Heidelberg Events
Heidelberg Christmas Market
Little winter forest on Kornmarkt © Heidelberg Marketing, photo by Thorsten Assfalg
On November 25, 2024, it’s that time once again: for many, the best weeks of the year begin as the scent of almonds, gingerbread, and mulled wine fills the Old Town, inviting you to stroll through the squares of the Heidelberg Christmas Market.
Special attractions include the Heidelberg Barrel at the Market Square, the Christmas pyramid at University Square, the little winter forest on Kornmarkt, and the ice rink at Karlsplatz, one of the most beautiful in Germany.
The Christmas Market ends on December 22, 2024, the little winter forest will be open until January 1, 2025, and the ice rink even until January 6, 2025.
Our tip: Every Advent Saturday at 4.30 p.m., a Christmas Market tour (in German) provides fascinating insights into the region’s Christmas and pre-Christmas traditions – including a cup of mulled wine or punch.
The full diversity of international cinema
IFFMH Award Ceremony 2023 at Karlstorbahnhof © Alexander Münch
The International Film Festival Mannheim-Heidelberg celebrates its 73rd edition from November 7 – 17, 2024. Festival visitors can once again discover current films from around the world – many as German premieres.
The competition includes films from Morocco, India, and Georgia – countries currently producing some of the most exciting films. There is also something for the young audience: the “Young Film Festival” will showcase seven international children’s and youth films, and on November 10, 2024, a family day with a colorful program will take place for the first time in the Stadthaus Mannheim.
In Heidelberg’s Karlstorbahnhof, DJ Lars Eidinger will be performing on November 8, 2024, and on November 17, 2024, author Alex Rühle will read from his latest book about the castle ghost Zippel.
You can find the complete program here.
Did you know …
… that the Bunsen burner was invented in Heidelberg?
Robert Wilhelm Eberhard Bunsen, born on March 30, 1811 in Göttingen, died on August 16, 1899 in Heidelberg, was a German chemist. Together with Gustav Robert Kirchhoff, he discovered caesium and rubidium in 1861 and developed spectral analysis, which can be used to detect chemical elements in a highly specific manner. For this purpose, Bunsen perfected a particular gas torch, which had previously been invented by Michael Faraday and would later be called the Bunsen burner. During his time at the University of Heidelberg, Bunsen taught well over 3,000 students. In his honor, a statue was erected in the anatomy garden.
You can even take a Bunsen tour of Heidelberg.
One of his students was the chemist Henry Roscoe. About Robert Bunsen, he said: “As an investigator, he was great. As a teacher, even greater. As a man and friend, he was greatest.”
Did you know …
Charles Francois de Graimberg (1774 – 1864) in a portrait by Guido Schmitt, 1902 © Kurpfälzisches Museum Heidelberg
… that a Frenchman, Charles de Graimberg, saved the Heidelberg Castle ruins?
Charles de Graimberg came to Heidelberg in 1810 to make copperplate engravings of the castle ruins and the town – and remained in Heidelberg until his death in 1864. Back then, he was shocked to discover that the people of Heidelberg were using the ruins as a quarry for their houses and the castle garden as a potato field. Furthermore, a contract had already been signed with a demolition company.
He campaigned for the preservation of the ruins with personal commitment and his own money, paid guards, even took up residence in the castle and his copperplate engravings made Heidelberg known to a broad public. He was successful.
And so, thanks to Charles de Graimberg, we can still marvel at this world-famous symbol of Romanticism today.
Did you know …
… that Heidelberg is the most sustainable city in Germany?
The latest city ranking by business magazine WirtschaftsWoche concludes that Heidelberg is the most sustainable and future-oriented city in Germany.
Among other things, Heidelberg impresses with its passive house district Bahnstadt, the new energy storage facility in Pfaffengrund and the lowest youth unemployment rate.
Furthermore, the ranking highlights the high value that science and research, education and training have for Heidelberg. Every fifth euro in the city’s budget is invested for the benefit of children and young people, and around 70% of employees in Heidelberg work in knowledge-intensive services.