This morning we stopped in Heidelberg on our way from Frankfurt to Stuttgart. Our guide took us on a walking tour of the city including the Old Town, the Old Bridge, Heidelberg Castle, the Church of the Holy Spirit and the Church of the Jesuits.
Heidelberg is a city situated on the river Neckar in south-west Germany. A former residence of the Electorate of the Palatinate, Heidelberg is the location of Heidelberg University, contemporary Germany's oldest and among its most reputable universities. Heidelberg is a popular tourist destination due to its romantic and picturesque cityscape, including Heidelberg Castle and the baroque style Old Town.
Between 600,000 and 200,000 years ago, "Heidelberg Man" died at nearby Mauer. His jaw bone was discovered in 1907. Scientific dating determined his remains as the earliest evidence of human life in Europe. In the 5th century BC, a Celticfortress of refuge and place of worship were built on the Heiligenberg, or "Mountain of Saints". Both places can still be identified. In 40 AD, a fort was built and occupied by the 24th Roman cohort and the 2nd Cyrenaican cohort. The Romans built and maintained castra (permanent camps) and a signal tower on the bank of the Neckar. They built a wooden bridge based on stone pillars across it. The camp protected the first civilian settlements that developed. The Romans remained until 260 AD, when the camp was conquered by Germanic tribes.
Modern Heidelberg can trace its beginnings to the fifth century. The village Bergheim ("Mountain Home") is first mentioned for that period in documents dated to 769 AD. Bergheim now lies in the middle of modern Heidelberg. The people gradually converted to Christianity. In 863 AD, the monastery of St. Michael was founded on the Heiligenberg inside the double rampart of the Celtic fortress. Around 1130, the Neuburg Monastery was founded in the Neckar valley. At the same time, the bishopric of Worms extended its influence into the valley, founding Schönau Abbey in 1142.
The first reference to Heidelberg can be found in a document in Schönau Abbey dated to 1196. This is considered to be the town's founding date. In 1155, Heidelberg castle and its neighboring settlement were taken over by the house of Hohenstaufen. Conrad of Hohenstaufen became Count Palatine of the Rhine. In 1195, the Electorate of the Palatinate passed to the House of Welf through marriage.
Heidelberg University played a leading part in the era of humanism and the Reformation, and the conflict between Lutheranism and Calvinism, in the 15th and 16th centuries. Heidelberg's library, founded in 1421, is the oldest existing public library in Germany. In April 1518, a few months after proclaiming his 95 Theses, Martin Luther was received in Heidelberg, to defend them.
Our first stop on our tour was the Old Bridge over the Neckar River. The Karl Theodor Bridge, commonly known as the Old Bridge, is a stone bridge in Heidelberg, crossing the Neckar River. It connects the Old City with the eastern part of the Neuenheim district of the city on the opposite bank. The current bridge, made of Neckar Valley Sandstone and the ninth built on the site, was constructed in 1788 by Elector Charles Theodore, and is one of the best-known landmarks and tourist destinations in Heidelberg.
a view of the castle from the bridge
We then took the funicular (cable car) up the mountain to Castle Heidelberg for a view of the city and tour of the castle grounds. From the overlook at the castle, our guide was able to point out the churches, boundaries of the Old Town, the university buildings and other sites of historical significance.
As we walked the castle grounds, our guide told us stories of the various builders and rulers involved in the development of the castle over the ages. We also got to see the world's largest wine vat, a result of a wager between two rulers.
Heidelberg Castle (German: Heidelberger Schloss) is a ruin in Germany and landmark of Heidelberg. The castle ruins are among the most important Renaissance structures north of the Alps.
The castle has only been partially rebuilt since its demolition in the 17th and 18th centuries. It is located 80 metres (260 ft) up the northern part of the Königstuhl hillside, and thereby dominates the view of the old downtown.
The earliest castle structure was built before 1214 and later expanded into two castles circa 1294; however, in 1537, a lightning-bolt destroyed the upper castle.
The castle is a mix of styles from Gothic to Renaissance. Prince Elector Ruprecht III (1398–1410) erected the first building in the inner courtyard as a royal residence. The building was divided into a ground floor made of stone and framework upper levels. Another royal building is located opposite the Ruprecht Building: the Fountain Hall. Prince Elector Philipp (1476–1508) is said to have arranged the transfer of the hall's columns from a decayed palace of Charlemagne from Ingelheim to Heidelberg.
In the 16th and 17th centuries, the Prince Electors added two palace buildings and turned the fortress into a castle. The two dominant buildings at the eastern and northern side of the courtyard were erected during the rule of Ottheinrich (1556–1559) and Friedrich IV (1583–1610). Under Friedrich V (1613–1619), the main building of the west side was erected, the so-called "English Building".
The castle and its garden were destroyed several times during the Thirty Years' War and the Palatine War of Succession. As Prince Elector Karl Theodor tried to restore the castle, lightning struck in 1764, and ended all attempts at rebuilding. Later on, the castle was misused as a quarry; stones from the castle were taken to build new houses in Heidelberg. This was stopped in 1800 by Count Charles de Graimberg, who then began the process of preserving the castle.
The saviour of the castle was the French count Charles de Graimberg. He fought the government of Baden, which viewed the castle as an "old ruin with a multitude of tasteless, crumbling ornaments", for the preservation of the building. Until 1822, he served as a voluntary castle warden, and lived for a while in the Glass Wing (Gläserner Saalbau), where he could keep an eye on the courtyard. Long before the origin of historic preservation in Germany, he was the first person to take an interest in the conservation and documentation of the castle, which may never have occurred to any of the Romantics. Graimberg asked Thomas A. Leger to prepare the first castle guide. With his pictures of the castle, of which many copies were produced, Graimberg promoted the castle ruins and drew many tourists to the town. In the 20th century, Americans spread Heidelberg's reputation outside Europe. Thus, Japanese also often visit the Heidelberg Castle during their trips to Europe. When we took our tour today, we saw lots of Asians and tour groups from Viking river cruises. I also noticed that Heidelberg has the greatest variety of ethnic restaurants we've seen in Germany so far - thai, korean, persian, italian, japanese, indian, and even mexican (no, we did not get mexican food for lunch).
garden gate built by Ferdinand V for his bride Elizabeth Stuart
tower where the canon powder was stored - it accidentally exploded and blew apart the tower
gate over former draw bridge
holds 57,853.6795 U.S. gallons
dance floor located on top of the vat
baroque facade
exterior fortifications
After touring the castle, we hiked down the hill back to Old Town. There we toured the Church of the Holy Spirit (Protestant) and the Church of the Jesuits (Catholic).
The Church of the Holy Spirit is first mentioned in a manuscript from 1239. In 1398, the foundations of the current late Gothic church were laid on the site of a late Romanesque basilica which, in turn, had been erected in the place of an even older church. Thus the current church is the third sacral building on the site. In the course of its history, the Church of the Holy Spirit was used by both Catholics and Protestants, even simultaneously. Starting in 1706, a partition was inserted so that both congregations could hold their services without any mutual disturbance.
a view of the church from the castle
the kids like to light a candle in every church we visit
memorials to Jews deported to concentration camps
Then it was time for lunch (at a place recommended by our guide) and a little shopping in the square by the Church of the Holy Spirit. Madeleine HAD to get a stuffed German Shepard and Charlotte HAD to have a fan with pictures of German towns on it. That puts the stuffed animal count at 5 so far... we picked up a panda in the Heathrow Airport and a panda, a rabbit and a sheep (all German made) in Rudesheim. I'm sure there will be further additions to our traveling zoo before we return. ;-)
We arrived safely at our hotel in Stuttgart this evening and have already made our mandatory visit to the hotel pool. Tomorrow will be a day dedicated to the history of cars and German automobiles.
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