Services for seniors

For an active old age

Heidelberg offers plenty of facilities and activities to keep people enjoying life to the full well into old age. 

About 17 percent of the city’s residents are aged over 65. Seniors in Heidelberg have access to a wide range of leisure facilities, advice, and other services. The city’s Seniors Academy, for example, offers numerous cultural activities, adult education courses, and sports and craft classes.

Other popular meeting places for older residents include the senior centers in the city’s various districts, where seniors can access important information about services, and take part in activities catering to every possible taste, from group hikes to arts and crafts courses.   

Older citizens will also get a warm welcome at any of Heidelberg’s sports clubs and can choose from a range of special sports and exercise activities for seniors.   

Passing on life experience: Many older people in Heidelberg undertake voluntary work, for example through the "Adopt-a-Granny or Adopt-a-Grandpa scheme" organized by the City’s Office of Social Welfare and Senior Citizens. Adopted “grandparents” often help with childcare, which gives them an opportunity to share their valuable life experience, and so make an important contribution to the development and well-being of young people.