Heide

Heide
Heide
Town
	Coat of arms
	Location of Heide within Dithmarschen district
	Heide Heide
	Coordinates: 54°11′46″N 9°5′36″E / 54.19611°N 9.09333°E
Country	Germany
State	Schleswig-Holstein
District	Dithmarschen
Government
• Mayor	Ulf Stecher (CDU)
Area
• Total	31.8938 km2 (12.3143 sq mi)
Elevation	11 m (36 ft)
Population (2022-12-31)
• Total	22,114
• Density	690/km2 (1,800/sq mi)
Time zone	UTC+01:00 (CET)
• Summer (DST)	UTC+02:00 (CEST)
Postal codes	25746
Dialling codes	0481
Vehicle registration	HEI
Website	www.heide.de

Heide (German pronunciation: ['haɪ̯də]) is a town in Schleswig-Holstein, Germany. It is the capital of the Kreis (district) Dithmarschen. Population: 21,000.

The German word Heide means "heath". In the 15th century four adjoining villages decided to build a church in the "middle of the heath". This remained the town's name to date. The exact foundation date is now unknown, but by 1447 Heide was already the main village of Dithmarschen. At this time Dithmarschen was an independent peasant republic. Heide became a town in the 19th century.

Heide has the largest un-built-upon market square in Germany, with 4.7 hectares. It is used primarily as a parking lot and has approximately 500 parking spaces. In 2016, the city staged 3 car-free Sundays on the market square for the first time.

Sport

The association soccer club Heider SV plays in the Oberliga Schleswig-Holstein (V).

Sightseeing

St. Jürgen church (1560)
Water tower (1903)
Museum of Dithmarschen history
Brahmshaus, dwelling house of the ancestors of the composer Johannes Brahms, now a museum