Heide is a charming North German town. The earliest documentary evidence of the existence of Heide dates from the year 1434, in which the place is refered to as “Uppe de Heyde”. As early as 1447, Heide had become – mainly because of its enormous market place -(with an area of 4.7ha, still the largest in Germany today) – the meeting place of the aldermen and thereby the capital of Dithmarschen. In today’s language, Heide is the administrative and cultural center of Dithmarschen, situated on the ‘Gruene Kuestenstrasse’ (Green Coastal Road) in the delightful countryside of Schleswig-Holstein.