Learning German in Heidelberg

Heidelberg also has a cultural focus to offer. There are numerous concerts of different styles, festivals, cabaret events, readings, lectures, dance and theater performances. The Heidelberg Castle Ruins are the setting for the Heidelberg Castle Festival, an open-air theater festival. Three times each  summer, the castle is illuminated with fireworks. The castle ruins also house the German Pharmacy Museum, where pharmacy furnishings from the Baroque and Biedermeier periods are on display. In total, there are about 20 museums, art collections and exhibition halls. The history of the city and region comes alive in the Kurpfälzisches Museum of the City of Heidelberg, which is located in Palais Morass, a baroque building in the Old Town. The Old Bridge is another landmark of the city. It was first mentioned in a document in 1284. In its present form, it was built in 1788. According to a 2010 nationwide location ranking, Heidelberg is one of the most creative cities in Germany. This is particularly true in the fields of literature, architecture and design.

In the narrow alleys of the Old Town, there are countless cafés, bars and restaurants in addition to many completely preserved baroque buildings. Most students spend the summer between lectures in the courtyard of the Marstall building. This is where the cafeteria is located. The Philosophenweg (Philosophers path) offers the best view of the historical center with the steeples of the Heiliggeistkirche, the Jesuitenkirche and the Peterskirche as well as of the Neckar and the castle. The Theodor-Heuss-Bridge leads out of the Old Town and into nature: The Neckar meadow is the largest green area within the city and a popular meeting place for barbecues, sports or just relaxing in the sun. More nature and culture can be found on excursions to the German Wine Route, the Roman settlement of Ladenburg, the Odenwald, the Königsstuhl or a trip through the Neckar Valley in the footsteps of Mark Twain.