Attraction · Heidelberg · Updated on 1 November 2026.

Church of the Holy Spirit in Heidelberg

Church of the Holy Spirit is an attraction in Heidelberg, Baden-Württemberg. This place has a story in the app. 28 of the 50 well-known points of interest nearby are within 1 km. Within 760 m you'll find a bench, a public toilet, a water point and a bike pump.

Directions in Google Maps

Church of the Holy Spirit in Heidelberg, photo 2

Church of the Holy Spirit in Heidelberg, photo 3

The story

Wikipedia ↗

Story · Church of the Holy Spirit

You're standing on the Marktplatz in Heidelberg, next to the Church of the Holy Spirit, the biggest church in town. Notice the colour of the walls first. They're red sandstone, which gives the whole Gothic building a warm glow. Now look up. The roof and the top of the tower are Baroque, much younger than the rest. There's a dramatic story behind that.

Read the whole story in the Outdoor Pitstop app: check in at this place and it is yours (with Pro; new users are Pro for the first 4 weeks).

Opening hours and admission

Opening hours: Mo-Sa 11:00-17:00; PH,Su 12:30-17:00
Admission: Free
Wheelchair: Accessible

Source: OpenStreetMap and Wikidata.

Photos

10 photos from Wikimedia Commons. In the app you add your own photo when you are there.

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Photo: Rainer Halama · Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 3.0View the photo on Wikimedia Commons

Church of the Holy Spirit in Heidelberg: the city's largest church

The Church of the Holy Spirit in Heidelberg is the largest church in the city. Its red sandstone walls give the building a warm glow, while the roof and tower top are much newer than the rest. The church was built from 1398 as a burial church for its rulers and was closely linked to the young university. Its library, the famous Bibliotheca Palatina, was taken as war booty in 1622 and most of it still lies elsewhere. You will find the church on the Marktplatz, and the Jesuitenkirche and the museums of the Dokumentations- und Kulturzentrum Deutscher Sinti und Roma and the Reichspräsident-Friedrich-Ebert-Gedenkstätte are a short walk away. Heidelberg Castle is also nearby.

The history of the Church of the Holy Spirit

Elector Ruprecht III commissioned the building of this church in 1398. In 1622, during the Dertigjarige Oorlog, the Bibliotheca Palatina library was seized as war booty. 54 ox carts full of books were sent to Rome. In 1693, troops plundered the building and set it on fire. The tower burned down and was later rebuilt in the baroque style. Of all the princes' tombs, only that of Ruprecht survived. From 1706 to 1936, a wall ran through the church, with one congregation in the nave and the other in the choir. When one elector claimed the entire church for one denomination, the people of Heidelberg resisted. The elector gave in but, out of anger, moved his residence to Mannheim.

Benches, drinking water and toilets near the Church of the Holy Spirit

There are plenty of benches near the Church of the Holy Spirit in Heidelberg. The closest bench is 19 metres away, by the Fischmarkt, and within 500 metres you will find 252 benches in total. A free toilet is 64 metres from the church, on Untere Straße, and it is always open. There are 19 other public toilets within 500 metres. For drinking water, you will need to walk 582 metres to Karl-Ludwig-Straße. This tap is wheelchair accessible and suitable for filling a bottle. A free bike pump is 764 metres away, at the RadService-Punkt Stadt Heidelberg.

Walks and other sights around the Church of the Holy Spirit

From the church, you can visit several places nearby. At 106 metres, you will find the museum of the Reichspräsident-Friedrich-Ebert-Gedenkstätte. A little further on, at 175 metres, is the museum of the Dokumentations- und Kulturzentrum Deutscher Sinti und Roma. The Jesuitenkirche is also close by, at 201 metres. Walking 446 metres brings you to Heidelberg Castle, where you can make use of an audio guide.