Discover 200 years of shared history - Germans and Americans in Heidelberg
Germans and Americans lived side by side for more than six decades around the headquarters of the US Army in Europe in Heidelberg's Südstadt district. As early as the 19th century, writers such as Mark Twain laid the foundations for a special connection between the city and the USA.
Special exhibition United / Disunited - Max Scheler: Photographs USA
(November 15, 2025 - May 3, 2026)
The fascination and contradictions of post-war American society are already evident in the early work of Cologne-based photographer Max Scheler. The exhibition at the Mark Twain Center provides a comprehensive insight into the work of the photojournalist, who traveled throughout the United States on behalf of Hamburg-based Stern magazine from 1959 onwards.
The more than 80 works by Scheler on display deal with social conflicts, growing prosperity and its downside in American ghettos, the open racism of many white US citizens, and the growing self-confidence of African Americans. His photographs emphatically show the increasing polarization between the political camps during the presidential election campaigns of 1964 and 1968. The focus always remains on the individual, whether an unknown US citizen or one of the many celebrities such as US Presidents Kennedy and Nixon.
Permanent exhibition
The Mark Twain Center continues this tradition with a large permanent exhibition on the development of German-American relations and events on the history and future of this partnership. Discover traces of the past at an extraordinary historical location. A multimedia exhibition opens up perspectives on an eventful and conflict-ridden history.
We are happy to organize guided tours for you by arrangement.
Special exhibition United / Disunited - Max Scheler: Photographs USA
(November 15, 2025 - May 3, 2026)
The fascination and contradictions of post-war American society are already evident in the early work of Cologne-based photographer Max Scheler. The exhibition at the Mark Twain Center provides a comprehensive insight into the work of the photojournalist, who traveled throughout the United States on behalf of Hamburg-based Stern magazine from 1959 onwards.
The more than 80 works by Scheler on display deal with social conflicts, growing prosperity and its downside in American ghettos, the open racism of many white US citizens, and the growing self-confidence of African Americans. His photographs emphatically show the increasing polarization between the political camps during the presidential election campaigns of 1964 and 1968. The focus always remains on the individual, whether an unknown US citizen or one of the many celebrities such as US Presidents Kennedy and Nixon.
Permanent exhibition
The Mark Twain Center continues this tradition with a large permanent exhibition on the development of German-American relations and events on the history and future of this partnership. Discover traces of the past at an extraordinary historical location. A multimedia exhibition opens up perspectives on an eventful and conflict-ridden history.
We are happy to organize guided tours for you by arrangement.
