Category
Museums in Heidelberg
Heidelberg's museums are as layered as its history, running from the art of the Palatinate through the story of the university to the history of pharmacy. Many of them sit within walking distance of one another in the Old Town, which makes them easy to string together into a rainy-day plan.
The collections that matter most
The Kurpfälzisches Museum on the Hauptstraße shows art and city history, including a cast of the jawbone of Homo heidelbergensis. The Deutsches Apotheken-Museum (German Pharmacy Museum) inside the castle documents the history of pharmacy. The Studentenkarzer, the old student jail, preserves the wall paintings students left behind and brings 19th-century student life back to life.
A university town, seen through its museums
As Germany's oldest university, scholarship shapes the museums too. The university library puts precious manuscripts on display, among them a facsimile of the Codex Manesse, a medieval collection of German songs and poetry. If you want to go deeper, the institute collections hold further specialized museums.
Keep exploring Heidelberg
Every sight in this category has its own page with history, directions and practical tips. The background stories behind them are collected under Heidelberg facts.