Mark Twain Village
Mark-Twain-Village is a former American settlement in the Südstadt district of Heidelberg . It was, next to Patrick-Henry-Village , one of two US settlements for soldiers and their families in the city. Mark-Twain-Village is right next to the Campbell Barracks , which housed the 7th US Army (USAREUR) and the Allied Land Forces Central Europe (LANDCENT) of NATO .
The settlement included an Army & Air Force Exchange Service shop, library , church , Mark Twain Elementary School and Heidelberg High School . In addition to US children from the area, the latter was also visited by those from Patrick-Henry-Village, as setting up their own school there would have been too expensive and, given the small number of students - around 600 in total - would not have been worth it.
In 2003, after the attacks on September 11, 2001, the Mark-Twain-Village, like all other US Army facilities in Heidelberg, was equipped with a fence and access, previously free to everyone, has only been possible since then possible via guarded entrances with an ID of the US armed forces.
Some parts of the Mark Twain Village were returned to the city in August 2006, saving the US Army about US $ 1.8 million . The area was somewhat remote from the actual settlement, which is why it made sense to the Americans to give up this part. The houses have been renovated and are inhabited. The eastern half of the estate was handed over to the Federal Real Estate Agency in January 2013, the western half of 2014, together with the Campbell Barracks . The city of Heidelberg and the citizens of the city are involved in the development of the concepts for future civil use through extensive public participation .
Web links
- Campbell Barracks and Mark Twain Village: Information on conversion and virtual tour on the website of the City of Heidelberg
- Website about Mark-Twain-Village of the owner, the Federal Agency for Real Estate Tasks (BImA)
Coordinates: 49 ° 23 '27 " N , 8 ° 41' 6.2" E