Heidelberg, Germany

We departed Kehl at three in the afternoon and were scheduled to arrive in Mannheim at 1:00 AM, but it ended up that we docked before 11:00 PM. In the morning we had the choice of touring Mannheim with Ben or doing the Heidelberg tour for an extra fee. We opted to go to Heidelberg that required a half hour bus ride. It was well worth the extra money to see this beautiful city.

Our first stop was 14th century Heidelberg Schloss - Castle that is high above the city.  This gate was added later and led into the garden. It was built by Prince Elector Friedrich V as a birthday surprise to his wife Elizabeth. The real surprise was that it was built in one night .

 The Torturm - Gate Tower - leads to the courtyard of the castle that was both a fortress and home for German nobility. 

Over the years parts of the castle were damaged and repaired after a number of wars, lightening strikes and fires. In 1764 it was struck by lightening twice causing a fire that resulted in heavy damage. At that point the locals began using the castle as a quarry for stone to build their homes.  

The construction of the castle began in the early 1200's and continued through the years with different rulers adding to it . Because it was built over so many years, the styles range from Gothic to Renaissance to Baroque.

On the facade of two of the buildings facing the courtyard are statues of the rulers who ruled over the castle throughout history. Each statue was made to show what that ruler felt their greatest strength was. Left is one with a drawn sword, a hand on the royal orb and a lion at his feet showing strength and power. Right the swords are sheathed but his hands are on them and at the ready.

This is Frideric V and if you look closely you will see that he had a very different idea about what his largest asset was.

Another wall with more statues of rulers through the ages. You can see the top of the building behind the facade is gone. It was destroyed in one of the fires and was never rebuilt. In 1810, French copperplate engraver Charles de Graimberg came to Heidelberg to sketch the castle that was in great disrepair. He decided to stay and work to preserve the ruins and spent the next 54 years saving what we see today. 

The castle was originally the palace for the palatine of the Rhine who later became the Prince Electors of the Holy Roman Empire. Because the Holy Roman Empire chose these Electors, Heidelberg became the center of European power. 

This sundial on the side of the building not only gives you the time of day but also the date of the month. It is off by a couple hours at this time of year because most of Western Europe is now in one time zone.

You get a view of the beautiful city from the terrace of the castle. Unlike many cities in Germany, Heidelberg was not bombed during WWII because in was a university city that had no important industries or transportation centers. 

The Neckar River Valley and the Karl Theodor Bridge with the city gate on the closest shore. While the city survived WWII, it had been destroyed in 1693 by the French during the War of the Grand Alliance.

Enjoying the view of the river and city from the terrace. It once looked down upon the beautiful garden. 

On the terrace you can see both the palace facade and fortress tower of the castle. 

Jim, Nanc, Rick and Denise on the castle dance floor that is on top of the wine barrel.

As you can see, this is no ordinary wine barrel. This is the Great Heidelberg Tun. It was built in 1751 using 130 oaks trees. It can hold 221,726 liters of wine so you understand why Nanc has that BIG smile.

The bus dropped us off near the entrance to the castle so our excursion included a ticket on the incline to get back down to the city 300 feet below. There was a very long line for the incline so we opted to walk down. This sure added to the exercise that day as we took 18,130 steps while we walked 6.4 miles. Rick and Denise stopped for a picture, not a rest.

At the bottom of the stairs is the Kornmarkt that has a beautiful view of the castle atop the hill. The statue in the square is of the Virgin Mary.

The Town Center Marketplace is lined with beautiful old buildings with shops and cafes. The cafe's were setting up tables for the lunch crowd. Vehicles are not allowed in the square at this time of day.

The City Hall takes up one side of the square. The statue is of Hercules.

An old herder on the steps of the Holy Spirit Church.

The gate and towers on the bridge that crosses the Neckar River. Notice the spiked gate that would have been lowered when the city was attacked.

The monkey on the bridge dates back to the 15th century. The original stone monkey was destroyed during the Nine Years War. In 1977 this bronze monkey was placed by the bridge tower. Legend says his backside was pointed at the town of Mainz across the river to show them they had no power in picking the Electoral of the Palatinate. Today it is said that those who touch the horn will return to Heidelberg. Touch the mice, you will have many children (I did not get a picture of the paw or mice).  Touch the mirror and you will become wealthy.  Another legend reflects the story of the monkey with the mirror.  When people laughed at the monkey he would ask, why are you laughing at me, you should look in the mirror. 

Prince Elector Karl Theodor, builder the bridge in 1785. While it is called the old bridge, it is young compared to much of Heidelberg. There have been eight bridges built at this site since the thirteenth century. 

The view from the bridge of the city, castle....

....and the tower gate.

A panorama shot of the bridge.

A beautiful street lined with outdoor cafes. The weather was great, making these cafes very appealing.

The Market Place filled with more and more shoppers and diners as the day went on.

If you wanted to buy a cuckoo clock this was the place. They were available at about any price you wanted to pay, depending on their size and how complex the movements were. 

If you want to take a step back in time and see a German city as it appeared hundreds of years ago Heidelberg is a must see.

Beautiful Mainz across the Neckar River.

The boat departed Mannheim at 2:00 PM, sailing down the Rhine to Rudesheim. In Wiesbaden we passed the 1702 Biebrich Castle that was the residence of the Duchy of Nassau. 

A towering church and Electoral castle in Eltville. After a busy day of walking, it was great to sit back with a toddy while watching the beautiful passing scenery.