Heidelberg (Germany)

Heidelberg (Germany), city in southwestern Germany, in Baden-Württemberg, on the Neckar River, near Mannheim. Noted for its lovely setting, the city is a manufacturing, transportation, tourist, and cultural center. Products include printing presses, electrical equipment, leather goods, and textiles. Several important scientific research institutes are in Heidelberg.

On the summit of Jettenbühl (195 m/640 ft), which dominates the eastern portion of the city, is Heidelberg Castle (mainly 14th-17th century), one of the most impressive historic landmarks of Germany. The structure, now largely in ruins, preserves numerous examples of medieval, Renaissance, and baroque German architecture. Of particular interest are the four granite columns located in the castle courtyard, which were once part of a castle belonging to Charlemagne. The castle's Otto Heinrich wing houses a pharmaceutical museum. The cellar of Heidelberg Castle contains the famed Heidelberg Tun, a wine vat with a capacity of 220,017 liters (58,124 gallons). Noteworthy religious buildings of Heidelberg are the 15th-century Church of Saint Peter, on the door of which the Bohemian theologian and martyr Jerome of Prague nailed his celebrated theses criticizing the papacy; and the Church of the Holy Ghost, also dating from the 15th century. The famous Old Bridge was once the medieval city's main gate. To a considerable extent, the world renown of the city is derived from the presence of the University of Heidelberg (1386), the first university in Germany.

First mentioned in the 12th century, Heidelberg was, until 1720, the capital of the Palatinate. During the Reformation the city was one of the chief strongholds of German Protestantism. French troops sacked the town during the Thirty Years' War (1618-1648). In 1689 and 1693, Heidelberg was further damaged by invading French troops. Following World War II (1939-1945) the city became the headquarters for United States forces in Europe. Population (2005 estimate) 143,100.