Heide (; Holsatian: ''Heid'') is a town in

Schleswig-Holstein Schleswig-Holstein (; ; ; ; ; occasionally in English ''Sleswick-Holsatia'') is the Northern Germany, northernmost of the 16 states of Germany, comprising most of the historical Duchy of Holstein and the southern part of the former Duchy of S ...

, Germany. It is the capital of the ''Kreis'' (district)

Dithmarschen Dithmarschen (, ; archaic English: ''Ditmarsh''; ; ) is a district in Schleswig-Holstein, Germany. It is bounded by (from the north and clockwise) the districts of Nordfriesland, Schleswig-Flensburg, Rendsburg-Eckernförde, and Steinburg, by the ...

. Population: 22,000. The German word ''Heide'' means "

heath A heath () is a shrubland habitat found mainly on free-draining infertile, acidic soils and is characterised by open, low-growing woody vegetation. Moorland is generally related to high-ground heaths with—especially in Great Britain—a coole ...

". In the 15th century four adjoining villages decided to build a church in the "middle of the heath". This remained the town's name to date. The exact foundation date is now unknown, but by 1447 Heide was already the main village of Dithmarschen. At this time Dithmarschen was an independent peasant republic. Heide became a town in the 19th century. Heide has the largest un-built-upon market square in Germany, with 4.7 hectares. It is used primarily as a parking lot and has approximately 500 parking spaces. In 2016, the city staged 3 car-free Sundays on the market square for the first time.

Sport

The association soccer club Heider SV plays in the Oberliga Schleswig-Holstein (V).

Education

There are some notable educational institutes in the town * BTZ Heide gGmbH * RKiSH-Akademie * Volkshochschule Heide * Fachhochschule Westküste Institut für die Transformation des Energiesystems (ITE)

Notable landmarks

* St. Jürgen church (1560) * Water tower (1903) * Museum of Dithmarschen History * Brahmshaus, dwelling house of the ancestors of the composer

Johannes Brahms Johannes Brahms (; ; 7 May 1833 – 3 April 1897) was a German composer, virtuoso pianist, and conductor of the mid-Romantic period (music), Romantic period. His music is noted for its rhythmic vitality and freer treatment of dissonance, oft ...

, now a museum

Notable people

* Klaus Groth (1819–1899), a

Low German Low German is a West Germanic languages, West Germanic language variety, language spoken mainly in Northern Germany and the northeastern Netherlands. The dialect of Plautdietsch is also spoken in the Russian Mennonite diaspora worldwide. "Low" ...

poet *

(1833–1897), composer; his father came from Heide *

Paul Christoph Hennings Paul Christoph Hennings (November 27, 1841 – October 14, 1908) was a German mycologist and herbarium curator. He discovered the study of cryptogams and mushrooms as a volunteer at the botanical garden. Although circumstances initially prevente ...

(1841–1908),

mycologist Mycology is the branch of biology concerned with the study of fungi, including their taxonomy, genetics, biochemical properties, and use by humans. Fungi can be a source of tinder, food, traditional medicine, as well as entheogens, poison, and ...

and

herbarium A herbarium (plural: herbaria) is a collection of preserved plant biological specimen, specimens and associated data used for scientific study. The specimens may be whole plants or plant parts; these will usually be in dried form mounted on a sh ...

curator. * Alfred Dührssen (1862–1933), gynecologist and obstetrician *

Rudolph Dirks Rudolph Dirks (February 26, 1877 – April 20, 1968) was one of the earliest and most noted comic strip artists, well known for ''The Katzenjammer Kids'' (later known as ''The Captain and the Kids''). Dirks was born in Heide, Germany, to Joha ...

(1877–1968), comic-strip artist * Carl-Heinz Rodenberg (1904–1995), neurologist and psychiatrist, proficient in the murder of mental patients by the Nazis * Hauke Harder (born 1963), composer and experimental physicist. * Klaus Florian Vogt (born 1970), operatic tenor; sings roles written by

Richard Wagner Wilhelm Richard Wagner ( ; ; 22 May 181313 February 1883) was a German composer, theatre director, essayist, and conductor who is chiefly known for his operas (or, as some of his mature works were later known, "music dramas"). Unlike most o ...

Sport

* Willi Gerdau (1929–2011), international footballer * Julian Grundt (born 1988), former footballer * Fritz Thiedemann (1918–2000), equestrian

International relations

There is a twinning between Kreis

and Restormel Borough Council.The official Restormel Dithmarschen Twinning Association
Accessed 2008-08-16 * Restormel, England,

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Northwestern Europe, off the coast of European mainland, the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotlan ...

* Nowogard,

Poland Poland, officially the Republic of Poland, is a country in Central Europe. It extends from the Baltic Sea in the north to the Sudetes and Carpathian Mountains in the south, bordered by Lithuania and Russia to the northeast, Belarus and Ukrai ...

Anklam Anklam (), formerly known as Tanglim and Wendenburg, is a town in the Western Pomerania region of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern in north-eastern Germany. It is situated on the banks of the Peene river, just 8 km from its mouth in the , the western ...

Germany Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It lies between the Baltic Sea and the North Sea to the north and the Alps to the south. Its sixteen States of Germany, constituent states have a total popu ...

Climate

Gallery

File:Heide St-Juergen-Kirche imgp1940 wp.jpg, St. Jürgen-Kirche (1560) File:Heide Wasserturm.jpg, Water tower (1903) File:Heide zütphen allee.jpg, memorial File:Carpe noctem.jpg, ''carpe noctem'' sign at the medieval market 2008 in Heide

Notes

References

External links

* {{Authority control Dithmarschen