Brochure for new citizens

An overview of shopping opportu- nities in Heidelberg is provided by the online platfor m www.vielmehr. heidelberg.de . There you will also find information on the citywide “Danke- Schein“ voucher. If you want to stay up to date and well entertained, the municipal library is at your disposal with a wide range of literature and media. With the library card, you can borrow a comprehen- sive selection of books, magazines, CDs, DVDs and electronic media. As a new citizen, you will receive the card free of charge for three months upon presentation of the enclosed voucher (see page 45): www.heidelberg.de/ stadtbuecherei . Would you like to enjoy nature in your free time, learn something or visit famous sights? There are numerous opportunities for all of these. Among the special attrac- tions are the world-famous castle and the funicular to the Königstuhl. In the Heidelberg Zoo – the largest zoo in the Metropolitan Region – you can discover more than about 2,700 animals from all over the world. Face to face with a tiger or lion, discover a red panda high up in the branches, watch elephant bulls bathing – all this Friends of contemporary art can ex- pect contemporary works in the hall of the Kunstverein directly next to the Kurpfälzische Museum. For more information, visit www.hdkv.de . With the Prinzhorn Collection and the Hassbecker Collection , Heidelberg has two internationally outstanding collections of works of outsider art with a focus on “Art and Madness“ and “Naive Painting” established through the work of the two Heidelberg museums Sammlung Prinzhorn and Haus Cajeth. Art and culture dealing with the les- bian, gay, bisexual, trans*, inter and queer (lsbtiq+ for short) community is offered annually by the Heidelberg Queer Festival . When it was founded in 2009, it was the first festival for queer culture. Today it is the largest and most renowned of its kind in Germany and one of the flagships of the “Rainbow City“ Heidelberg. Heidelberg also has a large number of in- dependent institutions such as Halle02, Kulturfenster, Deutsch-Amer- ikanisches Institut, Interkul- turelles Zentrum, Unterwegs- Theater and Kulturhaus Karlstor- bahnhof . A list of all cultural institu- tions, sports facilities and other leisure activities can be found under Life > Leisure at www.heidelberg.de . The many festivals also have a special appeal, including the classical music festivals “Heidelberger Früh- ling“ and “Enjoy Jazz“ or the renowned “International Film Festival Heidelberg-Mann- heim“ . “Metropolink“ is also an inte- gral part of the Heidelberg Sum- mer. For years, this nationally renowned festival of urban art has been actively contributing to the city‘s development and gives Heidelberg a modern face. With “Metropolink‘s Commis- sary“ – Germany‘s largest indoor gallery for street art – there is now also a year-round venue for urban art, culture, exchange and encounters. At the municipal music and sing- ing school, around 4,400 students re- ceive instruction in singing, orchestra, choir, band and theory: www.musikschule.heidelberg.de . Shopping Location Heidelberg Heidelberg is one of the most attrac- tive shopping cities in Germany. There are more than 500 retail stores and cafés in the city center – from the old town to Bergheim and Neuenheim. The approximately 1.4-kilometer-long Hauptstrasse alone is home to more than 250 stores and restaurants. The variety of small owner-operated stores, the many side streets and the high quality of stay create a special shopping experience in the Old Town. 20 | International city of culture The former US area Patrick-Henry-Village is the perfect setting for the popular Metropolink festival. International city of culture | 21