Heidelberg (hĪˈdəlbĕrkh) [key], city (1994 pop. 139,430), Baden-
Württemberg, SW Germany, picturesquely situated on the Neckar
River. Manufactures include machinery, precision instruments,
leather goods, and tobacco and wood products. Most important to
Heidelberg, however, is the tourism industry. Primarily focused
on the Heidelberg Castle, the trade brings in several million
visitors per year. Heidelberg was first mentioned in the 12th
cent. In 1225 it was acquired by the count palatine of the Rhine
and until 1720 was the residence of the electors palatine (see
Palatinate). The Univ. of Heidelberg (Ruprecht-Karl-Universität)
was founded in 1386 by Elector Rupert I and is the oldest
German-speaking university after those in Prague and Vienna. It
became a bulwark of the Reformation in the 16th cent., declined
after the Thirty Years War (1618–48), and, recovering after the
French Revolutionary Wars, became the leading university of
19th-century Germany. Student life in 19th-century Heidelberg,
with its duels, so