Heidelberg facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Heidelberg
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Heidelberg Castle and the "Old Bridge"
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| Country | Germany | |
| State | Baden-Württemberg | |
| Admin. region | Karlsruhe | |
| District | Stadtkreis | |
| Elevation | 114 m (374 ft) | |
| Population
(2019-12-31)
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| • Total | 161,485 | |
| Time zone | CET/CEST (UTC+1/+2) | |
| Postal codes |
69115 – 69126
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| Dialling codes | +49 6221 | |
| Vehicle registration | HD | |
| Website | www.heidelberg.de | |
Heidelberg is a city by the Neckar river in the south-west of Germany in the state of Baden-Württemberg.
It has about 150,000 inhabitants and a well-known university. The old town and the castle of Heidelberg are well-known tourist attractions of Germany.
Contents
Geography
Heidelberg is in the Rhine Rift Valley, on the left bank of the lower part of the Neckar in a steep valley in the Odenwald. It is bordered by the Königsstuhl (568 m) and the Gaisberg (375 m) mountains. The Neckar here flows in an east-west direction. On the right bank of the river, the Heiligenberg mountain rises to a height of 445 meters. The Neckar flows into the Rhine approximately 22 kilometres north-west in Mannheim. Villages incorporated during the 20th century stretch from the Neckar Valley along the Bergstraße, a road running along the Odenwald hills.
Heidelberg is on European walking route E1 (Sweden-Umbria).
Flora and fauna
Since Heidelberg is among the warmest regions of Germany, plants atypical of the central-European climate flourish there, including almond and fig trees; there is also an olive tree in Gaisbergstraße. Alongside the Philosophenweg (Philosophers' Walk) on the opposite side of the Old Town, winegrowing was restarted in 2000.
There is a wild population of African rose-ringed parakeets, and a wild population of Siberian swan geese, which can be seen mainly on the islands in the Neckar near the district of Bergheim.
Climate
Heidelberg has an oceanic climate (Köppen climate classification Cfb), defined by the protected valley between the Pfälzerwald and the Odenwald. Year-round, the mild temperatures are determined by maritime air masses coming from the west. 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 favour clouding and precipitation. The warmest month is July, the coldest is January. Temperatures often rise beyond 30 °C (86 °F) in midsummer. According to the German Meteorological Service, Heidelberg was the warmest place in Germany in 2009.
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. Baroque tower helmets were added as part of the erection of the stone 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
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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 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 Heidelberg. This was stopped in 1800 by Count Charles de Graimberg, who then began the process of preserving the 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 Kornmakt to the summit of the Königstuhl via the castle.
Images for kids
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Heidelberg seen from Königstuhl
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The Old Town
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Heidelberg on the Neckar at night
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Karlsplatz and Neckar with Old Bridge
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View of castle from the Corn Market
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The siege of Heidelberg 1622
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Main street Heidelberg
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Old Bridge Gate
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Hotel zum Ritter St. Georg
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Old Bridge, Konrad Linck, 1788
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Memorial stone marking the site of the synagogue in the Lauerstrasse
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View from the castle during winter, 2014
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From left: Jesuit Church, Providence Church and Church of the Holy Spirit in Heidelberg's Old Town on the Neckar River
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The university library
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Old university hall
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Buildings of European Molecular Biology Laboratory in Heidelberg, including the new Advanced Training Centre
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SRH Hochschule Heidelberg is one of the oldest and largest private universities in Germany
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Print Media Academy
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DB train Heidelberg Hauptbahnhof
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Trams in Heidelberg
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Behördenzentrum Heidelberg
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The New city district of Heidelberg, Bahnstadt, is one of the biggest passive house settlements in the world
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Heidelberg with the Old Bridge illuminated
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Romantic view of Heidelberg Castle ruins by Karl Philipp Fohr, 1815, Hessisches Landesmuseum Darmstadt
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Friedrich Ebert first President of Germany from 1919 until his death in office in 1925
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Frederick V; Elector Palatine, King of Bohemia
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Actor Michael Fassbender was born in Heidelberg
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See also
- In Spanish: Heidelberg
