Mannheim

View and book hotels in Mannheim. Click here.

Mannheim is unique among German cities in that its downtown area is laid out in a grid pattern, much like many North American cities. The main route through the squares leads to an enormous 18th century castle that houses the University of Mannheim. Mannheim is first mentioned in a document from 766 AD, the "Codex Laureshamensis" from the Lorsch Cloister. It is listed as "Mannenheim" (Home of Manno). It remained a village until Frederick IV; Elector Palatine initiated building the fortress Friedrichsburg and the adjacent grid-like city core. Rebuilt, in 1720, Mannheim replaced Heidelberg as the capital of the Palatinate. It was then that Karl III Philip, Elector Palatine started construction of the Mannheim Castle completed in 1760. In the 18th century Mannheim was home to the so-called Mannheim School of classical composers. It was reputed for having one of the best court orchestras in Europe. Carl Benz invented and drove the world's first car in Mannheim in 1885. Earlier still in 1817, Karl Drais invented and rode the first two-wheeled contraption called Laufmaschine or velocipede - the very start of horseless personal transport. During the Second World War, Mannheim (as a key industrial center) was heavily damaged by U.S. and British bombing. 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.