Heidelberg: History

Pre-20th-Century History

The tourists who flock to Heidelberg in millions are following in the footsteps of the 19th-century romantics, most notably the poet Goethe. England's William Turner also loved the city, which inspired him to paint some of his greatest landscapes.

Less-starry eyed was Mark Twain, who in 1878 began his European travels with a three-month stay in Heidelberg, recounting his bemused observations in A Tramp Abroad .

Heidelberg drew early visitors with a mix of romantic ruin and remarkable architectural unity. The harmonious red-roofed townscape was created in the 18th century after Heidelberg had a particularly tough run: devastated by the Thirty Years' War in the early 17th century, the city was then set alight and all but destroyed in 1693 by invading French troops.

While Heidelberg was new around the time it became Europe's leading university town, it's the city's medieval beginnings that give it that fairy-tale charm. The hill-top castle looming over the Neckar River was home to various princely residents whose improvements - and battles - over centuries have made this Gothic fortress into an eclectic and impressive pile.

From high on the hill, Heidelberg's imperial princes turned the city into a centre of brilliance. Bavarian Rupert I founded Heidelberg University in 1386, making it Germany's oldest university. In the 16th century the scholars of Heidelberg were at the cutting edge of the Reformation, but it wasn't long before the bloody 1600s sent the university into decline.

Relief didn't come until 1803, when Prince Karl-Friedrich of Baden revived the institution. Renamed Ruprecht-Karl University for its two imperial backers, the institution found fame in the 19th century. Alumni include heavyweights of the thinking world such as philospher Hegel and mathematician Königsberger.

But, as Heidelberg's crusty old beer halls suggest, it wasn't all work and no play for university scholars. From 1778 to the turn of the century, students convicted of misdeeds (such as singing, womanising, drinking or just plain goofing around) were tossed into the Studentenkarzer , or student jail - now a musuem. Sentences were generally a minimum of three days and the detainees were fed only bread and water; delinquents serving longer sentences could interrupt their stay for critical reasons (say, to take exams). In some circles, a stint in the Karzer was considered de rigueur to prove one's manhood (women were never imprisoned here). Detainees passed their time by carving inscriptions and drawing graffiti, which still covers the walls.

Modern History

In unified, industrial Germany, Heidelberg was still a mecca for thinkers and its university became a major centre for scientific research, boasting association with a string of Nobel laureates.

The intellectual 'spirit of Heidelberg' was abruptly cut down by the rise of National Socialism in the late 1930s. Forced to fall in with party politics, the university lost many Jewish professors. Others who were forced to retire include philosopher Karl Jaspers, a vocal critic of Nazism. In 1936, National Socialists changed the words over the university entrance - 'To the Living Spirit' became 'To the German Spirit'.

Heidelberg escaped WWII bombing and, in 1945, Jaspers and other professors ousted during the Third Reich reopened the university.

Recent History

Today Heidelberg has a student population of 28,000 (including lots of foreign students), heaps of tradition and a nightlife scene that makes it outstanding for a pub crawl.

The city remains a magnet for research: institutes like the German Cancer Research Center, European Molecular Biology Laboratory and an IBM think-tank are located in Heidelberg. The city also serves as a base for several US military installations.

Back to top ^