118-496: Old Heidelberg (German: Alt Heidelberg ) may refer to: the historic German city of Heidelberg Old Heidelberg (poem) , a poem by Joseph Victor von Scheffel Alt Heidelberg (play) , a 1901 play by Wilhelm Meyer-Förster Old Heidelberg (1915 film) , a 1915 American film Old Heidelberg (1923 film) , a 1923 German film The Student Prince in Old Heidelberg ,
236-735: A Center for Latin America in Santiago , Chile in 2001. It has the task of organizing, managing, and marketing the courses of study maintained either independently by Heidelberg University or in cooperation with the Pontifical Catholic University of Chile and the University of Chile . The center has responsibility for programs of postgraduate education . It also coordinates the activities of Heidelberg University in Latin America, and provides
354-568: A fertility rate of 1.1 children per woman in the Stadtkreis ( county ) , Heidelberg had the lowest fertility rate in Baden-Württemberg in 2008. Since 2006, the Oberbürgermeister ( lord mayor ) of Heidelberg has been the independent Eckart Würzner. From 1990 to 2006, the mayor was Beate Weber ( SPD ). The council consists of 48 members with the mayor as chairman. The council
472-410: A 1926 American film Alt Heidelberg (tale) a 1940 Japanese tale by Osamu Dazai Old Heidelberg (1959 film) , a West German film See also [ edit ] The Student Prince , an operetta based on the play The Student Prince (film) , a film version of the operetta Topics referred to by the same term [REDACTED] This disambiguation page lists articles associated with
590-709: A consequence of the Bologna process , most faculties now offer Bachelor's , Master's , and Ph.D. degrees to comply with the new European degree standard. Notable exceptions are the undergraduate programs in law, medicine, dentistry and pharmacy , from which students still graduate with the State Examination , a central examination at Master's level held by the State of Baden-Württemberg. The university has partnerships nationally and internationally. In particular, it maintains longstanding collaborations in research and education with
708-470: A great extent in buildings spread over the ancient part of town, though most are less than ten minutes walk from University Square. The faculties maintain their own extensive libraries and work spaces for students. Seminars and tutorials are usually held in the faculty buildings. In the 1960s the university started building a new campus near the city district Neuenheim, called the Neuenheimer Feld. It
826-568: A large campus for medicine and natural sciences was constructed. Today, about 29,000 students are enrolled for studies at Heidelberg University. There are 4,196 full-time faculty, including 476 university professors. In 2007, and again in 2012, the university was appointed University of Excellence under an initiative started by the Federal Ministry of Education and Research and the German Research Foundation . This enhanced
944-612: A platform for scientific cooperation. Heidelberg University's South Asia Institute maintains branch offices in New Delhi (India)), Islamabad (Pakistan), Kathmandu (Nepal), and Colombo (Sri Lanka). The university is also represented by a liaison office in New York. Its main tasks include promoting existing collaborations, building up new networks, creating joint study programs, and maintaining and expanding academic contacts with American universities. The university has its own museum, in
1062-570: A signal tower on the bank of the Neckar . They built a wooden bridge based on stone pillars across it. The camp protected the first civilian settlements and was eventually captured by Germanic tribes . The local administrative center in Roman times was the nearby city of Lopodunum, today known as Ladenburg . Modern Heidelberg can trace its beginnings to the fifth century. The village Bergheim ( Mountain Home )
1180-413: A total of 28,949 students, including 5,276 international students. In addition there are 1,467 international exchange students at Heidelberg. 23,636 students pursue taught degrees, 4,114 of whom are international students, and 919 are international exchange students. 4,114 students pursue a doctoral degree , including 1,444 international doctoral students and 15 international exchange students . In 2007,
1298-416: A total of about 20,000 people), a historic high. The following table shows the number of inhabitants within the boundaries of the city at the time. To 1833 they are mostly estimates, then census results or official updates of the statistical offices of the time or the city administration. The data refer from 1843 to the "local population", from 1925 to the resident population and since 1987 the "population at
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#17328562078531416-525: Is a public research university in Heidelberg , Baden-Württemberg , Germany . Founded in 1386 on instruction of Pope Urban VI , Heidelberg is Germany's oldest university and one of the world's oldest surviving universities ; it was the third university established in the Holy Roman Empire after Prague (1347) and Vienna (1365). Since 1899, it has been a coeducational institution. Heidelberg
1534-404: Is an open access platform for members of the university. The university bibliography heiBIB lists all academic publications by university members. In 2015, Heidelberg University founded the publishing house Heidelberg University Publishing – heiUP, which is part of the university library. The publisher releases quality-controlled scientific publications in open access. Heidelberg University founded
1652-530: Is directly elected for a term of five years. The task of the council is to decide all the affairs of the city, with the mayor presiding. The council controls the city administration and oversees the enforcement of its decisions. Heidelberg has always been a stronghold of The Greens . For the municipal elections in 2009, they split into the Green Alternative List and Alliance 90/The Greens and each ran their own lists. Together they gained 10 seats to become
1770-653: Is first mentioned for that period in documents dated to 769 AD. Bergheim now lies in the middle of modern Heidelberg. The people gradually converted to Christianity. In 870 AD, the monastery of St. Michael was founded on the Heiligenberg inside the double rampart of the Celtic fortress. Around 1130, the Neuburg Monastery was founded in the Neckar valley. At the same time, the bishopric of Worms extended its influence into
1888-536: Is located in the former Ludolf Krehl clinic (named after Ludolf von Krehl ) in the inner-city suburb of Heidelberg-Bergheim . Since March 2009 it has housed the institutes economics, political science, and sociology (together the Heidelberg University Faculty of Economics and Social Sciences) that formerly resided at the Old Town campus. The Bergheim campus offers one lecture theatre, several seminar rooms,
2006-561: Is located in the narrow Neckar valley. Other parts (mostly quarters from around the 19th century or newer, or originally independent, later incorporated villages) sprawl out into the Rhine Plain and along the Bergstraße ( lit. ' mountain road ' ), the narrow strip of characteristic landscape along the sharp border between the plain and the Odenwald mountains. The town is bordered by
2124-576: Is located on the eastern edge of the Upper Rhine Plain ( German : Oberrheinebene ), at the place where the river Neckar leaves its narrow valley through the Odenwald mountains and begins the last leg of its journey across the plain towards Mannheim , where it merges into the Rhine about 20 kilometers downstream. A part of Heidelberg, including the historical old town and the famous Heidelberg Castle ,
2242-601: Is one of the most prestigious universities in Germany. It is a German Excellence University , part of the U15 , as well as a founding member of the League of European Research Universities and the Coimbra Group . The university consists of twelve faculties and offers degree programmes at undergraduate, graduate and postdoctoral levels in some 100 disciplines. The language of instruction
2360-500: Is the fifth-largest city in the German state of Baden-Württemberg , and with a population of about 163,000, of which roughly a quarter consists of students, it is Germany's 51st-largest city . Located about 78 km (48 mi) south of Frankfurt , Heidelberg is part of the densely populated Rhine-Neckar Metropolitan Region which has its center in Mannheim . Heidelberg is located on
2478-502: Is the ' legislative branch ' of the university. The rector and the members of the rectorate are senators ex officio , as are also the deans of the faculties, as well as the medical and managing directors of the University Hospital , and the university's equal opportunities officer . Another 20 senators are elected for four-year terms, within the following quotas: eight university professors; four academic staff; four delegates of
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#17328562078532596-465: Is the oldest existing public library in Germany. In 1537, the castle located higher up the mountain was destroyed by a gunpowder explosion. The duke's palace was built at the site of the lower castle. Elector Frederick III , sovereign of the Electoral Palatinate from 1559 to 1576, commissioned the composition of a new Catechism for his territory. While the catechism's introduction credits
2714-561: Is today the largest part of the university, and the largest campus for natural sciences and life science in Germany. Almost all science faculties and institutes, the medical school, University Hospital Heidelberg , and the science branch of the University Library are situated on the New Campus. Most of the dormitories and the athletic facilities of the university can be found there as well. Several independent research institutes, such as
2832-684: Is usually German, while a considerable number of graduate degrees are offered in English as well as some in French. As of 2021, 57 Nobel Prize winners have been affiliated with the city of Heidelberg and 33 with the university itself. Modern scientific psychiatry , psychopharmacology , experimental psychology , psychiatric genetics , mathematical statistics , environmental physics , and modern sociology were introduced as scientific disciplines by Heidelberg students or faculty. Approximately 1,000 doctorates are completed every year, with more than one third of
2950-628: The Kristallnacht on 9 November 1938, Nazis burned down synagogues at two locations in the city. The next day, they started the systematic deportation of Jews, sending 150 to Dachau concentration camp . On 22 October 1940, during the "Wagner Buerckel event", the Nazis deported 6000 local Jews, including 281 from Heidelberg, to Camp Gurs concentration camp in France. Within a few months, as many as 1000 of them (201 from Heidelberg) died of hunger and disease. Among
3068-582: The Codex Manesse , which had ended up in the Royal Library in Paris, followed in 1888. Karl Zangemeister (1837–1902) became the first full-time head of the university library in 1912. Based on the designs of architect Joseph Durum, a dedicated library building, a richly ornamented, four-winged red sandstone construction, was erected from 1901 to 1905. In 1978, a branch library opened in the Neuenheimer Feld, serving
3186-502: The Curia , which ultimately led to a papal bull for foundation of a university. After having received, on 23 October 1385, permission from pope Urban VI to create a school of general studies ( Latin : studium generale ), the final decision to found the university was taken on 26 June 1386 at the behest of Rupert I, Count Palatine of the Rhine . As specified in the papal charter, the university
3304-572: The Frankfurt Parliament of 1848 . During the late 19th century, the university housed a very liberal and open-minded spirit, which was deliberately fostered by Max Weber , Ernst Troeltsch and a circle of colleagues around them. In February 1900, the Grand Duchy of Baden issued a decree that gave women the right to access universities in Baden. Thus, the universities of Freiburg and Heidelberg were
3422-542: The German Cancer Research Center and two of the Max-Planck-Institutes have settled there. The New Campus is also the seat of several biomedical spin-off companies. The old part of town can be reached by tram and bus in about 10 minutes. The Neuenheimer Feld campus has extensive parking lots for faculty and student vehicles for long term and short term parking, as well as visitors and patients of
3540-587: The Königstuhl (568 m), the Gaisberg (375 m), and the Heiligenberg (445 m) mountains. Heidelberg is on European walking route E1 (Sweden- Umbria ). Heidelberg is among the warmest regions of Germany, and plants atypical of the central-European climate flourish there, including almond and fig trees , and many kinds of palm trees and olive trees . Alongside the Philosophenweg ( Philosophers' Walk ) on
3658-634: The Neckar River , at the point where it leaves its narrow valley between the Oden Forest and the Little Oden Forest , and enters the wide Upper Rhine Plain . The old town lies in the valley, the end of which is flanked by the Königstuhl in the south and the Heiligenberg in the north. The majority of the population lives in the districts west of the mountains in the Upper Rhine Plain, into which
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3776-517: The Rhein-Neckar-Kreis . The Rhein-Neckar Triangle became a European metropolitan area in 2005. Heidelberg consists of 15 districts distributed in six sectors of the town. In the central area are Altstadt (the Old Town), Bergheim and Weststadt; in the north, Neuenheim and Handschuhsheim; in the east, Ziegelhausen and Schlierbach; in the south, Südstadt , Rohrbach, Emmertsgrund, and Boxberg; in
3894-539: The Treaty of Lunéville , the university lost all its property on the left bank of the Rhine , so that its complete dissolution was expected. This decline did not stop until 1803, when the university was reestablished as a state-owned institution by Karl Friedrich, Grand Duke of Baden , to whom the part of the Palatinate situated on the right bank of the Rhine was allotted. Since then, the university bears his name together with
4012-435: The student body ; and four employees of the university administration. The University Council is the advisory board to the aforementioned entities and encompasses, among others, the former Israeli Ambassador to Germany Avi Primor , as well as CEOs of German industries. After a 2003 structural reformation, the university consists of 13 faculties , which in turn comprise several disciplines, departments, and institutes. As
4130-705: The "entire theological faculty here" (at the University of Heidelberg ) and "all the superintendents and prominent servants of the church" for the composition of the Catechism, Zacharius Ursinus is commonly regarded as the catechism's principal author. Caspar Olevianus (1536–1587) was formerly asserted as a co-author of the document, though this theory has been largely discarded by modern scholarship. Johann Sylvan , Adam Neuser , Johannes Willing, Thomas Erastus , Michael Diller, Johannes Brunner, Tilemann Mumius, Petrus Macheropoeus, Johannes Eisenmenger, Immanuel Tremellius , and Pierre Boquin are all likely to have contributed to
4248-404: The 38 branch libraries add another 3.0 million printed books. In 2022, 43,600 active users accessed 746,000 books. Additionally, the University Library provides a wide array of online resources, among them 152,000 scientific e-journals . The origins of today's University Library date back to 1386, the year the university was founded. Surrounding the new university, the libraries of the faculty of
4366-501: The 55th position worldwide and was ranked first nationally. According to the funding report of the German Research Foundation (DFG) of 2018, which breaks down the grants from 2014 to 2016, the Heidelberg University ranked 2nd among German universities in the overall ranking, 7th in humanities and social sciences and 4th among German universities in the life sciences and natural sciences . The approvals were normalised to
4484-457: The 5th century BC, a Celtic fortress of refuge and place of worship were built on the Heiligenberg , or "Holy Mountain". Both places can still be identified. In 40 AD, a fort was built and occupied by the 24th Roman cohort and the 2nd Cyrenaican cohort (CCG XXIIII and CCH II CYR). The late Roman Emperor Valentinian I , in 369 AD, built new and maintained older castra (permanent camps) and
4602-598: The Atlantic. Storms ("Orkane") can create severe damage, and the Neckar is often affected by floods. According to the German Meteorological Service , Heidelberg was the warmest place in Germany in 2009. Between 600,000 and 200,000 years ago, " Heidelberg Man " died at nearby Mauer . His jaw bone was discovered in 1907. Scientific dating determined his remains as the earliest evidence of human life in Europe. In
4720-415: The Catechism in some way. Frederick himself wrote the preface to the Catechism and closely oversaw its composition and publication. Frederick, who was officially Lutheran but had strong Reformed leanings, wanted to even out the religious situation of his highly Lutheran territory within the primarily Catholic Holy Roman Empire . The Council of Trent had just concluded with its conclusions and decrees against
4838-715: The Churches and Schools of the Electoral Palatinate .″ In November 1619, the Royal Crown of Bohemia was offered to the Elector, Frederick V . (He was married to Princess Elizabeth , eldest daughter of James VI and I of Scotland and England, respectively.) Frederick became known as the "Winter King", as he reigned for only one winter before the Imperial House of Habsburg regained Bohemia by force. His overthrow in 1621 marked
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4956-672: The English colonies there. In 1720, after assigning a major church for exclusively Catholic use, religious conflicts with the mostly Protestant inhabitants of Heidelberg caused the Roman Catholic Prince-Elector Charles III Philip to transfer his court to nearby Mannheim . The court remained there until the Elector Charles Theodore became Elector of Bavaria in 1777 and established his court in Munich . In 1742, Elector Charles Theodore began rebuilding
5074-477: The German university system by establishing a small network of exceptionally well-funded universities, which are expected to generate strong international appeal. In 2022, a mass shooting occurred in the university , killing a woman and injuring three other people. The gunman then committed suicide. "I saw Heidelberg on a perfectly clear morning, with a pleasant air both cool and invigorating. The city, just so, with
5192-557: The Heidelberg–Mannheim Autobahn (motorway), which connected to the Mannheim–Darmstadt–Frankfurt Autobahn, and the U.S. Army installations in Mannheim and Frankfurt . The intact rail infrastructure was more important in the late 1940s and early 1950s when most heavy loads were still carried by train, not by truck. Heidelberg had the untouched Wehrmacht barracks, the "Grossdeutschland Kaserne" which
5310-534: The Old Town Campus. The sciences faculties and the medical school, including three large university hospitals, are located on the New Campus in the Neuenheimer Feld on the outskirts of Heidelberg. The so-called New University is regarded as the center of the Old Town Campus. It is situated at the Universitätsplatz (University Square) in the pedestrian zone, in direct vicinity to the University Library and to
5428-459: The Palace. In 1764, a lightning bolt destroyed other palace buildings during reconstruction, causing the work to be discontinued. Heidelberg fell to the Grand Duchy of Baden in 1803. Charles Frederick, Grand Duke of Baden , re-founded the university, named "Ruperto-Carola" after its two founders. Notable scholars soon earned it a reputation as a "royal residence of the intellect". In the 18th century,
5546-612: The Palatinate Succession coupled with severe winters, thousands of German Calvinist Palatines emigrated in the early 18th century. They fled to other European cities and especially to London (where the refugees were called "the poor Palatines"). In sympathy for the Protestants, in 1709–1710, Queen Anne's government arranged transport for nearly 6,000 Palatines to New York. Others were transported to Pennsylvania , and to South Carolina . They worked their passage and later settled in
5664-523: The Palatinate-Baden rebellion of the 1848 Revolutions , Heidelberg was the headquarters of a revolutionary army. It was defeated by a Prussian army near Waghaeusel. The city was occupied by Prussian troops until 1850. Between 1920 and 1933, Heidelberg University became a center of notable physicians Czerny, Erb, and Krehl; and humanists Rohde, Weber, and Gandolf. During the Nazi period (1933–1945), Heidelberg
5782-578: The Protestant faiths, and the Peace of Augsburg had only granted toleration for Lutheranism within the empire where the ruler was Lutheran. One of the aims of the catechism was to counteract the teachings of the Roman Catholic Church as well as Anabaptists and "strict" Gnesio-Lutherans like Tilemann Heshusius and Matthias Flacius , who were resisting Frederick's Reformed influences, particularly on
5900-599: The Reformed faith, Otto Henry, Elector Palatine , converted the university into a calvinistic institution. In 1563, the Heidelberg Catechism was created under collaboration of members of the university's divinity school. As the 16th century was passing, the late humanism stepped beside Calvinism as a predominant school of thought; and figures like Paul Schede , Jan Gruter , Martin Opitz , and Matthäus Merian taught at
6018-470: The Rhine (German: Pfalzgraf bei Rhein ). In 1195, the Electorate of the Palatinate passed to the House of Welf through marriage. In 1214, Ludwig I, Duke of Bavaria acquired the Palatinate, as a consequence of which the castle came under his control. By 1303, another castle had been constructed for defense. In 1356, the Counts Palatine were granted far-reaching rights in the Golden Bull , in addition to becoming Electors . In 1386, Heidelberg University
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#17328562078536136-460: The Seminarium ad Carolum Borromæum, whose pupils were also registered in the university. After the suppression of the Jesuit Order, most of the schools they had conducted passed into the hands of the French Congregation of Lazarists in 1773. They deteriorated from that time forward. Meanwhile, the university itself continued to lose in prestige until the reign of the last elector Charles Theodore, Elector Palatine , who established new chairs for all
6254-446: The Swedish army had conquered Heidelberg, imperial forces attempted to recapture the city. They quickly took the city, but were unable to take the castle. As they prepared to blow up its fortifications with gunpowder the French army arrived, 30,000 men strong, led by Urbain de Maillé-Brézé , who had fought in many battles and participated in the Siege of La Rochelle (1627–1628), and Jacques-Nompar de Caumont, duc de La Force . They broke
6372-414: The US Army occupied soon after, renaming it the Campbell Barracks . In 1945, the university was reopened relatively quickly on the initiative of a small group of professors, among whom were the anti-Nazi economist Alfred Weber and the philosopher Karl Jaspers . The surgeon Karl Heinrich Bauer was nominated rector. On 9 December 1945, US Army General George S. Patton was involved in a car accident in
6490-406: The adjacent city of Mannheim and died in the Heidelberg US Army hospital on 21 December 1945. His funeral ceremony was held at the Heidelberg-Weststadt Christuskirche ( Christ Church ) , and he was buried in the 3rd Army cemetery in Luxembourg . During the post-war military occupation , the U.S. Army used the Thingstätte for cultural and religious events. Civilian use started in
6608-401: The arts, especially literature, throughout the centuries, and it was designated a " City of Literature " by the UNESCO Creative Cities Network . Heidelberg was a seat of government of the former Electorate of the Palatinate and is a popular tourist destination due to its romantic cityscape, including Heidelberg Castle , the Philosophers' Walk , and the Baroque old town. Heidelberg
6726-400: The arts, the three higher faculties (theology, law, medicine) and the collegiate library grew. The acquisition of a box of records, which was housed in the Heiliggeistkirche , through the rector, Marsilius of Inghen , in 1388 contributed fundamentally to the development of the library. In the 16th century, Otto Henry, Elector Palatine , combined the miscellaneous book collections accrued since
6844-657: The assassination of the liberal German-Jewish Foreign Minister Walther Rathenau , he refused to half mast the national flag on the institute, thereby provoking its storming by communist students. After the establishment of Nazi Germany in 1933, the university supported Adolf Hitler and the Nazis like all other German universities at the time. It dismissed a large number of staff and students for political and racial reasons. Many dissident fellows had to emigrate and most Jewish and Communist professors who did not leave Germany were deported. At least two professors directly fell victim to Nazi terror. On 17 May 1933, members of
6962-516: The average in Germany (usually mid February in the recent years). While the weather in spring is typically warm, it is also known to change far more often than in the summer. Summer starts typically in June and stays until September. In this time the weather is typically stable, with single thunderstorms marking the only precipitation. Day temperatures of around 30 °C are typical, but can reach up to 40 °C during heat waves. Autumn starts warm in September and cools down to typical winter temperatures for
7080-435: The beginning of the Thirty Years' War . In 1622, after a siege of two months , the armies of the Catholic League , commanded by Johann Tserclaes, Count of Tilly , captured the town. Tilly gave the famous Bibliotheca Palatina from the Church of the Holy Spirit to the Pope as a present. The Catholic and Bavarian House of Wittelsbach gained control over the Palatinate and the title of Prince-Elector. In late 1634, after
7198-407: The city has expanded over time. Heidelberg University , founded in 1386, is Germany's oldest and one of Europe's most reputable universities. Heidelberg is a scientific hub in Germany and home to several internationally renowned research facilities adjacent to its university, including the European Molecular Biology Laboratory and four Max Planck Institutes . The city has also been a hub for
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#17328562078537316-405: The city of Heidelberg, beginning in the west and in a clockwise direction: Edingen-Neckarhausen , Dossenheim , Schriesheim , Wilhelmsfeld , Schönau , Neckargemünd , Bammental , Gaiberg , Leimen , Sandhausen , Oftersheim , Plankstadt , Eppelheim (all part of the Rhein-Neckar-Kreis ), and Mannheim . Heidelberg has an oceanic climate ( Köppen climate classification Cfb ), defined by
7434-401: The claim, in part because of religious differences between local Protestants and the French Catholics, as the Protestant Reformation had divided the peoples of Europe. The War of the Grand Alliance ensued. In 1689, French troops took the town and castle, bringing nearly total destruction to the area in 1693. As a result of the destruction due to repeated French invasions related to the War of
7552-468: The cradle of Romanticism , and its old town and castle are among the most frequented tourist destinations in Germany. Its pedestrian zone is a shopping and night life magnet for the surrounding area and beyond. Heidelberg is about 40 minutes by train away from Frankfurt International Airport . Heidelberg University's facilities are, generally speaking, separated in two parts. The faculties and institutes of humanities and social sciences are embedded in
7670-468: The deportees from Heidelberg, the poet Alfred Mombert (1872–1942) left the concentration camp in April 1941 thanks to the Swiss poet Hans Reinhart but died shortly thereafter due to illness he contracted while held prisoner. From 1942, the deportees who had survived internment in Gurs were deported to Eastern Europe, where most of them were murdered. The U.S. 44th Infantry Division took part in combat in Western Europe throughout 1944 and early 1945, and
7788-512: The division's artillery commander, Brigadier General William A. Beiderlinden , became the subject of international headlines in March 1945, when he helped save Heidelberg from bombing by persuading Nazi troops to withdraw. When his command was ordered to shell the city, Beiderlinden took the initiative to contact the burgomaster and attempt to persuade Nazi soldiers to abandon their positions. Though burgomasters were forbidden from conducting such talks, Heidelberg's burgomaster ignored warnings from
7906-420: The doctoral students coming from abroad. International students from some 130 countries account for more than 20 percent of the entire student body. The Great Schism of 1378 made it possible for Heidelberg, a relatively small city and capital of the Electorate of the Palatinate , to gain its own university. The Great Schism was initiated by the election of two popes after the death of Pope Gregory XI in
8024-400: The early to mid-1980s for occasional concerts and other cultural events. Today, the celebrations on Hexennacht ( German for 'Witches' Night'), also called Walpurgis Night , the night of 30 April, are a regular "underground" fixture at the Thingstätte . Thousands of mostly young people congregate there to drum, to breathe fire, and to juggle. The event has gained fame throughout
8142-545: The emperor and chief magistrate of the realm. This resulted in establishing a good reputation for the university and its professors. Due to the influence of Marsilius, the university initially taught the nominalism or via moderna . In 1412, both realism and the teachings of John Wycliffe were forbidden at the university but later, around 1454, the university decided that realism or via antique would also be taught, thus introducing two parallel ways ( ambae viae ). The transition from scholastic to humanistic culture
8260-427: The faculties, founded scientific institutes such as the Electoral Academy of Science, and transferred the school of political economy from Kaiserslautern to Heidelberg, where it was combined with the university as the faculty of political economy. He also founded an observatory in the neighboring city of Mannheim , where Jesuit Christian Mayer labored as director. In connection with the four hundredth anniversary of
8378-407: The first ones to allow women to study . In the Weimar Republic , the university was widely recognized as a center of democratic thinking, coined by professors like Karl Jaspers , Gustav Radbruch , Martin Dibelius and Alfred Weber . Unfortunately, there were also dark forces working within the university: Nazi physicist Philipp Lenard was head of the physics institute at the time. Following
8496-454: The first time in 1946. It is a city with an international population, including one of the largest American communities outside North America, but this is not analysed in the Heidelberg population statistics. At the end of December 2011, the city had 149,633 inhabitants with an official primary residence in Heidelberg (not including the soldiers and employees of the U.S. Army and their dependents,
8614-540: The following independent research institutes located in and around Heidelberg: The university employs more than 15,000 academic staff; most of them are physicians engaged in the University Hospital . As of 2008, the faculty encompasses 4,196 full-time staff, excluding visiting professors as well as graduate research and teaching assistants . 673 faculty members have been drawn from abroad. Heidelberg University also attracts more than 500 international scholars as visiting professors each academic year. The university enrols
8732-683: The foundation of the university with the princely library housed in Heidelberg Castle to form the Bibliotheca Palatina and made them publicly accessible in the galleries of the Heiliggeistkirche . Among these collections, inherited records of the Fuggers (Augsburg, Ulrich Fugger the Elder) wereof particular importance. The majority of the library holdings, which enjoyed great contemporary renown,
8850-473: The huge Thingstätte amphitheatre on the Heiligenberg north of the town, for Nazi Party and SS events. A few months later, the inauguration of the huge Ehrenfriedhof memorial cemetery completed the second and last NSDAP project in Heidelberg. This cemetery is on the southern side of the old part of town, a little south of the Königstuhl hilltop, and faces west towards France. During World War II and after, Wehrmacht soldiers were buried there. During
8968-529: The institutes of natural sciences and medicine. Since 2021, all manuscripts of the Bibliotheca Palatina are accessible digitally online (848 German-language Palatina manuscripts, 2,030 Latin, 423 Greek, 267 Hebrew and 20 manuscripts in other languages). Their digitization was achieved through the cooperation of Heidelberg University Library and the Vatican Library . The university library expands its publication services: The Heidelberg document server heiDOK
9086-461: The integral university library system comprising approximately 6.2 million printed volumes. The University Library's holdings exceeded one million in 1934. Today, it comprises about 3.2 million books, about 500,000 other media such as microfilms and video tapes, as well as 6,000 printed scientific periodicals. Moreover, it has 6,900 manuscripts, 1,800 incunabula , 110,500 autographs , and a collection of old maps, paintings, and photographs. Furthermore,
9204-455: The local Nazi gauleiter and discussed the matter with Beiderlinden. The negotiations focused on the importance of sparing Heidelberg University and other historic and culturally significant sites. Beiderlinden and the burgomaster agreed to terms, and the Nazis spared the city by evacuating. On 29 March 1945, German troops left the city after destroying three arches of the old bridge, Heidelberg's treasured river crossing. They also destroyed
9322-529: The main administration buildings. The New University was officially opened in 1931. Its erection was largely financed by donations of wealthy American families, in line with a fundraising campaign of Jacob Gould Schurman , an alumnus of Heidelberg University and former United States Ambassador to Germany . It houses the new assembly hall, the largest lecture halls, and a number of smaller seminar rooms, mostly used by faculties of humanities and social sciences. Education in humanities and social sciences takes place to
9440-592: The main building of the old campus. Visitors are able to view the Great Hall (when not in use), and the former "student jail". The Rectorate is the ' executive body ' of the university, headed by rector Bernhard Eitel . The rectorate consists of the chancellor , Holger Schroeter , who is the head of the central administration and responsible for the university's budgeting, and three pro-rectors, who are responsible for international relations, teaching and communication, and research and structure respectively. The Senate
9558-475: The main scenes of the left-wing student protests in Germany. In 1975, a massive police force arrested the entire student parliament AStA . Shortly thereafter, the building of the Collegium Academicum, a progressive college in immediate vicinity to the university's main grounds, was stormed by over 700 police officers and closed once and for all. On the outskirts of the city, in the Neuenheimer Feld area,
9676-556: The matter of Eucharist ( the Lord's Supper ). The Catechism-based each of its statements on biblical proof-texts , and Frederick himself would defend it as biblical, not reformed, at the 1566 Diet of Augsburg when he was called to answer to charges of violating the Peace of Augsburg. This was the Heidelberg Catechism , officially called the ″Catechism, or Christian Instruction, according to the Usages of
9794-417: The more modern bridge downstream. The U.S. Army ( 63rd Infantry , 7th Army) entered the town on 30 March 1945. The civilian population surrendered without resistance. Heidelberg, unlike most German cities and towns, was spared from Allied bombing raids during the war. A popular belief is that Heidelberg escaped bombing because the U.S. Army wanted to use the city as a garrison after the war, but, as Heidelberg
9912-515: The most modern of the university libraries, and a cafe (rather than the full cafeteria present in the other campuses). Since 2019, the Bergheim Campus has also become the location of the Centre for Asian and Transcultural Studies of the Heidelberg University. The University Library is the main library of the university. Together with the branch libraries, serving the faculties and institutes, it forms
10030-544: The name of Ruprecht I . Karl Friedrich divided the university into five faculties and placed himself at its head as rector, as did also his successors. During this decade, Romanticism found expression in Heidelberg through Clemens Brentano , Achim von Arnim , Ludwig Tieck , Joseph Görres , and Joseph von Eichendorff , and there went forth a revival of the German Middle Ages in speech, poetry, and art. The German Students Association exerted great influence, which
10148-495: The opposite side of the Old Town, winegrowing was restarted in 2000. There is a wild population of African rose-ringed parakeets , and a wild population of Siberian swan geese , which can be seen mainly on the islands in the Neckar near the district of Bergheim. Heidelberg is a unitary authority within the Regierungsbezirk Karlsruhe . The Rhein-Neckar-Kreis rural district surrounds it and has its seat in
10266-609: The ordinary of medicine through a papal dispensation. In 1553, Pope Julius III sanctioned the allotment of ecclesiastical benefices to secular professors. Martin Luther 's disputation at Heidelberg in April 1518 made a lasting impact, and his adherents among the masters and scholars soon became leading Reformationists in Southwest Germany. With the Electorate of the Palatinate turn to
10384-514: The protected valley between the Pfälzerwald and the Odenwald. The almost year round warm temperatures are usually determined by Atlantic air masses in the winter and increased influence from the western Mediterranean in summer. In contrast to the nearby Upper Rhine Plain , Heidelberg's position in the valley leads to more frequent easterly winds than average. The hillsides of the Odenwald favor clouding and precipitation. Spring starts earlier than
10502-432: The reconstruction of the university was realized rather quickly. With the foundation of the Collegium Academicum, Heidelberg University became the home of Germany's first and, until today, only self-governed student hall. Newly laid statutes obliged the university to "The Living Spirit of Truth, Justice and Humanity". During the 1960s and 1970s, the university grew dramatically in size. At this time, it developed into one of
10620-433: The region by the end of November. Precipitation levels begin to increase and, due to the decreasing sunlight, the region is affected by fog more frequently from the second part of October onwards. Winters are mostly mild, though light nighttime frosts do occur in the coldest months. Snow is a rare event, and precipitation normally falls as rain. Winters are the wettest time of the year, with frequent western winds blowing from
10738-485: The region, as well as a certain notoriety due to the amount of litter left behind. Officially, this event is forbidden due to security concerns. The City declares it will fence the Thingstätte and prosecute any trespassers. In 2022, a mass shooting occurred in the university , killing a woman and injuring three other people. The gunman then committed suicide. The population of the city of Heidelberg exceeded 100,000 for
10856-657: The same year. One successor resided in Avignon (elected by the French) and the other in Rome (elected by the Italian cardinals). The German secular and spiritual leaders voiced their support for the successor in Rome, which had far-reaching consequences for the German students and teachers in Paris: they lost their stipends and had to leave. Rupert I recognized the opportunity and initiated talks with
10974-545: The siege and drove off the Imperial forces. In 1648, at the end of the war, Frederick V's son Charles I Louis, Elector Palatine , was able to recover his titles and lands. To strengthen his dynasty, Charles I Louis arranged the marriage of his daughter Liselotte to Philip I, Duke of Orléans , brother of Louis XIV , King of France. In 1685, after the death of Charles Louis' son, Elector Charles II , King Louis XIV laid claim to his sister-in-law's inheritance. The Germans rejected
11092-594: The site of their main dwelling." Prior to 1843 the population was determined by non-uniform collection procedures. Heidelberg has currently a population of about 160,000 and is the 5th largest city in Baden-Württemberg . About 37,000 (24% of the population) are students, which makes Heidelberg one of the largest university city in Germany. Heidelberg's population has grown since 1945 (after the WWII) and has almost never declined due to its popularity of this city where many workers, students and entrepreneurs moved to Heidelberg. With
11210-533: The size of the university. In a competitive selection process, the DFG selects the best research projects from researchers at universities and research institutes and finances them. The ranking is thus regarded as an indicator of the quality of research. In the Performance Ranking of Scientific Papers for World Universities (NTU ranking) 2019, which measures the research outputs of universities, Heidelberg University
11328-613: The southwest, Kirchheim ; in the west, Pfaffengrund, Wieblingen, and a new district, named Bahnstadt , is built on land in Weststadt and Wieblingen. The new district will have approximately 5,000–6,000 residents and employment for 7,000. Further, new residential space for 10,000–15,000 residents was made available in Patrick Henry Village following the departure of the US Armed Forces. The following towns and communes border
11446-613: The strongest force for the first time. In September 2011, two members of the GAL Group joined the Alliance 90/The Greens, so that together with the members of generation.hd, they formed the largest group in the council. Heidelberg University Heidelberg University , officially the Ruprecht Karl University of Heidelberg (German: Ruprecht-Karls-Universität Heidelberg ; Latin : Universitas Ruperto Carola Heidelbergensis ),
11564-551: The title Old Heidelberg . If an internal link led you here, you may wish to change the link to point directly to the intended article. Retrieved from " https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Old_Heidelberg&oldid=977921623 " Category : Disambiguation pages Hidden categories: Short description is different from Wikidata All article disambiguation pages All disambiguation pages Heidelberg Heidelberg ( German: [ˈhaɪdl̩bɛʁk] ; Palatine German : Heidlberg )
11682-471: The totality of its ambiance is, one might say, something ideal." Heidelberg is a city with approximately 140,000 inhabitants. It is situated in the Rhine Neckar Triangle , a European metropolitan area with approximately 2.4 million people living there, comprising the neighboring cities of Heidelberg , Mannheim , Ludwigshafen , and a number of smaller towns in the perimeter. Heidelberg is known as
11800-681: The town was rebuilt in the Baroque style on the old medieval layout. In 1810 the French Revolution refugee Count Charles Graimberg began to preserve the palace ruins and establish a historical collection. In 1815, the Emperor of Austria , the Emperor of Russia and the King of Prussia formed the " Holy Alliance " in Heidelberg. In 1848, the German National Assembly was held there. In 1849, during
11918-589: The town, although the town is not a part of the district. Heidelberg is a part of the Rhine-Neckar Metropolitan Region, often referred to as the Rhein-Neckar Triangle . This region consists of the southern part of the State of Hessen , the southern part of the State of Rhineland-Palatinate ( Vorderpfalz ), the administrative districts of Mannheim and Heidelberg, and the municipalities of
12036-508: The troops of King Louis XIV , who destroyed Heidelberg in 1693 almost completely. As a consequence of the late Counter-Reformation , the university lost its Protestant character, and was channeled by Jesuits . From 1712 to 1728, the Old University was constructed at University Square, then known as Domus Wilhelmina. Through the efforts of the Jesuits a preparatory seminary was established,
12154-474: The university awarded 994 PhD degrees . In the 2025 edition of the QS World University Rankings , Heidelberg ranked 84th globally and 3rd in Germany. According to the 2024 Times Higher Education World University Rankings , the university was ranked 47th in the world and held the position as the 3rd best university in the country. Moreover, in the 2023 ARWU World Rankings , Heidelberg secured
12272-544: The university faculty and students took part in book burnings at Universitätsplatz ("University Square") and Heidelberg eventually became infamous as a NSDAP university. The inscription above the main entrance of the New University was changed from "The Living Spirit" to "The German Spirit", and many professors paid homage to the new motto. The university was involved in Nazi eugenics : forced sterilizations were carried out at
12390-410: The university, the elector approved a revised statute book that several professors had been commissioned to prepare. The financial affairs of the university, its receipts and expenditures, were put in order. At that time, the number of students varied from 300 to 400; in the jubilee year, 133 matriculated. As a consequence of the disturbances caused by the French Revolution , and particularly because of
12508-569: The university. It attracted scholars from all over the continent and developed into a cultural and academic center. However, with the beginning of the Thirty Years' War in 1618, the intellectual and fiscal wealth of the university declined. In 1622, the then-world-famous Bibliotheca Palatina (the library of the university) was stolen from the University Cathedral and taken to Rome. The reconstruction efforts thereafter were defeated by
12626-472: The valley, founding Schönau Abbey in 1142. Modern Heidelberg can trace its roots to this 12th-century monastery. The first reference to Heidelberg can be found in a document in Schönau Abbey dated to 1196. This is considered to be the town's founding date. In 1156, Heidelberg castle and its neighboring settlement were taken over by the house of Hohenstaufen . Conrad of Hohenstaufen became Count Palatine of
12744-578: The various university hospitals. The Faculty of Physics and Astronomy is not located on either campus, but on the Philosophers' Walk , separated from the Old Town by the River Neckar, and some 2 km (1.2 mi) away from the New Campus. It also maintains observatory facilities on the Königstuhl Mountain . The university maintains a botanical garden at Neuenheimer Feld. The Bergheim Campus
12862-473: The women's clinic and the psychiatric clinic, then directed by Carl Schneider , was involved in Action T4 Euthanasia program. The heads of the university helped in the deportation of Jewish men, women and children directly to the gas chambers. After the end of World War II, the university underwent an extensive denazification . Since Heidelberg was spared from destruction during World War II,
12980-665: Was a stronghold of the NSDAP /Nazi party (the National Socialist German Workers' Party), the strongest party in the elections before 1933 (the NSDAP obtained 30% at the communal elections of 1930 ). The NSDAP received 45.9% of the votes in the German federal election of March 1933 (the national average was 43.9%). In 1934 and 1935 the Reichsarbeitsdienst ( State Labor Service ) and Heidelberg University students built
13098-481: Was at first patriotic and later political. After Romanticism had eventually died out, Heidelberg became a center of Liberalism and the movement in favor of German national unity. The historians Friedrich Christoph Schlosser and Georg Gottfried Gervinus were the guides of the nation in political history . The modern scientific schools of medicine and natural science , particularly astronomy , were models in point of construction and equipment, and Heidelberg University
13216-554: Was effected by the chancellor and bishop Johann von Dalberg in the late 15th century. Humanism was represented at Heidelberg University particularly by the founder of the older German Humanistic School Rudolph Agricola , Conrad Celtes , Jakob Wimpfeling , and Johann Reuchlin . Æneas Silvius Piccolomini was chancellor of the university in his capacity as provost of Worms , and later always favored it with his friendship and good-will as Pope Pius II . In 1482, Pope Sixtus IV permitted laymen and married men to be appointed professors in
13334-535: Was elected first rector of the university. The rector seal motto was semper apertus —i.e., "the book of learning is always open." The university grew quickly and in March 1390, 185 students were enrolled at the university. Between 1414 and 1418, theology and jurisprudence professors of the university took part in the Council of Constance and acted as counselors for Louis III , who attended this council as representative of
13452-468: Was especially noted for its influential law school. The university as a whole became the role model for the transformation of American liberal arts colleges into research universities , in particular for the then-newly established Johns Hopkins University . Heidelberg's professors were important supporters of the Vormärz revolution and many of them were members of the first freely elected German parliament,
13570-575: Was founded by Rupert I, Elector Palatine . Heidelberg University played a leading part in Medieval Scholasticism , Renaissance humanism , the German Reformation , and in the subsequent conflict between Lutheranism and Calvinism during the 15th and 16th centuries. In April 1518, a few months after proclaiming his Ninety-five Theses , Martin Luther was received in Heidelberg, to defend them. Heidelberg's library, founded in 1421,
13688-466: Was looted during the Thirty Years' War , transported to Rome and was gifted to Pope Gregory XV by the victorious Maximilian I, Elector of Bavaria in 1622. After the secularization in 1804, the holdings of the monasteries of Salem and Petershausen formed the foundation of the reconstruction of the library collection in the 19th century. In 1816, 847 German-language manuscripts from the Bibliotheca Palatina returned to Heidelberg. As part of an exchange,
13806-461: Was modelled after the University of Paris and included four faculties: philosophy, theology, jurisprudence , and medicine. On 18 October 1386 a special Pontifical High Mass in the Heiliggeistkirche was the ceremony that established the university. On 19 October 1386 the first lecture was held, making Heidelberg the oldest university in Germany . In November 1386, Marsilius of Inghen
13924-417: Was neither an industrial center nor a transport hub, it did not present a tactical or strategic target. Other notable university towns, such as Tübingen and Göttingen , were spared bombing as well. Allied air raids focused extensively on the nearby industrial cities of Mannheim and Ludwigshafen . The U.S. Army may have chosen Heidelberg as a garrison base because of its excellent infrastructure, including
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