2

Volt Germany (Volt) 180,828 5.8 New 3 New

Alternative for Germany (AfD) 174,115 5.5 0.5 3 1
The Left (Die Linke) 160,535 5.1 0.8 2 1
Free Democratic Party (FDP) 156,307 5.0 0.7 2 1
Heidelberg in Motion (HiB) 99,525 3.2 0.6 2 1
Green Alternative List (GAL) 96,971 3.1 1.6 1 1
Die PARTEI 82,226 2.6 0.1 1 0

Colourful Left (Bunte Linke) 66,997 2.1 1.8 1 1

Initiative for Democracy and Education (IDA) 55,975 1.8 New 1 New
Free Voter Association (FWV) 38,910 1.2 0.5 1 0
Sofia Leser List 12,619 0.4 New 0 New
Valid votes 3,135,313 100.0 48 ±0
Invalid ballots 1,449 2.0

Total ballots 69,807 100.0

Electorate/voter turnout 107,904 66.0 1.1
Source: City of Heidelberg ([Link]
ntation/[Link]?wahl_id=3581&stimmentyp=0&id=ebene_-11810_id_19030)

Cityscape

The old town

The "old town" (German: Altstadt), on the south bank of the Neckar, is long and
narrow. It is dominated by the ruins of Heidelberg Castle, 80 metres above the Neckar
on the steep wooded slopes of the Königstuhl (King's chair or throne) hill.

The Main Street (Hauptstrasse), a mile-long pedestrian street, running the

length of the old town.
The old stone bridge was erected 1786–1788. A medieval bridge gate is
on the side of the old town, and was originally part of the town wall. The marketplace, with Town Hall on
Baroque tower helmets were added as part of the erection of the stone the right
bridge in 1788.
The Church of the Holy Spirit (Heiliggeistkirche), a late Gothic church in
the marketplace of the old town.
The Karls' gate (Karlstor) is a triumphal arch in honour of the Prince Elector Karl Theodor, located at
Heidelberg's east side. It was built 1775–1781 and designed by Nicolas de Pigage.
The house Zum Ritter Sankt Georg (Knight St. George) is one of the few buildings to survive the War of
Succession. Standing across from the Church of the Holy Spirit, it was built in the style of the late
 Renaissance. It is named after the sculpture at the top.
The Marstall (Stables), a 16th-century building on the Neckar that has
served several purposes through its history. It is now a cafeteria for the
university.

Heidelberg Castle
The castle is a mix of styles from Gothic to Renaissance. Prince Elector Ruprecht III
(1398–1410) erected the first building in the inner courtyard as a royal residence. The
building was divided into a ground floor made of stone and framework upper levels. Heidelberg's old city centre from the
castle above
Another royal building is located opposite the Ruprecht Building: the Fountain Hall.
Prince Elector Philipp (1476–1508) is said to have arranged the transfer of the hall's
columns from a decayed palace of Charlemagne from Ingelheim to Heidelberg.

In the 16th and 17th centuries, the Prince Electors added two palace buildings and
turned the fortress into a castle. The two dominant buildings at the eastern and northern
side of the courtyard were erected during the rule of Ottheinrich (1556–1559) and
Friedrich IV (1583–1610). Under Friedrich V (1613–1619), the main building of the
west side was erected, the so-called "English Building".

The castle and its garden were destroyed several times during the Thirty Years' War and
the Palatine War of Succession. As Prince Elector Karl Theodor tried to restore the
castle, lightning struck in 1764, and ended all attempts at rebuilding. Later on, the castle
was misused as a quarry; stones from the castle were taken to build new houses in Religion in Heidelberg
(2011) [30][31]
Heidelberg. This was stopped in 1800 by Count Charles de Graimberg, who then began
the process of preserving the castle.
Protestant Church (34.9%)
Although the interior is in Gothic style, the King's Hall was not built until 1934. Today, Catholic Church (30.1%)
Orthodox Christianity (1.7%)
the hall is used for festivities, e.g. dinner banquets, balls and theatre performances.
Evang. Free Church (1.2%)
During the Heidelberg Castle Festival in the summer, the courtyard is the site of open air
Other state-recognised
musicals, operas, theatre performances, and classical concerts performed by the
church/religious community
Heidelberg Philharmonics.
(3.2%)
Islam (5.7%)
The castle is surrounded by a park, where the famous poet Johann von Goethe once
Others or nonreligious
walked. The Heidelberger Bergbahn funicular railway runs from Kornmakt to the
(23.2%)
summit of the Königstuhl via the castle.

The castle looks over the entire city of Heidelberg and the Neckar Valley.[32]

Philosophers' Walk
On the northern side of the Neckar is located the Heiligenberg (Saints' Mountain),
along the side of which runs the Philosophers' Walk (German: Philosophenweg), with
scenic views of the old town and castle. Traditionally, Heidelberg's philosophers and
university professors would walk and talk along the pathway. Farther up the mountain
lie the ruined 11th-century Monastery of St. Michael, the smaller Monastery of St.
View from the castle during winter,
Stephen, a Nazi-era amphitheater, the so-called Pagan's hole and the remains of an
2014
earthen Celtic hill fort from the 4th century BC.
 Historic map of Heidelberg Castle

Areal view of Heidelberg Castle

View from the so-called "Philosophers' Walk" (German: Philosophenweg) towards the Old Town, with Heidelberg
Castle, Heiliggeist Church and the Old Bridge

Heidelberg churches
There are many historical churches in Heidelberg and its surroundings. The Church of the Holy Spirit has been shared over
the centuries since the Protestant Reformation by both Catholics and Protestants. It is one of the few buildings to survive the
many wars during the past centuries. It was rebuilt after the French set fire to it in 1709 during the War of the Palatinian
Succession. The church has remains of the tombs and epitaphs of the past Palatinate electors. This Church stands in the
Marktplatz next to the seat of local government. In 1720, Karl III Philip, Elector Palatine came into conflict with the town's
Protestants as a result of giving the Church of the Holy Spirit exclusively to the Catholics for their use. It had previously
been split by a partition and used by both congregations. Due to pressure by the mostly Protestant powers of Prussia,
Holland, and Sweden, Prince Karl III Philip gave way and repartitioned the church for joint use. In 1936 the separating wall
was removed. The church is now exclusively used by Protestants. Furthermore, there is the Catholic Church of the Jesuits.
Its construction began in 1712. It was completed with the addition of a bell tower from 1866 to 1872. The church is also
home to the Museum für sakrale Kunst und Liturgie (Museum of Ecclesiastical Arts). The oldest church in Heidelberg is the
St. Peter's Church (now Lutheran). It was built some time during the 12th century.
 From left: Jesuit Church, Providence Church and Church of the Holy Spirit in Heidelberg's Old Town on the Neckar
River

Education

Universities and academia

Heidelberg is known for its institutions of higher education. The most famous of those is Heidelberg University. Founded in
1386, it is one of Europe's oldest institutions. In fact, Heidelberg is the oldest university town of today's Germany. Among
the prominent thinkers associated with the institution are Georg Wilhelm Friedrich Hegel, Karl Jaspers, Hans-Georg
Gadamer, Jürgen Habermas, Karl-Otto Apel, and Hannah Arendt. The campus is situated in two urban areas and several
buildings. In numerous historical buildings in the old town there are the Faculties of the Humanities, the Social Science, and
the Faculty of Law. The school of applied sciences is located in the Science Tower in Wieblingen. The Faculties of Medicine
and Natural Science are settled on the Neuenheimer Feld Campus.

The campus of Heidelberg University has a total undergraduate enrollment of 30,898 as of 2014. The enrollment rate of this
university is 16.3 percent. Less than 20 percent of the total student body is international. This university has many areas of
study for national students such as; theology, law, philosophy, modern languages, economics, and social sciences. The
university does not charge students for tuition. The school's academic calendar is semester based, and the majority of the
language for instruction is in German. For international students the academic calendar is based on a block schedule. The
international students attend in block periods of 5 weeks. The University or "Uni" is spread across three campuses each
containing different fields of study.

Since 1904 there has been a College of Educational Science, the Pädagogische
Hochschule Heidelberg; since 1979 there has been a college of Jewish Studies, the
Hochschule für Jüdische Studien Heidelberg. It comprises nine branches specializing
in both religion and Jewish culture. The Schiller International University, a private
American university is also represented with a campus in Heidelberg offering several
undergraduate and graduate programs in the fields of International Business and
International Relations and Diplomacy.
Old university hall

Research
In addition to the research centers and institutes of the university, there are numerous research institutions situated in the city
of Heidelberg. Among them are the European Molecular Biology Laboratory (EMBL), European Molecular Biology
Organization (EMBO), the German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ), Max Planck Institute for Medical Research, Max
Planck Institute for Astronomy, Max Planck Institute for Nuclear Physics, Max Planck Institute for Comparative Public Law
and International Law.

Schools
 Heidelberg is home to 23 elementary schools.
There are several institutions of secondary
education, both public and private,
representing all levels of the German school
system. There are 14 Gymnasiums, with six of
them private. With 52% of secondary students Buildings of European Molecular
Biology Laboratory in Heidelberg,
attending a Gymnasium, Heidelberg sits above
including the new Advanced
the German average, perhaps because a large
Training Centre
SRH Hochschule Heidelberg is one
number of academics live in Heidelberg and
of the oldest and largest private its environs.
universities in Germany.
The gymnasiums include the Kurfürst-Friedrich-Gymnasium, Bunsen-Gymnasium,
Helmholtz-Gymnasium, Hölderlin-Gymnasium and Elisabeth-von-Thadden-Schule.
Then there are seven Realschule, ten Hauptschule, and nine vocational schools (the so-called Berufsschule). In addition,
there are several folk high schools with different specialisations.[33] Heidelberg International School serves the local
expatriate community.

Economy

Tourism
In 2004, 81.8% of people worked for service industries, including tourism. As a relic of the period of Romanticism,
Heidelberg has been labeled a "Romantic town". This is used to attract more than 11.9 million visitors ([Link]
[Link]/english/Home/Life/Heidelberg+in+[Link]#:~:text=11.9%20million%20visitors.,11.9%20million%20visitors%20
every%20year.) every year. Many events are organized to attract visitors. One of the biggest tourist attractions is the
Christmas market during the winter time.

Industry
Only 18% of employment is provided by industry. Printing and publishing are important enterprises; nearby Walldorf is a
center of the IT industry and SAP World Headquarters. Noted pen manufacturer Lamy has its headquarters and factory in
Heidelberg-Wieblingen. Heidelberger Druckmaschinen has its headquarters here; its factory is located in Walldorf. Soft-
drink company Wild-Werke, manufacturer of the Capri-Sonne (Capri-Sun in the U.S.) is located nearby in Eppelheim.
Heidelberg is also home to the headquarters of HeidelbergCement, the world's second largest cement producer. The company
has its roots in the suburb of Leimen where one of its cement plants is still located. With its long Hauptstraße, Heidelberg is
a shopping destination for people from the surrounding smaller towns.

Roads
The A 5 autobahn runs through the western outskirts of Heidelberg, connecting the
region to Frankfurt am Main in the north and Karlsruhe to the south. The A 656
commences just west of the city, connecting Heidelberg with Mannheim. Both
highways meet at Heidelberg autobahn intersection in the city of Heidelberg, and the
A 656 connects to the A 6 at the Mannheim autobahn intersection, which connects to
the east towards Stuttgart.

Furthermore, the B 3 (Frankfurt–Karlsruhe) runs north–south through the town, and

the B 37 (Mannheim–Eberbach) runs east–west. Both meet in the city center at the
Bismarckplatz. The B 535 begin in the south of Heidelberg and runs to Schwetzingen.

Tourist roads Print Media Academy

Heidelberg is located on four tourist roads: Bergstraße, Bertha Benz Memorial Route, Castle Road, and Straße der
Demokratie (Road of Democracy).

Railways
Heidelberg Central Station (Hauptbahnhof) is on the Rhine Valley Railway and is served by Intercity-Express, Euro City
trains. This station is served by the RheinNeckar S-Bahn. There is also a station for intercity bus services outside the central
station.[34]

Public transport
The main transport hub of Heidelberg is the Bismarckplatz. Several main
thoroughfares of the city intersect here and one of the longest pedestrian streets in
Europe, the Hauptstraße (main street) runs from here through the entire old town of
Heidelberg. Heidelberg Central Station was nearby for many years, which was a
combined terminal and through station. In 1955, it was moved about 1.5 km further to
the west, which removed the necessity for trains continuing north or south to reverse.
The new central station became the second major transport hub of Heidelberg.
DB train Heidelberg Hauptbahnhof
Heidelberg has had a public transport service since 1883, when horse-drawn trams
were established. Due to the rapidly rising patronage it was decided on 20 December
1901 to convert the Heidelberg tramway network to electrical operation. On 16 March 1902, the first electric tram ran on
Rohrbacher Straße, sharing use of the suburban tracks built by the Deutsche Eisenbahn-Gesellschaft in 1901 between
Heidelberg and Wiesloch. Until the 1950s, the tram network was expanded a bit at a time. The rapidly growing popularity of
car transport presented the operator of the trams with increasingly difficult problems and the tram network was gradually
dismantled. It was not until 10 December 2006 that the network was extended again with the opening of a new tram line
from Kirchheim. Tram and bus services are now operated by Rhein-Neckar-Verkehr (RNV). Since 1989, all fares are set
under a uniform scheme by the Verkehrsverbund Rhein-Neckar (Rhine-Neckar Transport Association, VRN). Carsharing
increasingly provides a complement to public transport. More than 50 car-sharing stations are available to users in 12 of the
14 districts of Heidelberg offering a total of more than 100 cars.

Since 14 December 2003, Heidelberg has been connected to the network of the
Rhine-Neckar S-Bahn, which opens up the entire Rhine-Neckar region, with lines
connecting with the Palatinate, the Saarland, and southern Hesse.

The Heidelberger Bergbahn (Heidelberg Mountain Railway) has run since 2005 with
new cars on the lower part from Kornmarkt to Molkenkur and historic cars built in
1907 on the upper section of the funicular from Molkenkur to Königstuhl. It is one of
the most popular means to reach Heidelberg Castle. The first plans for the funicular
were drawn up in 1873. Due to a lack of funds, the first section of the funicular was Trams in Heidelberg
not opened until 1890. In 2004, the upper section of the funicular was listed as part of
the heritage of the state of Baden-Württemberg.

United States military installations

During World War II, Heidelberg was one of the few major cities in Germany not
significantly damaged by Allied bombing. Situated in the American Zone of
Germany, Heidelberg became the headquarters of the American forces in Europe. The
main military facilities were Campbell Barracks, the former Wehrmacht
Grossdeutschland-Kaserne, which housed the US Army, Europe (USAREUR) and
NATO's Component Command-Land Headquarters. (Until 2004, this was designated
Joint Headquarters Centre, and before that, LANDCENT).

Campbell Barracks and Mark Twain Village were both in Südstadt; Patton Barracks
Behördenzentrum Heidelberg
was in nearby Kirchheim. Nachrichten Kaserne in Rohrbach was home to the former
Heidelberg Army Hospital, later designated the Heidelberg Health Center. Patrick
Henry Village, the largest U.S. military housing area in the Heidelberg area, was west of Kirchheim. These installations,
including Tompkins Barracks and Kilbourne Kaserne in nearby Schwetzingen, plus the Germersheim Depot, made up the
U.S. Army Garrison Heidelberg. Tompkins Barracks was home to U.S. Army Installation Management Command Europe
Region ([Link] Archived ([Link]
[Link]/) 12 December 2012 at [Link]. The Heidelberg U.S. Army Air Field (Heidelberg AAF) was converted to an
heliport (mostly Blackhawk Helicopters) after the NATO Kosovo campaign.

The children of United States Department of Defense employees based in Heidelberg

attended on-base schools operated by the DODDS-E (Department of Defense
Dependents Schools – Europe). There were three schools of this kind: Heidelberg
High School in Mark Twain Village (Mark Twain Elementary School closed at the
completion of the 2010–2011 school year), and Heidelberg Middle School and
Patrick Henry Elementary in Patrick Henry Village.[35]

On 19 October 2009, the U.S. Army announced that it would be building new
headquarters for USAREUR in Wiesbaden. The move from Heidelberg took place in
The New city district of Heidelberg,
2012 and 2013, and was completed in 2014.[36] By 2015 all United States forces had
Bahnstadt, is one of the biggest
passive house settlements in the left Heidelberg. The barracks and the housing areas were returned to the German state
world. for conversion to civilian use.

Culture

Events
Several festivals and events hosted and organized in Heidelberg throughout the year. In February, the Ball der Vampire (Ball
of the Vampires)[37] is arranged and Fasching, the equivalent of Mardi Gras or Carnival in some German regions, with a
giant vampire-themed costume party at the local castle or city hall is celebrated. In March or April the Heidelberger
Frühling, the Classic Music Festival and the international Easter egg market are conducted. During the last weekend of April
there is an annually organized half marathon. In the summertime there are the Frühlingsmesse on the Messeplatz (May) and
Illumination of the castle and bridge with lights and fireworks take place. In September, on the last Saturday the Old Town
Autumn Festival is held.[38] It includes a Medieval Market, an arts and crafts market, a flea market, and music from Samba
to Rock. During October or November there are the Heidelberger Theater Days and the Enjoy Jazz festival. Every year in
November the International Filmfestival Mannheim-Heidelberg take place in the city, too. The festival presents arthouse
films of international newcomer directors and is held jointly by both of the cities.[39] During Christmas there is a Christmas
market throughout the oldest part of the city. A famous gift is the chocolate called Heidelberger Studentenkuss (student kiss).

Cinemas
The nationwide trend of cinema closures hit Heidelberg harder than many other places in Germany.[40][41][42]

Recent years saw the low-point of this development, when in this city of over 150,000 people there were just three small
cinemas left, with a total capacity of under 450 seats.[43] The situation has slightly improved since late 2017, when
Heidelberg got a new multiplex adjacent to the new Bahnstadt development, the "Luxor Filmpalast".

Luxor shows mainly Blockbuster movies in German, but some showings in English are on offer for selected films.[44]

The small 2-screen cinema "Gloria/Gloriette" (Old Town), together with the affiliated "Kamera" (Neuenheim) offers
arthouse and independent films, with some showings being offered in the films original language, usually with German
subtitles.[45]
The non-profit "Karlstorkino" (at the far eastern edge of the Old Town, next to the river) offers international arthouse fare
and the occasional documentary. The vast majority of non-German films at this cinema are shown in their original language
with either English or German subtitles, depending on the film.[46]

Museums and exhibitions

Among the most prominent museums of Heidelberg are for instance the Carl Bosch Museum which shows life and work of
chemist and Nobel Prize-winner Carl Bosch. Then there is the Documentation and Culture Centre of German Sinti and Roma
(Dokumentations- und Kulturzentrum Deutscher Sini und Roma) describing the Nazi genocide of the Sinti and Roma
peoples. The German Packing Museum (Deutsches Verpackungsmuseum) gives an overview of the history of packing and
wrapping goods, whereas the German Pharmacy Museum (Deutsches Apothekenmuseum) which is located in the castle
illustrates the history of Pharmacy in Germany. The Kurpfälzisches Museum (Palatinate Museum) offers a great art
collection and some Roman archeological artifacts from the region. In honour of Friedrich Ebert the President Friedrich
Ebert Memorial, which commemorates the life of Germany's first democratic head of state, was established. Besides, there
are guided tours in most of the historical monuments of Heidelberg, as well as organized tourist tours through the city
available in several languages.

Heidelberg Romanticism
Heidelberg was the centre of the epoch of Romantik (Romanticism) in Germany. The
phase after Jena Romanticism is often called Heidelberg Romanticism (see also
Berlin Romanticism). There was a famous circle of poets (the Heidelberg
Romantics), such as Joseph von Eichendorff, Johann Joseph von Görres, Ludwig
Achim von Arnim, and Clemens Brentano. A relic of Romanticism is the
Philosophers' Walk (German: Philosophenweg), a scenic walking path on the nearby
Heiligenberg, overlooking Heidelberg.

The Romantik epoch of German philosophy and literature, was described as a Romantic view of Heidelberg Castle
movement against classical and realistic theories of literature, a contrast to the ruins by Karl Philipp Fohr, 1815,
Hessisches Landesmuseum
rationality of the Age of Enlightenment. It elevated medievalism and elements of art
Darmstadt
and narrative perceived to be from the medieval period. It also emphasized folk art,
nature, and an epistemology based on nature, which included human activity
conditioned by nature in the form of language, custom and usage.

Old Heidelberg
In 1901 Wilhelm Meyer-Förster wrote the play Old Heidelberg which was followed by a large number of film adaptations. It
was the basis for Sigmund Romberg's 1924 operetta The Student Prince which was itself turned into a film of the same title.

I Lost My Heart in Heidelberg

The 1925 song "I Lost My Heart in Heidelberg" composed by Fred Raymond was a major hit and inspired a stage musical
and two films. It remains the theme song of Heidelberg.

Sport
Heidelberg is one of the centres of Rugby union in Germany, along with Hanover. In 2008–09, four out of nine clubs in the
Rugby-Bundesliga were from Heidelberg, these being RG Heidelberg, who play at the Fritz-Grunebaum-Sportpark, SC
Neuenheim, Heidelberger RK, and TSV Handschuhsheim. Heidelberger TV has a rugby department.

Rugby League Deutschland has two teams based in Heidelberg, Heidelberg Sharks formed in 2005 and Rohrbach Hornets
formed in 2007.
The city is also home to the USC Heidelberg (Academics Heidelberg), which won 9
German Basketball Championships and remains the second most successful team in
the history of German professional basketball. Today, the club plays in Germany's
second division ProA. It is primarily known for its youth department which
developed several members of Germany's senior national basketball team.

Heidelberger SC and SG Heidelberg-Kirchheim are local football teams.

The city hosted events during the 1972 Summer Paralympics.

Kayaking, sailing and rowing near
They also hosted the 2019 WU24 Championships from 13 to 20 July. It was the fifth the Neckarinsel at sunset
edition of this world championship and marked the third time Germany has hosted an
ultimate frisbee tournament.[47]

Germany's oldest tennis club, which was founded in the year 1890, is located in
Heidelberg.

Twin towns – sister cities

Academics Heidelberg huddle in
Heidelberg is twinned with:[48] January 2023.

Montpellier, France (1961)

Cambridge, United Kingdom (1965)
Rehovot, Israel (1983)
Bautzen, Germany (1991)
Simferopol, Ukraine (1991)
Kumamoto, Japan (1992)
Palo Alto, United States (2017)
Hangzhou, China (2017)

Friendly cities
Heidelberg also has friendly relations with:

Calamba, Philippines
Heidelberg, South Africa
Jelenia Góra, Poland
Mostar, Bosnia and Herzegovina

In popular culture

Popular movies, TV and games

Heidelberg appears, in fact, in the manga comic Monster (manga), by Naoki Urasawa. Heidelberg appears,
too, in its correspondent adapatation to the anime Monster (TV)
Heidelberg features in the 1968 film The Girl on a Motorcycle, the university being the ultimate destination of
Marianne Faithfull's character.
Heidelberg also features during a mission in the Electronic Arts strategy game Red Alert 3.
Morris from America takes places in Heidelberg.
In the Watchmen TV series which serves as alternate direct sequels to the original Watchmen graphic novel,
Dr. Manhattan aka Jonathan "Jon" Osterman aka Calvin "Cal" Abar (né Jelani), is said to be born in
Heidelberg, Germany and immigrates to the US along with his father.
Heidelberg is also revealed to be the home town of Sergeant Schultz on Hogan's Heroes.
in a Hallmark Channel movie: A Heidelberg Holiday. (15 November 2023)
 In the sitcom The Big Bang Theory, Sheldon Cooper said he went to Heidelberg University as a visiting
professor when he was a teenager.

Popular literature
Heidelberg Castle forms the setting for the beginning of Mark Twain's story The Awful German Language.
Most of David Lodge's novel Out of the Shelter takes place in Heidelberg in 1951 during the American
occupation after World War II.
Heidelberg is the home of a professional Quidditch team operating within the fictional Harry Potter universe:
the Heidelberg Harriers have been described as "fiercer than a dragon and twice as clever".[49]
Heidelberg is the residence of fictional character Nina Fortner/Anna Liebert in the anime/manga series
Monster, by Naoki Urasawa.
Heidelberg also features in Somerset Maugham's Of Human Bondage and its film versions.
Heidelberg also is he setting of some German crime novels, for example by Wolfgang Burger (protagonist:
Detective Gerlach) or Carlo Schäfer (protagonist: Detective Theurer).

Notable people

Public service and business

Franciscus Junius (1591–1677, a pioneer of Germanic philology.[50]
Frederick Schomberg, 1st Duke of Schomberg (1615–1690), army officer, died at the
Battle of the Boyne.[51]
Karl Philipp von Wrede (1767–1838), Bavarian field marshal.[52]
Nicholas Trübner (1817–1884), German-English publisher, bookseller and linguist.[53]
José Rizal (1861–1896), national hero of the Philippines; attended local medical lectures
in 1880's.[54]
Friedrich Ebert
Friedrich Ebert (1871–1925), President of Germany 1919–1925.[55] first President of
Marie Bernays (1883–1939), politician, educator, writer and women's rights activist; lived Germany, 1925
and studied locally.
Charles A. Willoughby (1892–1972), major general in the U.S. Army.
Hans-Georg Gadamer (1900–2002), Heidelberg University philosophy Chair from 1949-
1968
Albert Speer (1905–1981), German architect and Third Reich minister, lived locally in his
youth
Hans Kroh (1907–1967), German officer in Wehrmacht and Bundeswehr
Ferdinand Thomas, (DE Wiki) (1913–1944), resistance fighter
Ananda Mahidol (1925–1946), King of Thailand from 1935 to 1946, born locally
Ananda Mahidol,
Klaus Schütz (1926–2012), politician (SPD); Mayor of West Berlin 1967 to 1977
1946
Ernst Albrecht (1930–2014), politician (CDU), Minister-president of Lower Saxony, father
of Ursula von der Leyen
Heinz-Georg Baus (1934–2016), billionaire businessman, owned Bauhaus AG.
Hubert Burda (born 1940), billionaire publisher, owns Hubert Burda Media.
Hans-Peter Wild (born 1941), Swiss businessman and lawyer, owns Capri-Sun
Paul Kirchhof (born 1943), former justice of the Federal Constitutional Court, then local
law professor
Romani Rose (born 1946), a Romany activist and head of the Central Council of German
Sinti and Roma.
Bernd Schmitt (born 1957), marketing professor at Columbia University
Marc S. Ellenbogen (born 1963), entrepreneur and philanthropist, nominated by Barack Stephan
Obama to be U.S. Ambassador Harbarth, 2017
Oliver Zipse (born 1964), business executive, CEO of BMW since 2019.
Theresia Bauer (born 1965), politician (Green), local member of the Landtag of Baden-
Württemberg
 Jan Hatzius, (born 1968), chief economist at Goldman Sachs since 2011.
Christoph Ahlhaus (born 1969), politician (CDU), mayor of Hamburg 2010/2011.
Stephan Harbarth (born 1971), president of the Federal Constitutional Court, former lawyer and CDU
politician
Emily Perez (1983–2006), a 2nd. Lieutenant in the US Army the first female graduate of West Point to die in
Iraq

Arts
Caspar Netscher (1639–1684), a Dutch portrait and genre painter.[56]
Joseph Görres (1776–1848), writer, philosopher, theologian, historian and local University
lecturer.[57]
brothers Karl Philipp Fohr (1795–1818) & Daniel Fohr (1801-1862), painters
Carl Rottmann (1797–1850), landscape painter.[58]
Charles Beck (1798–1866), American classical scholar.[59]
Ernst Fries (1801–1833), painter, worked on a transition from Romanticism to Realism. Caspar Netscher,
Jakob Götzenberger (1802–1866), mural painter and portraitist.[60] self portrait
Caroline Bauer (1807–1877), actress of the Biedermeier era
Ernst Jünger (1895–1998), German author, officer, botanist and entomologist, wrote
Storm of Steel
Muhammad Iqbal (1877–1938), South Asian poet and philosopher; studied locally
Marie Marcks (1922–2014), graphic artist and cartoonist; the Grande Dame of political
caricature
Viola Farber (1931–1998) an American choreographer and dancer.
Michael Hampe (1935–2022), theatre and opera director
Bernhard Schlink (born 1944), lawyer, academic and novelist; wrote The Reader
Jackson Browne (born 1948), singer-songwriter and musician Michael
Nico Hofmann, (DE Wiki) (born 1959), film director, film producer, screenwriter and Fassbender,
businessman 2013
Arvid Boecker (born 1964) painter and curator, lives and works locally
Ellen Ehni (born 1973), journalist and TV editor
Michael Fassbender (born 1977), German-Irish actor
Paul Ripke (born 1981), fashion and sports photographer and music video director
Marcel Cartier (born 1984), hip-hop artist, journalist, filmmaker, writer and political commentator

Science
Heinrich Georg Bronn (1800–1862), geologist and paleontologist.[61]
Robert Bunsen (1811–1899), German chemist, developed the Bunsen burner; died
locally.[62]
Emil Bessels (1847–1888), zoologist, entomologist, physician, and Arctic researcher.[63]
Carl Bosch (1874–1940) chemist and engineer, awarded Nobel Prize in Chemistry in
1931
Karl Wilhelm Reinmuth (1892–1979), astronomer and a prolific discoverer of 395 minor
planets. Wolfgang
Ernst Ruska (1906–1988), physicist who won the Nobel Prize in Physics in 1986, worked Ketterle, 2007
on electron optics
Harald zur Hausen (1936–2023), virologist, awarded Nobel Prize in Physiology or
Medicine in 2008, died locally
Theodor W. Hänsch (born 1941), physicist, won one-fourth of the 2005 Nobel Prize in Physics for
spectroscopy
 Wolfgang Ketterle (born 1957), physicist, professor at MIT, awarded Nobel Prize in Physics in 2001

Sport
Helene Mayer (1910–1953), German and American fencer, gold medallist at the 1928
Summer Olympics, died locally
Dieter Freise (1945–2018), field hockey player, team gold medallist at the 1972 Summer
Olympics
Günter Haritz (born 1948), retired road and track cyclist, Team Pursuit gold medallist at
the 1972 Summer Olympics
Michael Peter (1949–1997), field hockey player, team captain gold medallist at the 1972
Summer Olympics
Volker Weidler (born 1962), retired racing driver, won the 24 Hours of Le Mans in 1991. Hansi Flick, 2022
Hansi Flick (born 1965), football player and manager of the Germany national football
team
Nelson Piquet Jr. (born 1985), Brazilian former Formula One racing driver, son of Nelson Piquet (born 1952)
Kehoma Brenner (born 1986), rugby union player, played 46 games for Germany national rugby union team
Juan José Chang (born 1987), football manager of the Samoa women's national football team.
Ashley Wagner (born 1991), American figure skater, bronze medallist at 2014 Winter Olympics
Jonas Hofmann (born 1992), footballer, played over 330 games and 23 for Germany
Elisabeth Seitz (born 1993), Olympic artistic gymnast
Malaika Mihambo (born 1994), long jumper, gold medallist at the 2020 Summer Olympics and world
champion in 2019 and 2022

Aristocracy
Louis I, Count of Löwenstein (1463–1523), founded the House of Lowenstein-
Wertheim.[64]
Frederick V (1596–1632), Count Palatine and Elector of the Palatinate 1610-1623 and
King of Bohemia (as FrederickI), 1619-1620 fought the Siege of Heidelberg in 1622.[65]
Silvia Renate Sommerlath (born 1943), Queen of Sweden Frederick V;
Elector Palatine,
King of Bohemia
See also
Baden-
Württemberg
portal
Germany portal

Heidelberg Center for American Studies

Heidelberg University
Schiller International University

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Further reading
Cser, Andreas (2007). Kleine Geschichte der Stadt Heidelberg und ihrer Universität [Short history of the city
of Heidelberg and its University] (in German). Karlsruhe: Verlag G. Braun. ISBN 978-3-7650-8337-2.
Remy, Steven P. (2002). The Heidelberg Myth: The Nazification and Denazification of a German University.
Cambridge: Harvard University Press. ISBN 0-674-00933-9.
"Heidelberg" ([Link] The Rhine from
Rotterdam to Constance, Leipsic: Karl Baedeker, 1882, OCLC 7416969 ([Link]
6969)
"Heidelberg" ([Link] The Rhine,
including the Black Forest & the Vosges, Leipzig: Karl Baedeker, 1911, OCLC 21888483 ([Link]
[Link]/oclc/21888483)

External links
Heidelberg travel guide from Wikivoyage
"Heidelberg" ([Link]
Encyclopædia Britannica. Vol. 13 (11th ed.). 1911. pp. 209–211.
Official site of Heidelberg ([Link] a small English section is available
Audio Tour in the Castle of Heidelberg ([Link]
U.S. Army Garrison Heidelberg homepage ([Link]
[Link]/)
Heidelberg American High School ([Link]
[Link]/), The official site of Heidelberg American High School

Retrieved from "[Link]