Heidelberg

Heidelberg is a city in Baden-Württemberg, Germany. As of 2008, over 145,000 people live within the city's 109 km² area. Heidelberg is a unitary authority. The Rhein-Neckar-Kreis rural district surrounds and has its seat in the city, but the city is not a part of the district.

Heidelberg lies on the river Neckar at the point where it leaves its narrow, steep valley in the Odenwald to flow into the Rhine valley. 20 km northwest of Heidelberg, it joins the river Rhine at Mannheim. Heidelberg is part of a densely populated region known as the Rhine-Neckar Metropolitan Region.

History
Between 600,000 and 200,000 years ago, the "Heidelberg Man" died at nearby Mauer. His jaw-bone was discovered in 1907; with scientific dating, his remains were determined to be 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 "Mountain of Saints". 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 Romans built and maintained castra (permanent camps) and a signalling tower on the bank of the Neckar. They built a wooden bridge based on stone pillars across the river Neckar. The camp protected the first civilian settlements that developed. The Romans remained until 260 AD, when the camp was conquered by German tribes.

Modern Heidelberg can trace its beginnings to the 5th century. The village Bergheim ("Mountain Home") is first mentioned in that period, in documents dated to 769 AD. Bergheim now lies in the middle of modern Heidelberg.

The people gradually converted to Christianity. In 863 AD, the monastery of St. Michael was founded on the Heiligenberg inside the double rampart of the Celtic fortress. Around 1130, the Neuberg 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 the founding date for Heidelberg.

In 1155, Heidelberg castle and its neighboring settlement were taken over by the house of Hohenstaufen. Conrad of Hohenstaufen became "Count Palatine of the Rhine" (Pfalzgraf bei Rhein). In 1195, the Palatinate passed to the House of Welf through marriage.



In 1225, Louis I, Duke of Bavaria obtained the Palatinate, and thus 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, the University of Heidelberg was founded by Rupert I, Elector Palatine. The University played a leading part in the era of humanism and reformation and the conflict between Lutheranism and Calvinism in the 15th and 16th centuries. Heidelberg's library, founded in 1421, is the oldest public library in Germany still intact. A few months after the proclamation of the 95 theses, in April 1518, Martin Luther was received in Heidelberg, to defend them.

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

In November 1619, the royal crown of Bohemia was offered to the Elector, Frederick V. (He was married to Elizabeth, eldest daughter of James I of Great Britain). He became known as the "winter king", as he reigned for only one winter before the Imperial house of Habsburg regained the crown by force.

This 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 Heidelberg. He gave the famous Bibliotheca Palatina from the Church of the Holy Ghost to the Pope as a present. The Catholic Bavarian branch of the house of Wittelsbach gained control over the Palatinate and the title of Prince-Elector. In 1648, at the end of the war, Frederick V's son Charles I Louis, Elector Palatine, was able to recover his titles and lands.

To strengthen his dynasty, Frederick arranged the marriage of his daughter Liselotte to Philip I, Duke of Orléans, the brother of Louis XIV, king of France. In 1685, after the death of Charles Louis' son Elector Charles II, 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 city and castle, bringing nearly total destruction to the area in 1693.

As a result of destruction due to repeated French invasions related to the War of the Palatinate Succession coupled with severe winters, thousands of Protestant German Palatines emigrated from the lower Palatinate in the early 1700s. They fled to other European cities (where the refugees were called "the poor Palatines") and especially to London. 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. They worked off their passage and later settled in the English colonies.

In 1720, religious conflicts with the mostly Protestant citizens of Heidelberg after he assigned a major church for exclusively Catholic use caused the Roman Catholic Prince-Elector Charles III Philip to transfer his residence to nearby Mannheim. 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. Heidelberg fell to the Grand Duchy of Baden in the year 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 city was rebuilt in Baroque style on the old Gothic layout.

In 1810, the French revolution-emigrant 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 in Heidelberg. In 1849, during the Palatinate-Baden rebellion of the German Wars of Revolution, 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, the University of Heidelberg became the center of notable physicians: Czerny, Erb, and Krehl; and humanists: Rohde, Weber, and Gundolf.

Nazi and post-war era
During the Nazi regime (1933–1945), Heidelberg was a stronghold of the NSDAP, the strongest party in the elections before 1933. The NSDAP received approximately 50% of the votes in the last free elections before WWII.

Non-Aryan university staff were discriminated against. By 1939, one-third of the university's staff had been forced out due to racial and political reasons.

During the Kristallnacht on 9 November 1938, Nazis burned down synagogues at two locations in the city. The next day they started systematic deportation of Jews, and sent 150 Jews to the Dachau concentration camp. On 22 October 1940, during the "Wagner Buerckel event", the Nazis deported 6000 local Jews, including 280 from Heidelberg, to a concentration camp in France, Camp Gurs.

Between 1934 and 1935, the Reichsarbeitsdienst (State labor service) and University of Heidelberg students built a huge amphitheatre, called "Thingstätte", located on the Heiligenberg north of the old part of Heidelberg for Nazi (NSDAP) and SS events. A few months later, the inauguration of a huge memorial cemetery (Ehrenfriedhof) completed the second and last NSDAP project in Heidelberg. This cemetery is located on the southern side of the old part of town, a little south of the Königstuhl hilltop. During WWII and after, Wehrmacht soldiers were buried there.

On 29 March 1945, the Wehrmacht 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 forces (3rd Infantry, 7th Army) entered Heidelberg on 30 March 1945. The civilian population surrendered Heidelberg without resistance.

Some historians suggested Heidelberg escaped bombing in WWII because the U.S. Army wanted to use the city as a garrison after the war. As Heidelberg was neither an industrial center nor a transport hub, it did not present a target of opportunity. Other notable university towns, such as Tübingen and Göttingen, were spared from bombing as well. Allied air raids focused extensively on the nearby industrial cities of Mannheim and Ludwigshafen.

The U.S. Army likely chose Heidelberg as a garrison base due to its excellent infrastructure; including the Autobahn (freeway) Heidelberg-Mannheim, which connected to the Autobahn Mannheim-Darmstadt-Frankfurt, and the U.S. Army installations in Mannheim and Frankfurt. The intact railroad infrastructure was more important in the late 1940s and early 1950s, when most heavy loads were still shuttled by train, not by truck. Additionally, Heidelberg had the untouched "Grossdeutschland Kaserne" Wehrmacht installation. The US Army used it as the Campbell Barracks soon after.

In 1945, the University re-opened at the initiative of surgeon Karl Heinrich Bauer and philosopher Karl Jaspers.

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

During the post-war Occupation, the U.S. Army used the Thingsstätte 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 (Witches' Night, also called Walpurgis Night), the night of 30 April, are a regular "underground" fixture at the Thingstätte. Thousands of mostly young people spontaneously 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 trash left behind.

Climate
Heidelberg experiences an oceanic climate (Köppen climate classification Cfb).

The old town

 * The "old town" (Altstadt), located at the southern side of the Neckar, is long and narrow. It is dominated by the ruins of the Heidelberg Castle, 80 metres above the Neckar on the steep, wooded side of the Königstuhl (King's chair or throne) hill.
 * 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 was an arsenal of the Heidelberg Castle in which several different goods were stored. The 19th-century building was built in a neo-classical style. Since 1971, the Marstall has housed lecture halls of the university.


 * 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. Baroque tower helmets were added as part of the erection of the stone bridge in 1788.



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. 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 century, 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 30 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; castle stones were taken to build new houses in Heidelberg. This was stopped in 1800 by Count Charles de Graimberg who then began the preservation of the Heidelberg Castle.

Although the interior is in Gothic style, the King's Hall was not built until 1934. Today, the hall is used for festivities, e.g. dinner banquets, balls and theatre performances. During the Heidelberg Castle Festival in the summer, the courtyard is the site of open air musicals, operas, theatre performances, and classical concerts performed by the Heidelberg Philharmonics.

The castle is surrounded by a park, where the famous poet Johann von Goethe once walked. The Heidelberger Bergbahn funicular railway runs from Heidelberg's Kornmakt to the summit of the Königstuhl via the castle.



Philosophers' Walk
On the northern side of the Neckar is located the Heiligenberg, with the remains of the Celtic fortress and the Philosophers' Walk (Philosophenweg). Its name comes from the practice of Heidelberg's philosophers and university professors of walking and talking here. It has excellent views of the old town and castle.

University of Heidelberg
Heidelberg is home to one of Europe's oldest educational institutions, the Ruprecht Karls University founded in 1386. It is commonly known as the University of Heidelberg. Among the prominent thinkers associated with the university are Georg Wilhelm Friedrich Hegel, Karl Jaspers, Hans-Georg Gadamer, Jürgen Habermas, Karl-Otto Apel and Hannah Arendt.

Karl Drais, who invented the bicycle in 1817, was a student there. At the University of Heidelberg, chemists Posselt and Reimann discovered that nicotine was the main pharmacologically active component of tobacco. In 1860, Robert Bunsen and Kirchhoff discovered spectrum analysis here. Despite this long legacy of academic excellence, the University of Heidelberg was the first to expel all its Jewish professors and students when the Nazis rose to power.

The European Molecular Biology Laboratory, European Molecular Biology Organization, the German Cancer Research Center, 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, and Botanischer Garten der Universität Heidelberg (university botanical garden) are located in Heidelberg.

Notable alumni
Robert Wilhelm Bunsen, Otto Meyerhof, Wolfgang Ketterle, Georg Wittig and Carl Bosch (all except Bunsen were winners of the Nobel prize).

Heidelberg churches
Church of the Holy Spirit: This church 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.

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.

Church of the Jesuits: Construction of the Church of the Jesuits (Catholic) began in 1712. It was completed with the addition of a bell tower from 1866 - 1872. The church is also home to the Museum für sakrale Kunst und Liturgie (Museum of Ecclesiastical Arts).

Providence Church: This church (Protestant Evangelical) was built from 1659 to 1661. The Prince Elector of the Palatinate Karl Ludwig named it, meaning “God will ensure.” The church was destroyed in 1693 from war, but was rebuilt in 1700. The north tower was added in 1717. In the late 1800s, the interior was redecorated in a neo-Renaissance style. The church contains the oldest organ in Heidelberg, made here by organ builder Matthias Burkard.

St. Peter's Church: St. Peter's Church (now Lutheran) is the oldest church in Heidelberg. It was built by early Christians (Catholics) sometime during the 12th century. There is no documentation of the date.

Church of the Redeemer: The Erloeserkirche is a former Dominican Convent chapel, completed in 1724. Between the mid-19th century and 1914, the English-speaking community in Heidelberg used it for worship. In 1936 it became the parish church of the Old Catholics. Since 1971, they have shared it with an Anglican congregation.

Museums and Exhibitions
Carl Bosch Museum: shows life and work of chemist and Nobel Prize-winner Carl Bosch.

Documentation and Culture Centre of German Sinti and Roma (Dokumentations- und Kulturzentrum Deutscher Sini und Roma): honors the Nazi genocide of the Sinti and Roma peoples.

German Packing Museum (Deutsches Verpackungsmuseum): gives an overview on the history of packing and wrapping goods.

German Pharmacy Museum (Deutsches Apothekenmuseum): located in the castle.

Palatinate Museum (Kurpfälzisches Museum): offers a great art collection and some Roman archeological artifacts from the region.

President Friedrich Ebert Memorial: remembers the life of Germany's first democratic head of state.

Romanticism of Heidelberg
Heidelberg was the centre of the epoch of Romantik (Romanticism) in Germany. There was a famous circle of poets, such as Joseph von Eichendorff, Johann Joseph von Görres, Arnim, and Clemens Brentano. A relic of Romanticism is the Philosophers' Walk (Philosophenweg), a scenic walking path on the nearby Heiligenberg, overlooking Heidelberg.

The Romantik epoch of German philosophy and literature, was described as a movement against classical and realistic theories of literature, a contrast to the rationality of the Age of Enlightenment. It elevated medievalism and elements of art 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.

City districts
Heidelberg consists of fourteen districts which are distributed in six sectors of the city. In the central area of the city are Altstadt, Bergheim, and Weststadt. In north Heidelberg are Neuenheim and Handschuhsheim. In the east are Ziegelhausen and Schlierbach. In the south are Südstadt, Rohrbach, Emmertsgrund, and Boxberg and in the southwest is Kirchheim. In the west are Bahnstadt, Pfaffengrund, and Wieblingen.

A new city district, tentatively named "Bahnstadt", is planned on land located within Weststadt and Wieblingen. The new district will have approximately 5,000-6,000 residents and employment for 7,000.

Tourism
In 2004, 81.8% of all 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 3.5 million visitors every year.

Many events are organized to attract visitors:
 * Spring, the "Heidelberger Frühling" Classic Music Festival and the international Easter egg market are conducted.
 * July and August, the "Heidelberger Castle Festival" (which produces Student Prince and others)
 * Illumination of the castle and bridge with lights and fireworks - The first Saturday in June and September, and the 2nd Saturday in July
 * The "old town" autumn festival in September - includes a Medieval Market, an arts and crafts market, a flea market, and music from Samba to Rock.
 * Advent, a Christmas market throughout the oldest part of the city. A famous chocolate is called Heidelberger Studentenkuss (student kiss).

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

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 loctated in Walldorf. Soft-drink company Wild-Werke, manufacturer of the Capri-Sonne (Capri-Sun in the U.S.) is located in Heidelberg-Kirchheim.

With its long Hauptstrasse, Heidelberg is a shopping destination for people from the surrounding smaller towns.

Railways
Heidelberg has a railway station on the Rhine Valley Railway and Intercity Express (ICE) stops. This station is also served by the RheinNeckar S-Bahn.

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. Several military installations remain, including Campbell Barracks (the former Wehrmacht Grossdeutschland-Kaserne), where headquarters for several units are located. These include 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 are both in Südstadt; Patton Barracks is in nearby Kirchheim. Nachrichten Kaserne in Rohrbach is home to the former Heidelberg Army Hospital, now designated the Heidelberg Health Center.

Patrick Henry Village, the largest U.S. military housing area in the Heidelberg area, is located west of Kirchheim. These installations, including Tompkins Barracks and Kilbourne Kaserne in nearby Schwetzingen, plus the Germersheim Depot, make up U.S. Army Garrison Heidelberg. (Link to the U.S. Army Garrison Web site).Tompkins Barracks is home to U.S. Army Installation Management Command Europe Region. The Heidelberg U.S. Army Air Field (Heidelberg AAF) has been converted to a n heliport (mostly Blackhawk Helicopters) after the NATO Kosovo campaign.

The children of the Department of Defense employees based in Heidelberg tend to attend US Army-operated schools on site. There are four schools of this kind in Heidelberg. This means that most American families and their children have little contact with local children or the population in general. Since 2002, the isolation has become more noted, as most US installations and Barracks have been fenced. Access is limited to US Army staff and their families only. The much-enjoyed fair that was held for decades at Patrick Henry Village has been canceled since the stepped up security following 9/11.

On 19 October 2009 the U.S. Army announced that it will be building new headquarters for USAREUR in Wiesbaden. When the move from Heidelberg to Wiesbaden will take place is not yet clear. The new building is scheduled to be completed by the end of 2012.

Events

 * February: "Ball der Vampire" (Ball of the Vampires) - Celebrating "Fasching" (the equivalent of Mardis Gras or Carnival in some German regions) with a giant vampire-themed costume party at the local castle or city hall
 * March/April: "Heidelberger Frühling" - Classic Music Festival
 * April: Half marathon - last weekend
 * May: Frühlingsmesse on the Messplatz
 * June, July and September: Heidelberger Schlossbeleuchtung fireworks display on philosophy's way, the old bridge crossing the river Neckar below the castle and the castle itself. The 1st Saturday of June and September and the second Saturday of July are the annual dates.
 * September, each last Saturday: "Old Town Autumn Festival".
 * October/November: Heidelberger Theater Days, "Enjoy Jazz", Stepdance -Festival and Workshops
 * November: "International Filmfestival Mannheim-Heidelberg"

Rugby union
Heidelberg is one of the centres of German rugby, alongside Hannover. In 2008-09, four out of nine clubs in the Rugby-Bundesliga were from Heidelberg, these being the RG Heidelberg, SC Neuenheim, Heidelberger RK and TSV Handschuhsheim. Additionally, the Heidelberger TV also has a rugby department.

International relations
Heidelberg maintains sister city relationships (Städtepartnerschaft) with the following cities:


 * Cambridge, United Kingdom, since 1957
 * 🇫🇷 Montpellier, France, since 1961
 * 🇮🇱 Rehovot, Israel, since 1983
 * 🇺🇦 Simferopol, Ukraine, since 1991
 * 🇩🇪 Bautzen, Saxony, since 1991
 * 🇯🇵 Kumamoto, Japan, since 1992

Use in popular culture
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”.

Notable Residences

 * Ananda Mahidol (1925–1946), King of Thailand
 * Heinrich Neal (1870–1940) composer, directed the Heidelberg Conservatory of Music.
 * Dietmar Hopp (1940- ) software entrepreneur.
 * Antje Duvekot (1976- ) singer-songwriter.
 * Klaus Schütz (1926- ) politician
 * Christiane Schmidtmer ( -2003 her death) actress and model