Heidelberg

Introducing Heidelberg

Heidelberg’s baroque old town, lively university atmosphere, excellent pubs and evocative half-ruined castle make it hugely popular with visitors, 3.5 million of whom flock here each year. They are following in the footsteps of the 19th-century romantics, most notably the poet Goethe. Britain’s William Turner also loved the city, which inspired him to paint some of his greatest landscapes.

Less starry eyed was Mark Twain (www.mark-twain-in-heidelberg.de), who in 1878 began his European travels with a three-month stay in Heidelberg, recounting his bemused observations in A Tramp Abroad. There is speculation that the writer’s attraction to the city may have something to do with the fact that the name Heidelberg is derived from Heidelbeerenberg (Huckleberry Hill).

Heidelberg, Germany’s oldest and most famous university town, has a red-roofed townscape of remarkable architectural unity. It was created in the 18th century after it had been devastated during the Thirty Years’ War and then all but destroyed by invading French troops under Louis XIV. Today the city has a student population of 32,000 (including lots of foreign students), heaps of tradition and nightlife that makes it outstanding for a pub crawl. The city also serves as an important NATO headquarters (www.nato.int/lahd).

Last updated: Feb 17, 2009