Mannheim, city in southwestern Germany, in Baden-Württemberg, a major river port at the confluence of the Rhine and Neckar rivers, across the Rhine from Ludwigshafen. The city is an important commercial and manufacturing center; products include machinery, metal goods, chemicals, textiles, and construction materials. The city's points of interest include a large 18th-century baroque castle, now the seat of Mannheim's university; a fine-arts museum with a notable collection of 19th- and 20th-century painting; and the Reiss Municipal Museum, featuring displays on the decorative arts and local history.
Mannheim was founded 1606 by Frederick IV, elector palatine of the Rhine. Many Protestant refugees from Holland settled in the city. Burned by a French army in 1689, Mannheim was rebuilt and fortified in 1699. In 1720 it became the seat of the electors palatine. Later the city developed into a renowned center of music and theater; the composer Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart and dramatist Friedrich von Schiller were active in Mannheim. Baden acquired control of Mannheim in 1802. The city was severely damaged in World War II (1939-1945). Population (1997) 316,223.
