Mannheim

Industrial city in Baden-Württemberg, Germany, at the confluence of the Rhine and the Neckar, 93 km/58 mi northwest of Stuttgart; population (2005 est) 307,900. There are heavy machinery, glass, earthenware, and chemical industries. It has a large oil refinery. On the opposite bank of the Rhine is Ludwigshafen.

The modern symphony orchestra, with its balance of instruments and the vital role of the conductor, originated at Mannheim in the 18th century when the ruler of the Rhine Palatinate, Carl Theodor, assembled the finest players of his day.

Features There is a castle (the largest baroque building in Germany), now the seat of Mannheim University, and an 18th-century Jesuit church. There is the National Theatre (1955–57), a gallery of 19th- and 20th-century art, the Museum of Technology and Labour, a theatre museum, and a planetarium.

History There was a settlement on the site as early as the 8th century but its real history dates from the building of a city here by the Elector Frederick IV in 1606. The city was laid out in the 17th and 18th centuries in a grid pattern. It rose to importance in 1720, when the seat of the Electors Palatine was transferred here from Heidelberg. In 1798 their residence was moved to Munich and the fortunes of Mannheim declined, only to revive in the 19th century after the building of a river port. The city was repeatedly bombed during World War II.