German Cities Heidelberg

Heidelberg is one of the smaller German cities of note, with a population of only 144,634 as of 2006. Heidelberg occupies 42 square miles (108.83 km. sq.) of Baden-WA?rttemberg in the southwest of Germany only twelve miles (20 km) from where the Neckar River joins the Rhine, and serves as an administrative district of the state. Heidelberg is a part of the Rhein-Neckar Triangle, an area that encompasses more than 2.4 million people in southwestern German cities from Baden-WA?rttemberg, Rhineland-Palatinate and Hesse located between Frankfurt and Stuttgart, such as Mannheim, Ludwigshafen, and Heidelberg.

Heidelberg is another of the German cities with a history dating back to before the Middle Ages. The jaw bone of the oldest known human in Europe, whose death was estimated to have occurred sometime around 1 million years ago, was found near the city, and this individual is therefore known as the Heidelberg Man. The Celts established a fortress in the area during the fifth century BCE, as well as a place of worship that was called the “Mountain of Saints.” Pieces of both structures survive to this day. The Romans moved into the area in around 40 CE, constructing a fort wall and a signaling tower, as well as a wooden and stone bridge over the Neckar River. The Romans ruled until 260 CE, when Germanic tribes ousted them from their own settlement. The modern city of Heidelberg grew out of a village known as Bergheim, or Mountain Home, which was founded during the Middle Ages and now occupies the center of the city. Although these previous settlements occupied the same area as modern-day Heidelberg, the city was not founded until the twelfth century. The first mention of the city in official documents occurred in 1195 CE, which is considered the founding date of Heidelberg.

Many familiar events are marked in the history of Heidelberg. Like many other German cities, Heidelberg is the home of a major university. Founded in 1386, the University of Heidelberg became an important intellectual hotspot in Europe during the late Middle Ages and early Renaissance, and was a seat of the early Protestant Reformation. Over the following centuries, power in Heidelberg changed hands a number of times, but the city remained a hotbed of religious conflict. Heidelberg was eventually incorporated into Prussia during the mid-nineteenth century. Heidelberg was a stronghold of Nazi power during the 1930s, and many racially motivated acts of violence occurred there, including the burning of two synagogues and the deportation of Jews to Dachau. The city also was not bombed during the war, as the Allies wanted to use it as a garrison following their invasion of Germany, but the Nazis destroyed the bridge over the Neckar River before they pulled out. Considering the history of other German cities, Heidelberg has experienced a relatively tumultuous series of events since its foundation in the twelfth century.