Heidelberg
Attractions
Heidelberg - Old Bridge over the Neckar River.
Alte Brücke
"Old Bridge"
The famous "Old Bridge" which is made out of red sandstone was built originally by Elector Carl-Theodor in the 18th century and is really called "Carl-Theodor's Bridge". The bridge connects the old town with the opposing banks of the Neckar river.
Elector Carl-Theodor ordered the building of this stony bridge between 1786 and 1788, because the earlier wooden constructions were repeatedly destroyed by wars and floods. On the city side, the medieval bridge gate -part of the former city wall - has been preserved.
Alte Brücke
Am Brückentor
69117 Heidelberg
Heidelberg - Funicular Railway.
Bergbahn
Funicular Railway
Inaugurated in 1890, the traditional Heidelberg mountain railway transports guests from the ground station at Kornmarkt to the castle and via Molkenkur to Königstuhl.
The lower railway, one of the most modern mountain railways in Germany, starts at Kornmarkt in the Old Town and travels via the castle station to Molkenkur. From there, one of the oldest electrically operated cable cars takes you to Königstuhl, the highest point in the city at an altitude of over 550 metres.
At 1.5 kilometres, the Heidelberg cable car route is the longest in Germany.
Timetable and further information
Bergbahn
Kornmarkt 1
69117 Heidelberg
Telefon +49 (0) 6221 22796
www.bergbahn-heidelberg.de
Heidelberg - Knight's House Saint Georges © Tobias Schwerdt - Heidelberg Marketing GmbH.
Haus zum Ritter St. Georg
Knight's House Saint Georges
The "House to the Knight Saint George" was built in 1592 by order of the Huguenot Charles Belier who emigrated from France. It survived the destructions of the Palatine War of Succession as one of the few houses in Heidelberg.
Therefore, it was used as the town hall between 1693 and 1703. With the exception of these ten years, it has always been a hotel and inn since the end of the Thirty Years War. The house takes its name from the bust of a knight in armor enthroned above the gable.
Haus zum Ritter St. Georg
Hauptstraße 178
69117 Heidelberg
Heidelberg Zoo - Otters © Tobias Schwerdt - Heidelberg Marketing GmbH.
Heidelberger Zoo
Heidelberg Zoo
Heidelberg's zoo, founded in 1934 by Nobel Prize winner Carl Bosch and the ornothologist Otto Fehringer, rates among the most innovative zoos in Germany today.
It is divided into five thematic areas and equipped with a large children's playground and a petting zoo. Thereby, the focus always lies on the relation between human and animal.
Heidelberger Zoo
Tiergartenstraße 3
69117 Heidelberg
Telefon +49 (0) 6221 6455-0
www.zoo-heidelberg.de
Heidelberg - Church of the Holy Ghost.
Heiliggeistkirche
Church of the Holy Spirit
Elector Ruprecht III. (German King Ruprecht I.) set the cornerstone for the present building in 1398. Until 1623, the richest typeface collection of Europe at the time, the "Bibliotheca Palatina", was located on the galleries of the church. After the conquest of Heidelberg by Tilly, it fell into the hands of Maximilian of Bavaria, who had it brought to Rome as a gift to the Pope.
The tower, which offers a unique view over Heidelberg's old town, can be climbed.
Heiliggeistkirche
Heiliggeiststraße 17
69117 Heidelberg
Telefon +49 (0) 6221 21117
heiliggeist.ekihd.de
Heidelberg - Jesuit Church.
Jesuitenkirche
Jesuit Church
The Jesuit church towering above the old town houses east of the "Universitätsplatz" is a symbol of the Counter-Reformation.
The church, begun by J.A. Breunig in 1712, forms the architectural focus of the Jesuit quarter. There are also various institute buildings and the Carolinum, in which the main administration of the University is located.
Jesuitenkirche
Merianstraße 2
69117 Heidelberg
Telefon +49 (0) 6221 9008-0
Students' prison of the Ruprecht-Karls-University Heidelberg.
Studentenkarzer
Students' prison
From a time when the university still had its own jurisdiction comes the student carceral at the back of the Old University.
In the cells of the student prison, the artwork of academic prisoners can still be admired today.
Studentenkarzer
Augustinergasse 2
69117 Heidelberg
Telefon +49 (0) 6221 54-12813
unishop@uni-heidelberg.de
www.uni-heidelberg.de
Heidelberg - View from the Königstuhl © Jan Becke - Heidelberg Marketing GmbH.
Königstuhl
The King's Seat
The Königstuhl, which is around 568 metres high, is a green oasis with a magnificent view of Heidelberg and the Neckar Valley. High above the university city, you will find peace and relaxation on numerous hiking trails.
A steep staircase - also known as the ladder to heaven - leads up from the castle. The Königstuhl can also be reached by mountain railway from the city - starting at Kornmarkt - or from the castle. Directly at the mountain railway station, you have the opportunity to take a look into the engine room of the historic mountain railway and visit an exhibition room with exciting testimonies to the history of the Heidelberg Tram and Mountain Railway (HSB).
Königstuhl
Auf dem Königstuhl
69117 Heidelberg
Heidelberg - St. Peter's Church.
Peterskirche
St. Peter's Church
The late Gothic St. Peter's Church - in parts redesigned in a baroque and neo-Gothic style - rises southwest of the new university.
The former university church served professors, electoral officials and respected citizens as a burial place. This becomes evident by numerous tombs and gravestones inside the church and in the courtyard of the church.
Peterskirche
Plöck 70
69117 Heidelberg
Telefon +49 (0) 6221 163230
www.peterskirche-heidelberg.de
Heidelberg - View from the Philosophers' Walk © Tobias Schwerdt - Heidelberg Marketing GmbH.
Philosophenweg
Philosophers' Walk
The Philosopher's Walk on the sunny slope of the Heiligenberg offers a magnificent view and rates among the warmest places in Germany. Exotic vegetation thrives here.
Together with the "Schlangenweg (Snail's walk), the Old Bridge and the main road that runs through the old town, it forms an approximately four-kilometer-long circular trail on which visitors can enjoy the "Heidelberg Triad" of the old town, river and mountains.
Philosophenweg
Philosophenweg
69120 Heidelberg
Heidelberg - Market Square in front of the Town Hall.
Rathaus
Town Hall
The preceding building of the present town hall was destroyed by French troops in 1689. In 1701 the foundation stone of the new building, which has been preserved to this present day, was layed in baroque style. Since then, the building has undergone various conversions and extensions.
The city administration is still located here. From Monday to Friday from 8 am to 5 pm one of the Heidelberg Tourist Information Centers offers its services here.
Rathaus
Marktplatz 10
69117 Heidelberg
Telefon +49 (0) 6221 58-10580
www.heidelberg.de
Thing monument.
Thingstätte
Thing monument
The "Thingstätte" on the Heiligenberg hill, an example for Nazi architecture, is an open-air stage based on the model of ancient Greek theatres.It was built from 1934-35 by the Reich Labour Service and students of Heidelberg.
The facility is today a listed building and is regularly used for open-air concerts during summer.
Thingstätte
Auf dem Heiligenberg
69121 Heidelberg
Heidelbrg - University Library © Tobias Schwerdt - Heidelberg Marketing GmbH.
Universitätsbibliothek
University library
The four-wing library building of the university was opened in 1905. Today, the institution ranks second in the nationwide ranking of the best university libraries.
A special attraction is the world-famous medieval song collection "Codex Manesse".
Universitätsbibliothek
Plöck 107-109
69117 Heidelberg
Telefon +49 (0) 6221 54-2380
www.ub.uni-heidelberg.de