"My Current Residence" a Heidelberg Travel Page by MyPegasus

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Heidelberg

Heidelberg : General and History

I live in Heidelberg since 2001. It is one of the best place that I've ever seen in Germany (for living). Its climate is mild, has a famous university and also many many students and tourist. Specially in summer the cafes and bars are remarkable. It has of course lots of historical buidings.

Following are some further info about its history.Heidelberg is first mentioned in a document of Schönau Monastery dated 1196. But its history goes back to the year 40 AD when Roman encampments here were conquered by the Allemanians. Majestically perched high above the narrow lanes and picturesque roofs of the Old Town are the ruins of Heidelberg Castle – the magnificent red sandstone structure that crowns the city. For five centuries it was the glamorous residence of the Electors Palatine.

In 1386 Count Ruprecht I founded Heidelberg University. Germany's oldest institution of higher learning. It played a leading role during the age of Humanism and the Reformation. Luther was received here with great honors and defended his 95 theses. Heidelberg became the favorite of an illustrious group of poets including Arnim, Brentano, Hölderlin, Eichendorff and Goethe, to name but a few. No city was so beloved by the Romantic poets as Heidelberg.

Due not least of all to her enchanting location on the Neckar River amidst mountains, woods and sloping vineyards. Down through the ages this urbane and vital city has been a magnet for many artists – as it is today. Its opera, drama and ballet performances, for instance, are highly acclaimed throughout the entire German theater world. Especially worth seeing are the Schlossfestspiele, summer festivals of concerts and music theater. Behind her romantic settings, the facades of simple town houses and splendid palaces, bustles a forward-looking city with world-class scientific and economic institutions.

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“Kurpfalz” (Palatinate)

Heidelberg : Art

Many of the buildings passed on our walking tour of the city house important collections and museums. With more than ten museums – including the "Kurpfälzische Museum", the Textile Museum, the Kunstverein – as well as numerous private galleries, art lovers encounter an embarassment of riches here.

Outstanding among them is the Apothecaries' Museum in the Castle. Another must: the Studentenkarzer in Augustinergasse where unruly students were incarcerated, and the University Library with such treasures as the Manesse Manuscript, a repository of Middle High German poetry. In the Wieblingen district we find what is probably Germany's only Bonsai Museum.

Naturally Heidelberg also offers its guests a rich array of theatrical and musical performances. Ballet, drama, opera and operetta in the Municipal Theater and comedies in the Zimmertheater are augmented by presentations in the Young Peoples' Theater and on numerous student stages. Highlights are performances at the Castle Festival, held every August in the castle's courtyard or Königssaal.

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Heidelberg Castle

Heidelberg : Transportation

Centrally located in the heart of Germany, Heidelberg is perfectly integrated in the transportation network.

By air, you reach Heidelberg via Frankfurt's Rhein-Main Airport, or via Stuttgart. From Frankfurt Airport, Heidelberg is accessed in less than one hour with the Lufthansa Airport Bus or by door-to-door airport shuttle. Booking with hotel reservation, or through the Heidelberg Verkehrsverein (Tourist Office).

Additionally, there is hourly rail service from Frankfurt to Heidelberg with Intercity and Eurocity trains.

In the immediate vicinity of Heidelberg is the juncture of the A6 East-West Autobahn and the A5/ A67 North-South Autobahns. For the most romantic approach, take the German Wine Road (B37) from the west, the Bergstraße (B3) from the north and the Burgenstraße (B37) from the southeast.