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Heide (German pronunciation: [ˈhaɪdə] ^ⓘ; Holsatian: Heid) is a town in Schleswig-Holstein, Germany. It is the capital of the Kreis (district) Dithmarschen. Population: 22,000.

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).

Notable landmarks

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

Notable people

Klaus Groth (1819–1899), a Low German poet
Johannes Brahms (1833–1897), composer; his father came from Heide
Paul Christoph Hennings (1841–1908), mycologist and herbarium curator.
Alfred Dührssen (1862–1933), gynecologist and obstetrician
Rudolph Dirks (1877–1968), comic-strip artist
Carl-Heinz Rodenberg (1904–1995), neurologist and psychiatrist, proficient in the murder of mental patients by the Nazis
Hauke Harder (born 1963), composer and experimental physicist.
Klaus Florian Vogt (born 1970), operatic tenor; sings roles written by Richard Wagner.