MANNHEIM

city, Baden-Wrttemberg Land (state), southwestern Germany, on the right bank of the Rhine River opposite Ludwigshafen, at the mouth of the canalized Neckar River. Mannheim was mentioned as a village as early as 764. In 1606 it was laid out in a grid pattern of 136 rectangular blocks of houses and was fortified by Elector Frederick IV; it was chartered in 1607. The town was destroyed in the Thirty Years' War (1622) and again in 1689 in the succession struggle that led to the War of the Grand Alliance. It was rebuilt when the Palatine electors moved their residence there in 1720. The castle, the Jesuit church, the old town hall, the pilgrimage church, the warehouse, and the arsenal are among the noteworthy Baroque buildings of that period. The cylindrical water tower (c. 1888) is the emblem of the city of Mannheim. It is located in Friedrichsplatz, an art nouveau square constructed in 1907. Mannheim became a cultural centre of high repute, with a school of conductors, violinists, and composers, an art gallery, and an academy of sciences. In 1778 the court moved to Munich. In the same year Germany's first National Theatre opened in Mannheim, and in 1782 it gave the first performance of Friedrich Schiller's play Die Ruber (The Robbers). Mannheim was destroyed again in 1795, and administrative control was transferred to the state of Baden in 1802. The city was rebuilt and became a centre of the revolutionary movement in 184849. The construction of Mannheim's harbour on the Rhine in 1834 stimulated economic growth, and by 1900 it had become industrialized. Carl Benz produced his first two-stroke automotive engine (1879) in Mannheim. More than half of the city was destroyed in World War II, but most of the important buildings have been rebuilt. It is one of Europe's largest inland ports, and its trade in coal and iron is of particular economic importance. Manufactures include chemicals, textiles, fertilizer, and food products. Publishing and tourism are also important. Mannheim has remained a cultural centre with the National Theatre (rebuilt 195457) and schools of music and drama. The Reiss Museum and a city museum have collections of art. The University of Mannheim, founded in 1907 and reopened in 1946, regained university status in 1967. An annual folk festival is held in May. Pop. (1989 est.) 300,468.