| Heidelberg | |
| Pushpin Map: | South Africa Western Cape#South Africa |
| Coordinates: | -34.0833°N 77°W |
| Subdivision Type: | Country |
| Subdivision Name: | South Africa |
| Subdivision Type1: | Province |
| Subdivision Name1: | Western Cape |
| Subdivision Type2: | District |
| Subdivision Name2: | Garden Route |
| Subdivision Type3: | Municipality |
| Subdivision Name3: | Hessequa |
| Subdivision Type4: | Main Place |
| Established Title: | Established |
| Leader Title: | Councillor |
| Leader Name: | Sonja le Roux (DA) [1] |
| Area Footnotes: | [2] |
| Area Total Km2: | 23.69 |
| Elevation M: | 84 |
| Population Total: | 8259 |
| Population As Of: | 2011 |
| Population Density Km2: | auto |
| Demographics Type1: | Racial makeup (2011) |
| Demographics1 Title1: | Black African |
| Demographics1 Info1: | 9.3% |
| Demographics1 Title2: | Coloured |
| Demographics1 Info2: | 75.3% |
| Demographics1 Title3: | Indian/Asian |
| Demographics1 Info3: | 0.4% |
| Demographics1 Title4: | White |
| Demographics1 Info4: | 14.4% |
| Demographics1 Title5: | Other |
| Demographics1 Info5: | 0.6% |
| Demographics Type2: | First languages (2011) |
| Demographics2 Title1: | Afrikaans |
| Demographics2 Info1: | 91.9% |
| Demographics2 Title2: | English |
| Demographics2 Info2: | 3.4% |
| Demographics2 Title3: | Xhosa |
| Demographics2 Info3: | 2.9% |
| Demographics2 Title5: | Other |
| Demographics2 Info5: | 1.8% |
| Timezone1: | SAST |
| Utc Offset1: | +2 |
| Postal Code Type: | Postal code (street) |
| Postal Code: | 6665 |
| Postal2 Code Type: | PO box |
| Postal2 Code: | 6665 |
| Area Code Type: | Area code |
| Area Code: | 028 |
| Founder: | Louis Fourie |
| Established Date: | 1728 |
Heidelberg is a town in the Western Cape, South Africa. It is located near South Africa's south coast, on the N2 highway, within the Hessequa region, 274 km east of Cape Town (about halfway between Cape Town and Knysna). Heidelberg marks the start of the Garden Route. Heidelberg is part of the Hessequa Local Municipality.
The historical Fourie House, dates back to the 1728, making it one of the oldest building in South Africa. This building has national monument status.
In 1716, Louis Fourie (1690s–1767) obtained grazing rights from Governor van der Stel and he settled alongside the Duivenhoks River. This is where he later constructed the Doornboom Homestead - registered in 1728 - and the Doornboom Farm was established.
The area was initially part of the greater Riversdale district until the Riversdale Dutch Reformed church council in 1855 bought a portion of the farm Doornboom on which to lay out the town when a new Dutch Reformed congregation was created for the farmers between Swellendam and Riversdale.
The town grew around the church and it was named in honour of the German town, Heidelberg, because of the Heidelberg catechism that was practiced in the church.
In 1903 Heidelberg became part of the railway network and became an important transport link for the wool, wheat, fruit, and tobacco industries of the area. The river, the Duivenhoks (Dovecote), was named by an explorer, Isaq Schrijver, who observed a lot of doves where the river flows into the Indian Ocean, at a place called Puntjie.