Talk:Heidelberg

Derivation of the Name

"The name Heidelberg is an adaptation of Heidelbeerenberg, which means Huckleberry Mountain." - A huckleberry is the fruit of a N. American shrub, it could hardly be the name of a German city. So this is clearly rubbish.

-- Actually, "Heidelbeere" is more of a blueberry - which grows around Heidelberg. It's not known though what the name "Heidelberg" is derived from (to my knowledge). "Heidelbeerberg" is just the most popular theory. Some other, less popular, theories derive the name from e.g. "Heidenberg" (Heathen Mountain, in reference to the ancient Celt settlement on an adjacent hill) or "Heide-Berg" (Heather Mountain). The name has been consistent in written documents since 1196, with only minor differences. The question of where the word "Heidelberg" is derived from has been around since the late 1500s. The German wikipedia entry for Heidelberg doesn't refer to the name or attempt an explanation at all btw. Kato2k6 14:01, 6 September 2006 (UTC)

"Villages"

Villages: What is listed as "Villages" in the article are in fact only distinct part of the city itself. --84.172.245.128 16:04, 4 August 2006 (UTC) The article claimed that the University was Europe's "third oldest" educational institute, which is clearly untrue;it is about number 30. I have toned it down.

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Hi, I live near Heidelberg and I don't think that the city is most famous for its university. To my opinion it is the castle -- specialy the Americans and Japanese come to Heidelberg because of the famous castle. --Juergen

Having lived in Heidelberg, I would agree. Arrogant Academic-type might know the University better, but, for the most part, the castle is better known. --The Saxon 17:07, 18 October 2006 (UTC)

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Hi, I live in Heidelberg: There are two untrue things in this article:

1. There was little destruction by the Frensh during the war. This is in fact a legend. Most of the destruction was caused by the citizens after the war. They stole stones from the castle to rebuild thier houses.
2. Heidelberg is not World Heritage Site. Not yet and maybe it will never be. The process of the application at the UNESCO is still ongoing. See press release of the adminitration of heidelberg (german): http://www.heidelberg.de/aktuelle/archiv/pd140104.htm

I change that and since I agree with Juergen I'll add the castel to the most famous things in Heidelberg-- Titus Hi, I am a former citizen of Heidelberg. Heidelberg was sacked by the French and only the Ritter Hotel was left standing. The French also blew up part of the castle. The citizens could have taken stones only after that. Hi, I live in the U.S. but I am really interested in Heidelberg and the history of it all. Does anyone by chance know the meaning of "Heidelberg" and where it came from? I am also wondering if anyone knows anything related to the family that lived in the castle during the 1600's. Please contact me at my email address Crazyboolu@yahoo.com. Thank you! --Crazyboolu--

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thanks a lot 4 translation und linkage of many, many points of interesst. somebody of heidelberg. july 05  ;-) ............................................. ..........................................Heidelberg derives from "Heidelbeerenberg", meaning "Huckleberry Mountain"

H-Town

The Ritter hotel wasn't the only structure left standing - there's a cathedral just across the cobblestone street from the Ritter that's been around since the 1400s, I believe. I'm stationed in Heidelberg currently, and I've been to both cathedrals in downtown Heidelberg, as well as the castle and the old bridge. I'd say the biggest pull for American tourists is probably the castle, since there are no castles in America, but also a great many international students may come to Heidelberg for the old University, as it's been referred to as a "college town". It's also a "military" town, since the USAREUR and V Corps Headquarters and their supporting units take up a good portion of the suburban section of the city. Since the base is split up into several sections to accomodate the city itself, it's not uncommon to see American, German or other NATO soldiers in uniform walking (more commonly driving) from one point to the next, and many establishments have adopted a "No Americans" rule due to the unfortunate behavior of some of our less disciplined (and more inebriated) soldiers. TKarrde 15:05, 16 January 2006 (UTC)

I lived in Heidelberg and nearby Nussloch for three year, and graduated from Heidelberg American High School. I want to put in a couple of thoughts: First, when I lived in Heidelberg, from 1995-1998, I never heard of any Heidelberg establishments that had any "No American" rules. This does not mean that they have not been established since, but they must be recent. Second, I never heard of Heidelberg referred to as "H-town" amongst Americans. Perhaps it was referred to as such by people living outside of Heidelberg, but amongst American military types.--The Saxon 05:18, 29 August 2006 (UTC)

Living in Heidelberg, i can say that the "No Americans" is an internal rule of some bouncers at local discotheques and clubs. Recently that seems to be enforced a bit more often, perhaps in part due to an incident last year where an American "fell unluckily" outside a bar after a fight and died. "H-Town" seems to be a moniker in some American Communities in Germany outside Heidelberg, though it's not used anywhere near as widely accepted as "K-Town" (Kaiserslautern). --Kato2k6 09:14, 6 September 2006 (UTC)

Formatting

If someone would be willing to take the time to rearrange the many images on this page to better fit into the space allotted, it'd be much appreciated. There's an awful lot of blank space in the first few pages. TKarrde 15:08, 16 January 2006 (UTC)

What browser are you using? I usually use Mozilla Firefox, but it screws up the placement of pictures something rotten. Try with Internet Explorer, and see if it's any better.--King Hildebrand 19:14, 16 July 2006 (UTC)

History

I removed this

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.

from the middle of the history section. It does not seem to fit the context, and certainly not the format of the remaining text. Perhaps it should go somewhere, but I don't see where it fits in.--King Hildebrand 19:11, 16 July 2006 (UTC)

Images

The statue of a "monkey" or "baboon" is obviously a cat.

It is really a monkey, called the "bridge monkey"" (brückenaffe). de: Heidelberger Alte Brücke describes the history of the sculpture. — Laura Scudder ☎ 20:42, 31 July 2006 (UTC)

Whoever thought that the monkey statue was a cat was never there. I saw it with my own eyes, and was taught on tour that it was a primate of some sort.--The Saxon 05:19, 29 August 2006 (UTC)

They actually held a contest for that monkey statue. I know someone who owns the maquette for another design (a much more naturalistic chimpanzee). The bridge monkey is more of a baboon and has a tail and hands on its feet, so no, it's by no means a cat. One fun thing most tourists do is put their heads inside the monkey's face (As you might see on the picture, it's open at the bottom, and you can look out through the face). -- Uliwitness - "Sume" in exile

University

The University is described on this page as the third oldest in europe but the Oldest University wikipage seems to make it 16th. I think a better description would be "oldest in germany and amongst Europes oldest". 130.88.167.5 09:03, 7 October 2007 (UTC)