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Mannheim

 
Dictionary: Mann·heim   (măn'hīm', män'-) pronunciation
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A city of southwest Germany at the confluence of the Rhine and Neckar rivers north-northwest of Stuttgart. First mentioned in the 8th century, it was chartered in 1607 and became an important musical and theatrical center in the 18th century. Population: 308,000.

 

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Britannica Concise Encyclopedia: Mannheim
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City (pop., 2002: city, 308,385; metro. area, 1,568,679), southwestern Germany. One of Europe's largest inland ports, it is situated on the Rhine River at the mouth of the Neckar River. It was a village in the 8th century, fortified by Elector Frederick IV, and chartered in 1607. The town was twice destroyed in wars during the 17th century and was rebuilt when the Palatine electors (see Palatinate) moved their residence there in 1720. Destroyed again in 1795, the city was rebuilt and became a centre of the revolutionary movement in 1848. Mannheim is an industrial centre, manufacturing chemicals, textiles, and fertilizers.

For more information on Mannheim, visit Britannica.com.

 
Columbia Encyclopedia: Mannheim
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Mannheim (män'hīm), city (1994 pop. 318,025), Baden-Württemberg, W central Germany, on the right bank of the Rhine River and at the mouth of the Neckar River. A bridge connects it with Ludwigshafen, on the opposite bank of the Rhine. It is a major inland port and an industrial center with an important trade in coal and iron. Manufactures include electrical products, chemicals, machinery, optics, and precision mechanics. Mannheim was mentioned in the 8th cent. as a small fishing village. It was fortified and chartered in 1606-7. In 1720 the city became the residence of the electors palatine (see Palatinate), who built (1720-60) a large palace and held a brilliant court there. Elector Charles Theodore made (late 18th cent.) Mannheim one of the great musical and theatrical centers of Europe. The famous Mannheim orchestra ranked first among 18th-century orchestras and became the model of many later symphonic groups. Mozart lived (1777-78) there and Schiller began (1782-83) his career at the Mannheim theater. Mannheim was awarded to Baden in 1802. Although many of the historic buildings were heavily damaged in World War II, the city has, since 1945, restored the château and the regularly laid-out 18th-century baroque buildings of the inner city, including the Jesuit church (1733-60) and the city hall (1700-1723). Carl Benz is credited with building (1885) the first motor-driven vehicle at Mannheim. There is a university in the city.

Dialing Code: The telephone dialing code for: Mannheim, Germany
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The country code is: 49
The city code is: 621

Wikipedia: Mannheim
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This article is about the city in Germany. For other uses, see Mannheim (disambiguation).
Mannheim
View of Mannheim's Centre
View of Mannheim's Centre
Coat of arms of Mannheim
Mannheim is located in Germany
Mannheim
Administration
Country Germany
State Baden-Württemberg
Admin. region Karlsruhe
District urbanB
Lord Mayor Dr. Peter Kurz (SPD)
Basic statistics
Area 144.96 km2 (55.97 sq mi)
Elevation 97 m  (318 ft)
Population 311,142  (31 December 2008)
 - Density 2,146 /km2 (5,559 /sq mi)
Other information
Time zone CET/CEST (UTC+1/+2)
Licence plate MA
Postal codes 68001–68309
Area codes +49 621
Website www.mannheim.de

Coordinates: 49°29′20″N 8°28′9″E / 49.48889°N 8.46917°E / 49.48889; 8.46917
Wasserturm (water tower), Mannheim's landmark.
Mannheim on the Rhine and Neckar rivers.
Map of Mannheim, 1888, showing the grid layout centered on the palace (now the University).

Mannheim is a city in Germany. With 311,342 inhabitants it is the second-largest city in the state of Baden-Württemberg after the capital Stuttgart.

Mannheim is situated at the confluence of the rivers Rhine and Neckar, in the northwestern corner of the state of Baden-Württemberg. The Rhine separates Mannheim from the adjacent Rhineland-Palatinate city of Ludwigshafen. The Hessian border is north of the city. Mannheim is the largest city of the Rhine Neckar Area, a metropolitan area with 2.4 million inhabitants.

Mannheim is unusual among German cities in that its central area is laid out in a grid pattern (called Quadrate, squares), much like many North American cities. The main route through the squares leads to an enormous 18th-century palace. This former seat of the Electors of the Palatinate now houses the University of Mannheim.

Mannheim's city symbol is der Wasserturm (the water-tower), located in the east of the city centre. Mannheim is start and finish of Bertha Benz Memorial Route.

Contents

History

"Mannenheim" (Home of Manno) is first mentioned in connection with a legal transaction in 766, in the "Codex Laureshamensis" from Lorsch Abbey. It remained a village until Frederick IV, Elector Palatine initiated building the fortress Friedrichsburg and the adjacent grid-like city core in 1606. On 24 January 1607 he gave Mannheim city privileges.

The city was destroyed subsequently in the Thirty Years' War in 1622 by Tilly's troops, and in the Nine Years War for the Palatinate succession in 1689 by the French.

After the rebuilding since 1698, the capital of the Electoral Palatinate was transferred from Heidelberg to Mannheim in 1720. It was then that Karl III Philip, Elector Palatine began construction of the Mannheim Palace and the Jesuit Church. They were completed in 1760.

In the 18th century, Mannheim was home to the so-called Mannheim School of classical composers. It was reputed to have one of the best court orchestras in Europe under the leadership of Carlo Grua. The court left Mannheim in 1778 and two decades later, Mannheim was transferred to the Grand Duchy of Baden in 1802.

In 1819 Norwich Duff made the following observations:

Mannheim is in the Duchy of Baden and situated at the confluence of the Rhine and Neckar over both of which there is a bridge of boats. This is the third town of this name having been twice burnt. The houses are large, and the streets broad and at right angles to each other, and is one of the most airy clean towns I have seen in Germany. It was formerly fortified but the fortifications were rased in 1806 and gardens fill their places. There is a large Chateau here belonging to the Grand Duke and a very good garden; part of the Chateau was destroyed when the town was bombarded and has never since been repaired, the other part is occupied by the Grand Duchess widow of the late Grand Duke who was succeeded by his Uncle having left only three daughters. She is the sister of Eugene Beauharnais [sic, she was in fact his second cousin]. There is a Cathedral, a Theatre which is considered good, an observatory, a gallery of pictures at the Chateau and some private collections. About 2 km (1 mile) below the town the Russian Army crossed the Rhine in 1813. Population 18 300.

Inventions

Some important inventions were made in Mannheim.

  • Karl Drais built the first two-wheeled draisine in 1817.
  • Karl Benz' first car appeared on the streets of Mannheim in 1886. At his workshop in Mannheim he produced a lightweight three-wheeled vehicle powered by a single cylinder petrol/gasoline-fueled engine, first shown in public around 1886. This powered tricycle subsequently came to be widely regarded as the original automobile/motor car.
  • The Lanz Bulldog, a popular tractor with a rugged, simple Diesel engine was introduced in 1921.
  • Julius Hatry built the world's first rocket plane in 1929.

World War II

During World War II, Mannheim (as a key industrial center) was heavily damaged by U.S. and British bombing. The inner city area was practically annihilated.

The first deliberate "terror bombing" of German civilians was the December 16, 1940 bombing of Mannheim.[1]

The city was occupied by the U.S. Army on March 29, 1945. There has been a large American military presence in the Mannheim area ever since (see United States military installations below).

In 2007, Mannheim celebrated its 400th birthday with a series of cultural and other events spread over the whole year. The 400th birthday proper was in 2006, since Frederick IV, Elector Palatine laid the foundations of the Mannheim citadel, on March 17, 1606.

Theatre

The "Nationaltheater Mannheim" was founded in 1779 and is the oldest "Stage" in Germany. In 1782 the premier of "Die Räuber" written by Friedrich Schiller was shown.


Climate


Weather data for Mannheim, Germany
Month Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Year
Average high °C (°F) 3
(37)		 5
(41)		 10
(50)		 14
(57)		 19
(66)		 22
(72)		 25
(77)		 24
(75)		 20
(68)		 14
(57)		 7
(45)		 5
(41)		 14
(57)
Average low °C (°F) 0
(32)		 2
(36)		 3
(37)		 5
(41)		 10
(50)		 13
(55)		 15
(59)		 15
(59)		 11
(52)		 7
(45)		 3
(37)		 1
(34)		 7
(45)
Precipitation cm (inches) 2
(0.8)		 2
(0.8)		 2
(0.8)		 3
(1.2)		 7
(2.8)		 6
(2.4)		 6
(2.4)		 4
(1.6)		 4
(1.6)		 3
(1.2)		 4
(1.6)		 4
(1.6)		 55
(21.7)
Source: Weatherbase[2] Feb 2007


Mannheim is located in Germany's warmest region, the "Rhine shift". In summer, temperatures sometimes rise up to 35 C° and higher. The highest recorded temperature was 41 C° during the 2003 European heat wave. The daily lows during that time were also very high (around 25 C°). In comparison to other regions of Germany, Mannheim has a higher humidity in summer which causes a higher heat index. Snow is rare, even in the cold months. Precipitation occurs mostly during afternoon thunderstorms during the warmer period (average days of thunderstorms in a year is 40-50).

Main sights

Wiki letter w.svg This section requires expansion.
Former City Hall and Market Square
Mannheim University in the palace.
Jesuit Church.
Telecommunication tower and Luisenpark
American bison at the Tierpark

Industry

The successor to the Karl Benz automobile manufacturing companies begun in Mannheim, Daimler AG has had a large presence in Mannheim. Today, diesel engines and buses are assembled there. The Swiss Roche Diagnostic group (formerly known as Boehringer Mannheim) has its division headquarters in Mannheim. Additionally, the city also hosts large factories and offices of ABB, Alstom, BASF (Ludwigshafen), Bilfinger Berger, Bombardier, Fuchs Petrolub AG, John Deere, Siemens, SCA, Südzucker and other companies.

United States military installations

A number of United States military installations are present in Mannheim, including the headquarters of the 5th Signal Command, the Army's telecommunications command in the European area. The following installations make up the U.S. Army Garrison Mannheim:

The following installations are part of the U.S. Army Garrison Heidelberg but are within the area of the city of Mannheim:

  • Friedrichsfeld Service Center (Mannheim-Friedrichsfeld)
  • Hammonds Barracks (Mannheim-Seckenheim)
  • Stem Kaserne (Mannheim-Seckenheim)

The long-term future of the Mannheim military community is in doubt since it was not included in U.S. Army Europe's 2004 announcement of those military communities that would remain after a long-term restructuring and downsizing of U.S. forces in Europe. The U.S. Army has already closed installations in Mannheim such as the Rhine River Patrol compound in Sandhofen (1958), Gendarmerie Kaserne in Schönau, the NATO bunker in Feudenheim and Turley Barracks in Wohlgelegen.

Transportation

Roads

Roadmap of Mannheim.

The Mannheim/Ludwigshafen area is surrounded by a ring of motorways connecting it to Frankfurt in the north, Karlsruhe in the south, Saarbrücken in the west and Nürnberg in the east.

Railway

Mannheim Hauptbahnhof (central station) is at the end of the Mannheim-Stuttgart high-speed rail line and is the most important railway junction in the southwest of Germany, served by ICE high-speed train system with connections to Frankfurt am Main / Berlin, Karlsruhe / Basel and Stuttgart / Munich. A new high speed line to Frankfurt is also planned to relieve the existing Ried Railway (Riedbahn). Mannheim Harbour is the second largest river port in Germany.

Airports

Although Frankfurt International Airport is only 65 km north, since 2004 there have been daily passenger flights from Mannheim City Airport (IATA code MHG) to Berlin, Hamburg and Saarbrücken.

Local Public Transport

Local public transport in Mannheim includes the RheinNeckar S-Bahn, eleven tram lines and numerous bus lines operated by Rhein-Neckar-Verkehr (Rhine-Neckar transport).

The RheinNeckar S-Bahn, established in 2003, connects most of the Rhine-Neckar area including lines into the Palatinate, Odenwald and southern Hesse. All S-Bahn lines run through Mannheim Hauptbahnhof. Further S-Bahn stations are at present Mannheim-Rangierbahnhof, Mannheim-Seckenheim and Mannheim-Friedrichsfeld-Süd.

Metre-gauge trams are operated in Mannheim, Ludwigshafen and Heidelberg by Rhein-Neckar-Verkehr GmbH (RNV), a company wholly owned by the three cities mentioned and a couple of municipalities in the Palatinate. RNV is the result of a merger on 1 October 2009 between the region's five former municipal transportation companies.[3] Interurban trams are operated by RNV on a triangular route between Mannheim, Heidelberg and Weinheim, and the company also operates interurban trams between Bad Dürkheim, Ludwigshafen and Mannheim. In the 1970s a proposal to build a U-Bahn out of the Mannheim and Ludwigshafen tramways was begun, but only small sections were in fact built due to lack of funds. The only underground station in Mannheim is the Haltestelle Dalbergstraße. U-Bahn planning has now stopped. All public transport is offered at uniform prices set by the Verkehrsverbund Rhein-Neckar (Rhine-Neckar transport union, VRN).

Sport

Mannheim SAP-Arena

The football Bundesliga club TSG 1899 Hoffenheim was based in Mannheim's Carl-Benz-Stadion from July until December 2008 (until the completion of its new stadium, the Rhein-Neckar-Arena), as is the 4th-division club SV Waldhof Mannheim.

The Adler Mannheim is an ice hockey team playing (formerly MERC, Mannheimer Eis- und Rollhockey Club) in the professional Deutsche Eishockey Liga, having won the championship six times.

The Rhein-Neckar-Loewen (Rhine-Neckar-Lions) is a Handball team (formerly SG Kronau-Oestringen) playing in the professional German Handball League.

The WWE visited Mannheim in 2008 and grossed over half a million dollars with over 6500 fans attending the event.

Mannheim hosted the 2007 European Show Jumping Championships[4] 14 - 19 August, in the MVV-riding stadium. This is second time the city has hosted it, it previously held the championships in 1997.

Sister cities

Famous people from Mannheim

References

  1. ^ http://books.google.com/books?id=8J2-kzMxbKYC&pg=PA507&dq=%22Germany+and+the+Second+World+War%22+%22deliberate+terror%22+Mannheim&as_brr=3&sig=bFzGao4uHyptBHQTiDx0y1DzXWg
  2. ^ Weatherbase: Historical Weather for Mannheim, Germany, Weatherbase, 2007, http://www.weatherbase.com/weather/weather.php3?s=82701&refer=&units=metric, retrieved 2007-02-04 
  3. ^ "Press release announcing the merger to form RNV (German-language)". of 23 September 2009. http://www.rnv-online.de/rnvGips/Gips;jsessionid=D599A53604ABB5F1D24D663A7F42FD3C?SessionMandant=RNV&Anwendung=CMSTickerEintrag&Methode=ShowHTMLAusgabe&SessionMandant=&RessourceID=56833. Retrieved 2009-10-06. 
  4. ^ FEI European Jumping Championship, Mannheim

External links

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Flag of Germany
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Area of Heidelberg / Rhine-Neckar
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Major cities: Heidelberg | Kaiserslautern | Ludwigshafen | Mannheim | Neustadt | Speyer | Worms
Other tourist sites: Bad Dürkheim | Bad Rappenau | Buchen | Eberbach | Edenkoben | Ladenburg | Lorsch | Mosbach | Neckargemünd | Sinsheim | Weinheim | Walldürn
Landscapes: Kurpfalz | Neckar river | Odenwald | Pfalz (Palatinate) | Rhine river
Nearby areas: Frankfurt | German Wine Route |Heidelberg | Karlsruhe | Palatinate Forest | Stuttgart | Trier | Würzburg, see also: Alsace (F) | Lorraine (F) | Wissembourg (F)
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