Photogallery of Heidelberg, Germany

Heidelberg is one of the oldest cities in Germany. It is also famous as the place where archaeologists discovered the Heidelberg Man, the eldest archaic human in Europe. This finding makes it possible to assume that Europe started growing and developing from this region. In modern days, numerous tourists visit Heidelberg in order to see old castles and fortresses. Opposite to other German cities, Heidelberg has retained its major landmarks. They survived even bloody battles of World War II. Despite the honorable age of the city, Heidelberg has a youthful and lively atmosphere because of thousands of students that study here. First mentions of Heidelberg in documents date back to 1196. These are the archives in Schonau Abbey, although, people lived in this region already in the 6th century. At that time, there was a fortress that had the same name as the city. Pfalz counts liked the area and decided to build a residence here. During the Thirty Years’ War, Count Tilly captured the city and became the owner of the famous Bibliotheca Palatina (Palatinate Library). Later, he gave it to the Pope as a present. The French attacked the city in the 80s of the 17th century. They completely plundered Heidelberg. In 1720, another important event happened in Heidelberg. Because of Protestant inhabitants of Heidelberg, the Roman Catholic Prince Charles III Philip had to move his residence to another German city, Mannheim. After this event, Heidelberg lost its former political … Read further