Heidelberg

Heidelberg (halfway between Stuttgart and Frankfurt) is a city in Baden-Württemberg, Germany. As of 2005, there are 140,000 people living on the city's 109 km².

History

• Heidelberg was first mentioned in 1196.
• Its university, the oldest in Germany, was founded in 1386. Some books come back for the 600-anniversary in 1986 from Vatican, Rome, to her first place as gift of the elector to the university in the church of Holy Spirit.
• Reformed Heidelberg Catechism approved in 1563 defining differences from Catholicism. Luther discussed his theses in town.
• The great classical scholar Friedrich Sylburg was librarian to the elector palatine from 1591 to 1596.
• City burned and castle partly destroyed by the French during the War of the Palatinate Succession 1693 It was partially rebuilt. But some years later it burned down by lightning. The electors Karl Theodor, Elector of Bavaria (Charles IV) family left the town.

That was the beginning of a never ending love and legend: Most of the destruction was now caused by citizens who stole the stones for the reconstruction of their own houses. Look at Untere Straße, Ingrimstraße or Hauptstraße.

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• Discovery of spectral analysis by Robert Bunsen and Kirchhoff in 1860.