Mannheim is a city in Germany. With 311,342 inhabitants it is the second-largest city in the state of Baden-Württemberg after the capital Stuttgart.
Mannheim is situated at the confluence of the rivers Rhine and Neckar, in the northwestern corner of the state of Baden-Württemberg. The Rhine separates Mannheim from the adjacent Rhineland-Palatinate city of Ludwigshafen. The Hessian border is north of the city. Mannheim is the largest city of the Rhine Neckar Area, a metropolitan area with 2.4 million inhabitants.
Mannheim is unusual among German cities in that its central area is laid out in a grid pattern (called Quadrate, squares), much like many North American cities. Accordingly, its nickname is Quadratestadt (German: for "town of the squares"). The main route through the squares leads to an enormous 18th-century palace. This former seat of the Electors of the Palatinate now houses the University of Mannheim.
Mannheim's city symbol is der Wasserturm (the water-tower), located in the east of the city centre. Mannheim is start and finish of Bertha Benz Memorial Route.
***Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mannheim
Wed Feb 17, 2010 7:45 am