Sometimes, it's hard to put German and romantic in the same phrase and keep a straight face, but the Heidelberg Scholss puts an end to that. This is truly a romantic castle, a site chosen in 1225 by the counts palatine and continuously inhabited until the late 17th century when it was almost completely destroyed by the French in the War of the Grand Alliance. Yup, I had no idea who the 'counts palatine' were and had never heard of the 'War of the Grand Alliance' so I had to do some homework.
Palatin is one of the seven hills of Rome and a palatine is an official or feudal lord having local authority that elsewhere belongs only to a sovereign. The 'counts palatine' was simply an embellished title, dating back to the days of the Holy Roman Empire. The War of the Grand Alliance is a bit more complicated. In the mid 17th century, in most of what we now call Europe, the rulers (including Great Britain and Ireland) banded together to form a 'Grand Alliance', a kind of fledgling EU. France wanted nothing to do with this (Bourbon pride and all that) so Louis XIV fought and won this 9-year war and did some serious damage to Heidelberg Castle in the process. The remaining destruction was the result of two major lightning strikes which caused a fire that destroyed much of the residence portion of the palace.
Every visitor takes this super-modern funicular up to the castle.
The Schloss is both impressive and defensive (I actually took this photo while on our boat ride later in the day).
The up close and defensive part. These giant metal incisors were lowered to keep out invaders.
And one very touching story involves the original architect whose twin sons loved to accompany him to work and scamper around the scaffolding while Dad was working. Tragically, one of the boys tripped, fell, and in the process brought much of the scaffolding down on him and his brother, killing them both. The father was devastated, unable to work, and daily went to the cemetery where he laid a wreath of roses on their graves. One day, on returning to his rooms, a wreath of roses, identical to the one he placed on his sons' graves, lay on his bed. Baffled, he looked around the room and saw two angels who looked just like his sons.
His commission was to place a stone sculpture of the ruler over one of the doors. Instead, he sculpted this in memory of his sons, complete with the wreath and angels.
One of the castles's claims to fame is the largest wine cask in Germany, maybe in the world. It holds 228,000 liters of wine. The monarch who had it constructed was a big drinker - and eater - so much so that by the end of his life he was so portly he couldn't even get out of bed! (No wonder he had difficulty defending his kingdom from the French.)
Sadly, the cask sprung a leak and is now an empty but wonderful attraction.
One of the joys of coming to the castle is a walk through the garden. On the way to the garden, we pass the ruins of one of the ramparts.
Palatin is one of the seven hills of Rome and a palatine is an official or feudal lord having local authority that elsewhere belongs only to a sovereign. The 'counts palatine' was simply an embellished title, dating back to the days of the Holy Roman Empire. The War of the Grand Alliance is a bit more complicated. In the mid 17th century, in most of what we now call Europe, the rulers (including Great Britain and Ireland) banded together to form a 'Grand Alliance', a kind of fledgling EU. France wanted nothing to do with this (Bourbon pride and all that) so Louis XIV fought and won this 9-year war and did some serious damage to Heidelberg Castle in the process. The remaining destruction was the result of two major lightning strikes which caused a fire that destroyed much of the residence portion of the palace.
Every visitor takes this super-modern funicular up to the castle.
The Schloss is both impressive and defensive (I actually took this photo while on our boat ride later in the day).
The up close and defensive part. These giant metal incisors were lowered to keep out invaders.
Once inside, the castle is breathtaking. It's an apparent conglomeration of Gothic, Renaissance, and ruined architecture, but somehow it all works. Unlike so many castles, this one is very human-scale.
And one very touching story involves the original architect whose twin sons loved to accompany him to work and scamper around the scaffolding while Dad was working. Tragically, one of the boys tripped, fell, and in the process brought much of the scaffolding down on him and his brother, killing them both. The father was devastated, unable to work, and daily went to the cemetery where he laid a wreath of roses on their graves. One day, on returning to his rooms, a wreath of roses, identical to the one he placed on his sons' graves, lay on his bed. Baffled, he looked around the room and saw two angels who looked just like his sons.
His commission was to place a stone sculpture of the ruler over one of the doors. Instead, he sculpted this in memory of his sons, complete with the wreath and angels.
One of the castles's claims to fame is the largest wine cask in Germany, maybe in the world. It holds 228,000 liters of wine. The monarch who had it constructed was a big drinker - and eater - so much so that by the end of his life he was so portly he couldn't even get out of bed! (No wonder he had difficulty defending his kingdom from the French.)
Sadly, the cask sprung a leak and is now an empty but wonderful attraction.
One of the joys of coming to the castle is a walk through the garden. On the way to the garden, we pass the ruins of one of the ramparts.
A view of the castle from the garden overlook.
The garden plan was incredibly grand and probably would have rivaled the Gardens at the Palace of Versailles, but it was never completed (war got in the way). Now it is a lovely place to wander and picnic and enjoy the incredible views of the Neckar River far below.
Time to take a cruise on the Neckar.
There are a number of boats that cruise the Neckar but we are intrigued by the "Neckarsonne", a completely solar-powered craft that's about 120' long (it's so popular that it was expanded not long ago by cutting it in half and inserting another 40' in the hull).
It's an hour-long cruise a short way up the river, a turnaround and a glide down river, turnaround, and back to the dock. Some of the photos along the way . . .
A ginormous barge en route to the Rhine and, I assume, ultimately the Baltic.
Some of the Bauhaus mansions on the opposite side of the river (no doubt, an architectural reaction to the Renaissance and Baroque piles).
One of the many schools of the University which are scattered all over Heidelberg.
A last look down the river . . .
One more touristy activity - a walk over the ancient bridge (visible in that earlier photo) which crosses the river just above the boat landing. Note the incisor barrier between the two towers!
A couple more photos of this wonderful town . . .
What an absolutely delightful way to end our stay in Germany. No wonder Mark Twain spent three months here. Who said German romanticism was an oxymoron??
There are a number of boats that cruise the Neckar but we are intrigued by the "Neckarsonne", a completely solar-powered craft that's about 120' long (it's so popular that it was expanded not long ago by cutting it in half and inserting another 40' in the hull).
It's an hour-long cruise a short way up the river, a turnaround and a glide down river, turnaround, and back to the dock. Some of the photos along the way . . .
A ginormous barge en route to the Rhine and, I assume, ultimately the Baltic.
Some of the Bauhaus mansions on the opposite side of the river (no doubt, an architectural reaction to the Renaissance and Baroque piles).
A last look down the river . . .
One more touristy activity - a walk over the ancient bridge (visible in that earlier photo) which crosses the river just above the boat landing. Note the incisor barrier between the two towers!
Neither of us have any idea what the significance of this strange 'participatory' statue is, but Tim willingly stands inside of it for a photo.
A couple more photos of this wonderful town . . .
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