120km (75 miles) NW of Stuttgart, 20km (12 miles) SE of Mannheim, 88km (55 miles) S of Frankfurt

Summertime in Heidelberg, according to the song from The Student Prince, is a time for music and romance. Today, it's also a time when droves of visitors invade this beautiful city. Heidelberg is one of the few German cities that was not leveled by air raids in World War II, and therefore still has original buildings from the later Middle Ages and early Renaissance. Modern Heidelberg is centered around Bismarckplatz at the foot of the Theodore-Heuss-Brücke; in this part of the city, you'll find many of the best hotels and restaurants. The tall buildings and shopping plazas here contrast with the Altstadt nearby. Across the Neckar are sports grounds, a zoo, and a large botanical garden.

Heidelberg is, above all, a university town and has been since 1386. Students make up much of the population. The colorful atmosphere that university life imparts to the town is felt especially in the old student quarter, with its narrow streets and lively inns. This oldest university in Germany is officially named Ruprecht-Karl-University, honoring both its founder, Elector Ruprecht I of the Palatinate, as well as the man who, in 1803, made it the leading university in the state of Baden, Margrave Karl Friedrich. The school was founded after the Great Schism of 1378, when conflicting claims to the papacy created unrest, and German teachers and students fled the Sorbonne in Paris.

The university grew rapidly. At first monastic in character, it changed in the 16th century with the appointment of a married rector. The so-called Old University was built in the early 18th century; the New University was constructed nearby from 1930 to 1932. Funds for this structure came from American sources, including Henry Ford. Today, lecture halls, institutes, seminar buildings, and clinics are scattered all over town, but a new university quarter has been developed on the plain in the Neuenheim district, with multistory buildings and a modern cancer-research center.