Heide

Heide
Town
Flag Coat of arms
Location of Heide within Dithmarschen district
Heide Show map of Germany Heide Show map of Schleswig-Holstein
Coordinates: 54°11′46″N 9°5′36″E / 54.19611°N 9.09333°E / 54.19611; 9.09333
Country	Germany
State	Schleswig-Holstein
District	Dithmarschen
Government
• Mayor	Oliver Schmidt-Gutzat (SPD)
Area
• Total	31.8938 km2 (12.3143 sq mi)
Elevation	11 m (36 ft)
Population  (2022-12-31)[1]
• 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: [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.