Mannheim

Mannheim is a city in southwestern Germany. With approximately 315,000 inhabitants, it is the third-largest city in Baden-Württemberg, after Stuttgart and Karlsruhe.

Mannheim is located at the confluence of the Rhine and the Neckar in the northwestern corner of Baden-Württemberg. The Rhine separates Mannheim from the city of Ludwigshafen, just to the west of it in Rhineland-Palatinate, and the border of Baden-Württemberg with Hesse is just to the north. Mannheim is downstream along the Neckar from the city of Heidelberg.

Mannheim is unusual among German cities in that its streets and avenues are laid out in a grid pattern, leading to its nickname "die Quadratestadt" ("city of the squares"). The eighteenth century Mannheim Palace, former home of the Prince-elector of the Palatinate, now houses the University of Mannheim.

The civic symbol of Mannheim is der Wasserturm, a water tower just east of the city centre.

Mannheim is the starting and finishing point of the Bertha Benz Memorial Route.