The former capital of the Palatinate is certainly romantic. Heidelberg Castle, the residence of the Prince Electors for five centuries, became a place of pilgrimage for artists of the “Sturm und Drang” literary movement: Clemens and Bettina Brentano, Achim von Arnim, Goerres… the new princes of German romanticism following on from Goethe. But the city’s radiance does not only come from the Baroque ruins of its fortress, nor the poems that it has inspired; it was in Heidelberg, in 1386, that the first German university was built, now one of the most reputed in the world. Internationally recognised for its first class scientific research facilities and modern technology centre, Heidelberg is the twin city of Cambridge in England. If the prestige of the city was established thanks to the learned scholars of its university (Helmholtz, Bunsen, Kuno Fischer or Max Planck), Heidelberg - linked with Mannheim and Ludwigshafen to form the Rhein-Neckar industrial pole- has today become a place of economic importance that has always succeeded in combining higher education with industry. Beautiful and serious, Heidelberg also knows how to have a good time, at the concerts held in the Castle’s courtyard or the numerous parties organised by its students. An important cultural centre, a scientific and economic seat, festive and romantic at the same time, Heidelberg is sure to enchant you.
Return to introduction...
Language 
