Heiligenberg, Mountain in Heidelberg, Germany

Heiligenberg is a wooded sandstone mountain on the western edge of the Odenwald, rising to 439 metres above sea level. It has two summits: a higher northern main peak and a southern spur, the Michelsberg (375.5 m), facing Heidelberg's old town. The west and south sides drop steeply toward the Upper Rhine Plain and the Neckar valley.

Humans first settled on this mountain around 5500 BCE, with Celtic and Roman peoples later building religious structures there. Medieval monks established two monasteries that shaped the mountain's story for hundreds of years.

The remains of two medieval monasteries sit on the slopes, reflecting the mountain's former role as a spiritual center for the region. Locals and visitors connect to this past when they walk among the old stones and foundations.

Well-marked trails climb the mountain from different starting points, with parking available at the base of the slopes. Sturdy shoes are important, and the driest seasons offer the most comfortable walking conditions underfoot.

The Heidelberg Thingstätte, built by the Nazi state in the 1930s, is an ideologically charged open-air assembly site, not a conventional theatre. Its stone tiers and stage were designed for mass rallies, and the site is now protected from excavation by Baden-Württemberg since 2012.