HEIDELBERG

'Heidelberg' is a city in Baden-Württemberg, Germany. As of 2005, 140,000 people live within the city's 109 km² ( 42 miles²) area. The town of Heidelberg is an administrative district of its own. Although not being part of it, the Rhein Neckar Kreis, the rural district, which surrounds the town, has its seat in Heidelberg. The name Heidelberg is an adaptation of ''Heidelbeerenberg'' (the German for Blueberry Mountain).
Heidelberg lies on the river Neckar at the point where the it leaves its narrow, steep valley in the Odenwald to flow into the Rhine valley where, 20 kilometers (12.4 miles) Northwest of Heidelberg, it joins the river Rhine at Mannheim. Heidelberg is part of a densely populated region called Rhein-Neckar-Triangle.

Contents

History

Historical sites

The old town

Heidelberg Castle

Philosophers' Walk

University of Heidelberg

Romanticism of Heidelberg

City districts

Economy

Tourism

University

Industry

Events

International relations

Gallery

Well-known Heidelbergers

Trivia

See also

External links

References

History

Approximately 600,000 years ago, the "Heidelberg Man", whose jaw-bone was discovered in 1907, the earliest evidence of human life in Europe, died at nearby Mauer.
In the fifth century B.C.E., there was a Celtic fortress of refuge and place of worship 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). In the year 260, the camp was conquered by German tribes.
Circa 80 AD, the Romans would build and maintain ''castra'' (permanent camps) and a signalling tower on the bank of the Neckar, and build a wooden bridge across the Neckar. The first civilian settlements would develop under the protection of the camp. The Romans would remain until 260 AD.
Modern Heidelberg can trace its beginnings to the fifth century, when the village ''Bergheim'' ("Mountain Home") is first mentioned in documents dated to 769. ''Bergheim'' now lays in the middle of modern Heidelberg.
In 863 the monastery of St. Michael was founded on the ''Heiligenberg'' inside the double rampart of the Celtic fortress, and 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 monastery.
In 1155, Heidelberg castle and and its neighboring settlement are taken over by the house of Hohenstaufen, and Conrad of Hohenstaufen becomes "Count Palatine of the Rhine" ().
In 1195, the Palatinate joins the House of Welf through marriage.
The first reference to Heidelberg can be found in a document in Schönau Abbey dated to 1196 AD. This is considered the founding date for Heidelberg.
In 1225, Louis I, Duke of Bavaria obtains the Palatinate, and thus also the castle, which is mentioned in a document.
In 1303, two castles are mentioned; the one located further up the mountain is destroyed in a gunpowder explosion in 1537. The palace of today was then built at the site of the lower castle.
In 1356, the Counts Palatine are granted far-reaching rights in the "Golden Bull" in addition to the 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 1620, the royal crown of Bohemia was offered to the Elector, Frederick V (married to Elizabeth, eldest daughter of James VI of Scotland). He became known as the "winter king", as he only reigned for one winter until the Imperial house of Habsburg regained the crown by force. This 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.
In order to strengthen his dynastic power, he married 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 claim was rejected, and war ensued. In 1689, city and castle were both taken by French troops, who brought about an almost total destruction in 1693.
In 1720, religious conflicts with the citizens of Heidelberg caused the Prince-Elector Charles III Philip to transfer his residence to nearby Mannheim, where it remained until the Elector Charles Theodore became Elector of Bavaria in 1777 and established his court in Munich.
In 1742, Elector Karl Theodor 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 1810, the French revolution-emigrant Count Charles Graimberg began with the preservation of the palace ruins and the establishment of a historical collection.
In the 18th century, the city was rebuilt in Baroque style on on the old Gothic layout.
In 1815, the Emperor of Austria, the Emperor of Russia and the King of Prussia formed the "Holy Alliance" in Heidelberg.
In 1848, it was decided to have a German National Assembly in Heidelberg. In 1849, during the Palatinate-Baden rebellion, Heidelberg was the headquarters of a revolutionary army which was defeated by a Prussian army near Waghaeusel. Until 1850, the city was occupied by Prussian troops.
Between 1920 and 1933, the University of Heidelberg's reputation was enhanced by a number of notable physicians (Czerny, Erb, Krehl) and humanists (Rohde, Weber, Gundolf).
During the Nazi regime (1933-1945), Heidelberg was a stronghold of the NSDAP, which was the strongest party in the elections before 1933. Non-Aryan university staff was discriminated against, and by 1939 the University had "lost" one third of its staff due to racial and political reasons. During the "Crystal Night" (''Kristallnacht'') on November 9, 1938, people of Heidelberg burned down synagogues at two locations in the city. The next day systematic deportation of Jews started, and 150 Jews were sent to the Dachau concentration camp. On October 22, 1940 during the "Wagner Buerckel event", 6000 local Jews, including 280 from Heidelberg, got deported to the camp Gurs. Overall, 1933 to 1945 was not a bright spot in the history of Heidelberg. Between 1934 to 1935, the Nazi regime built a huge amphitheatre on the ''Heiligenberg'' north of the old part of Heidelberg for the SS events. The theatre is called ''Thingstätte'' and is still used for occasional concerts and events. It's one of the few grim reminders of the darkest time in Heidelberg's history.
It has been theorized that Heidelberg escaped bombing in the Second World War because the US Army wanted to use Heidelberg as a garrison after the war. In fact, as Heidelberg was neither an industrial center or transportation hub, there was nothing worth bombing in Heidelberg and Allied air raids focused on the nearby industrial cities of Mannheim and Ludwigshafen. In 1945, thanks to the surgeon Karl Heinrich Bauer and the philosopher Karl Jaspers, the University re-opened.

Historical sites

The old town

The ''old town'', in German ''Altstadt'', located at the southern side of the Neckar, is long and narrow and is dominated by the ruins of the Heidelberg Castle which perches 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 honor of the Prince Elector Karl Theodor, located at Heidelberg's very east. It was erected from 1775 until 1781 and designed by Nicolas de Pigage
The house "Zum Ritter Sankt Georg" (Knight St. George) is one of the few buildings, which survived the war of succession. The building opposite of the Church of the Holy Spirit was build in the style of the late Renaissance period. The house 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 we see today was created in a neo-classical style. Since 1971, the "Marstall" houses lecture halls of the university.
The old bridge is a stone bridge which was erected from 1786 to 1788. There is a medieval bridge gate on the side of the old town, originally part of its town wall. Baroque tower helmets were added as part of the erection of the stone bridge in 1788.

Heidelberg Castle

Main articles: Heidelberg Castle

The castle is a mix of styles from Gothic to Renaissance.
Prince Elector Ruprecht III (1398 - 1410) erected the first representative building in the inner courtyard as a regal residence. The building was divided into a ground floor made of stone and framework upper levels. Another regal building is located opposite to 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 to Heidelberg.

In the 16th and 17th century the Prince Electors added two representative 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 westside 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). When Prince Elector Karl Theodor who resided in Schwetzingen tried to restore the castle, lightning struck the Castle in 1764 and finished all attempts to rebuild the castle. Later on, the castle was misused as a quarry - castle stones helped to build new houses in Heidelberg. This was stopped in 1800 by Count Charles de Graimberg who made any effort he could to preserve the Heidelberg Castle. In spite of its Gothic interior, it was not before 1934, that the King's Hall was added.
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 City Orchestra.
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, the Heiligenberg with the remains of the celtic fortress and the Philosophers' Walk (Philosophenweg) is located. This Walk derives its name from the fact that Heidelberg's philosophers and university teachers are said to have once walked and talked here. It shows excellent views of the old town and castle.

University of Heidelberg

Heidelberg also is home to Europe's third oldest educational institute, the ''Ruprecht Karls University'' founded in 1386, more commonly known as the University of Heidelberg. Among the prominent thinkers to have been associated with the University over the centuries are Georg Wilhelm Friedrich Hegel, the philosopher of hermeneutics Hans-Georg Gadamer; the critical theorist Jürgen Habermas, and the discourse philosopher Karl-Otto Apel. Karl Drais, who invented the bicycle in 1817, was also a student. The university is also credited with chemists Posselt & Reimann's 1828 discovery of nicotine as the main pharmacologically active component of tobacco.
The European Molecular Biology Laboratory (EMBL), European Molecular Biology Organization (EMBO), The German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ), and several Max Planck Institutes (MPI) - the Max Planck Institute for Medical Research, the Max Planck Institute for Astronomy, the Max Planck Institute for Nuclear Physics and the Max Planck Institute for Comparative Public Law and International Law are located in Heidelberg.
A number of United States Military installations are present in and around Heidelberg, including the Headquarters of the United States Army in Europe (HQ USAREUR). These make up the U.S. Army Garrison Heidelberg. Additionally, a small number of NATO facilities are present on the installations, most notably HQ Allied Land Componant Command, Heidelberg (CC-Land Heidelberg).

Romanticism of Heidelberg

Heidelberg was the center of the epoch of "Romantik" (Romanticism) in Germany. There was a famous circle of poets such as Joseph von Eichendorff, Joseph von Görres, Arnim, and Brentano. A famous relic of Romanticism is the Philosophers´ Walk. The "Romantik" epoch of German philosophy and literature, was described as a movement against classical and realistic theories of literature, an antipole to the rationality of the Age of Enlightenment. It elevated medievalism and elements of art and narrative perceived to be from the medieval period as well as 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.
After World War II, Heidelberg was one of a 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, especially the Campbell Barracks (HQ USAREUR) and Mark Twain Village (both Südstadt), Patton Barracks in Kirchheim, and the MEDDAC Headquarters (Rohrbach).

Economy

Tourism

In 2004, 81.8% of all people worked for service industries, primarily in tourism. As a relic of the period of Romanticism, Heidelberg has been labeled a romantic town. This is used to attract more than 2.5 million visitors every year. Many events are organized to increase the attraction. In spring, the "Heidelberger Frühling" Classic Music Festival and the international easter egg market are conducted.
In July and August there is a "Heidelberger Castle Festival" (Student Prince and others)
On the first Saturday in June and September, and the 2nd Saturday in July – the castle and the old bridge are illuminated with lights and fireworks.
The old town autumn festival in September includes a Medieval Market with 40 booths, an arts and crafts market, a flea market and music from Samba to Rock.
During advent there is a Christmas market throughout the oldest part of the city.

University

Heidelberg still is a scientific center of its region. 18% of the people working in Heidelberg are employed by the University itself or a research establishment, which is linked to the University.

Industry

Only 18% of employment is provided by industry. Printing and publishing are important enterprises. Heidelberg with its long Hauptstrasse is a shopping magnet for the surrounding smaller towns.

Events

★ February: "Ball Der Vampire" (Ball of the Vampires) Celebrates Fasching (the German equivalent of Mardis Gras or Carnival) 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: The world famous fireworks display takes place. Main setting is the philosopy´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 easy to remember dates for the fireworks display every year.

★ September, each last Saturday: "Old Town Autumn Festival". Means Party all day long in the Heidelberg´s pedestrian zone, fleamarket, live bands...

★ October/November: Heidelberger Theater Days, "Enjoy Jazz", Stepdance-Festival and Workshops

★ November: "International Filmfestival Mannheim-Heidelberg" (bus-shuttle)

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

Gallery

Well-known Heidelbergers

The University is one of the oldest and best known academies in Europe, and has attracted and created many excellent and even famous scientists, including Robert Wilhelm Bunsen, Otto Meyerhof, Wolfgang Ketterle, Georg Wittig and Carl Bosch (all winners of the Nobel prize). For a list of famous sons and inhabitants of Heidelberg please see the German Wikipedia page

Trivia

★ Discovery of spectral analysis by Robert Bunsen and Kirchhoff in 1860.

See also

★ Noted pen manufacturer Lamy has its headquarters in Heidelberg.

★ Schiller International University

★ Heidelberg Center for American Studies

External links

★ Official site of Heidelberg, a small English section is available

★ Guide to the castle, available in 7 languages

★ German Wikipedia entries on and

★

★ Art in Heidelberg , Paintings and Sculptures by Shira Tal

★ U.S. Army Garrison Heidelberg homepage

★ castle theater

★ Heidelberg Printing Machines — Heidelberger Druckmaschinen

★ Heidelberg American High School, The official site of Heidelberg American High School

References

★ Steven P. Remy: ''The Heidelberg Myth: The Nazification and Denazification of a German University''. Cambridge: Harvard University Press, 2002. 329 P. ISBN 0-674-00933-9. (History about Spruchkammerverfahren-whitewashing in the proceedings before Dena. ..)