Category
University in Heidelberg
Founded in 1386, Ruprecht Karl University is the oldest university in Germany with an unbroken teaching tradition. It is not a self-contained campus but runs straight through the city, from the historic Alte Universität (Old University) in the Old Town to the modern science campus in the Neuenheimer Feld.
The historic university quarter
Around the Universitätsplatz (University Square) stand the Alte and Neue Universität (Old and New University buildings), the university library and the Studentenkarzer, the student jail where students once served out their pranks. The Aula of the Alte Universität, a lavish 19th-century assembly hall, is open to visitors.
Science today
Out in the Neuenheimer Feld, the university hospital, Max Planck institutes and the German Cancer Research Center do their work. That mix of centuries-old tradition and cutting-edge research is what gives the city its student atmosphere, the kind you can feel in the pubs of the Untere Straße and the cafés of the Old Town.
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.