120km (74 miles) NW of Stuttgart, 20km (12 miles) SE of Mannheim, 88km (55 miles) S of Frankfurt
Summertime in Heidelberg, according to the song from The Student Prince, is a time for music and romance. Today, it's also a time when droves of visitors invade this beautiful city. Heidelberg is one of the few German cities that was not leveled by air raids in World War II and therefore still has original buildings from the later Middle Ages and early Renaissance. Modern Heidelberg centers on Bismarckplatz at the foot of the Theodore-Heuss-Brücke; in this part of the city, you'll find many of the best hotels and restaurants. The tall buildings and shopping plazas here contrast with the Altstadt nearby. Across the Neckar are sports grounds, a zoo, and a large botanical garden.
Heidelberg is, above all, a university town and has been since 1386. Students make up much of the population. The colorful atmosphere that university life imparts to the town is felt especially in the old student quarter, with its narrow streets and lively inns. This oldest university in Germany is officially named Ruprecht-Karl-University, honoring both its founder, Elector Ruprecht I of the Palatinate, as well as the man who, in 1803, made it the leading university in the state of Baden, Margrave Karl Friedrich. The school was founded after the Great Schism of 1378, when conflicting claims to the papacy created unrest and German teachers and students fled the Sorbonne in Paris.
