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Home Page > Travelogues > Germany > Baden-Württemberg > Heidelberg > Northern Suburbs and Philosopher's Way Other Chapters in the Heidelberg
section: Also available: Segment on the Heidelberg Christmas Market
The northern suburbs of Heidelberg stretch along the northern
bank of the Neckar The first two suburbs are Wieblingen, which follows along the Neckar River after it makes a sharp right hand turn to the north, and Pfaffengrund just south of it. Both are industrial -- Wieblingen mostly being a large harbor that juts out into the Neckar, and Pfaffengrund being Heidelberg's closest equivalent to an American strip mall. My only trips there was back in 1999 and 2000, when I was first exploring Heidelberg, as I followed the river west from the University. It was in these boroughs where I did most of my household shopping after I moved into my house in Nussloch. Pfaffengrund in particular had a number of large shopping centers devoted to the home. The next suburb is Neuenheim, sitting across the river
from Bismarckplatz. Neuenheim is partly shown Neuenheim is also the gateway to Philosopher's Way. This
mountain trail is a long, steep climb through parts of the University of
Heidelberg. Early on, it is a paved road, but after about a half-mile, it
turns into a pedestrian-only dirt road that becomes mostly flat,
thankfully. A few hundred yards further, and one comes upon a garden and
clearing in the middle of the hill that offers the first full view of the
city. The second photo shows this view, a picture that currently hangs on
my That's only the beginning of Philosopher's Way, however, and the adventurous have the ability to follow the trail all the way up the hillside. Along the way there are some side excursions to old towers or platforms, like the one in the third photo. One can climb to the top of this one, that is topped by something that resembled an olympic flame. Unfortunately, the grown-in forest mostly obscured the downtown view from up there. A monument sits in a clearing at the very top of Philosopher's Way, and it too offers a great view of downtown Heidelberg (but I preferred the lower view of the second photo). Handschuhsheim sits further north of Neuenheim along the main road, and is another of Heidelberg's affluent suburbs. Much more secluded and quiet, Handschuhsheim has a number of beautiful manors along its main road, and tucked away are exclusive neighborhoods with some fantastic dining. Handschuhsheim also hosts the city zoo, which was the first
European zoo I've ever visited. It was surprisingly large and had a wide
variety of animals, such as the happy camel shown in the fourth photo. My
only trip there was on a hot August day, and hundreds of families The other two suburbs in this travelogue are Ziegelhausen and Schlierbach, upstream from the old city. I encountered these two boroughs on my first long-distance bike trip, that took me past Neckargemuend. Ziegelhausen was a pleasant surprise. After pedaling along for a mile or so with nothing along the river, Ziegelhausen appeared on the north bank, a collection of houses that filled a bowl-shaped valley. Its riverfront was really beautiful, with a colorful array of stores and restaurants similar to those in the towns further along the Neckar River Valley. I took the final photo from the south bank town of Schlierbach, but unfortunately I did not take the time to climb the bank higher to get a clear shot. Schlierbach was more industrial at the base, with a quarry behind where I was standing when I took the shot. The best part about the northern part of the city was the
University, and the Above all, though, the Neckar is what grants prime real estate status to the northern suburbs. Each of them embrace the river in some fashion, and benefit from the higher sophistication level of its residents. If you live in Heidelberg, it is definitely the part of town to visit after doing the Old City and the Castle. Other Chapters in the Heidelberg
section: Also available: Segment on the Heidelberg Christmas Market Page last updated 01 September 2006 -- (C) 2001, 2003 Tom Galvin Useful Links:
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River
toward 
in
the first photo, and would be considered the prime suburb. With many of
its houses scattered on the hillsides of the north bank, denizens of Neuenheim
have a perfect view of the Old Bridge and Heidelberg Castle. Not
surprisingly, this suburb is the most expensive to live in. Neuenheim has
its own nightspots and shopping that attracts a more local audience, as it is
sufficiently far away from the altstadt's tourist trappings. In fact,
Heidelberg's altstadt brewery, Vetter's, has a second restaurant there.
wall.
As one can imagine, this scene can often be found on the city's postcards.
were out enjoying the sunshine.
youthful
presence of its students. During the spring and summer, they congregated
in the grassy parks lined along the north bank of the Neckar, playing soccer or
lazing about reading. Philosopher's Way was another youthful hangout
on a sunny day -- dozens of them making the climb to see the old city, sit on
park benches among the myriad flowers, and do what college kids are famous for
(smoking and bitching about life, what else?).
