HEIDELBERG, GERMANY

                            Heidelberg Castle and Environs         

The big attraction in Heidelberg is its castle sitting high on the hill overlooking the Neckar River. There is much to see here and lots of history to learn. The castle ruins are the largest in Germany. The French destroyed the castle during the 30-year war. One tower blown up by the French had 21-foot thick walls! Five dukes lived here, each adding another wing to the castle. The moat has always been dry.

We entered the castle through the Elizabeth Gate which was a birthday gift to Elizabeth from her husband, Fredric. She was the daughter of Mary, Queen of Scots. Elizabeth had 13 children. Her fourth child established the Hudson Bay Company. Another son became George I, and number twelve child became a Hanover. After WW I the Hanover House became the House of Windsor.

The views of the city, river, old city towers from the once fortified walls, and the 200-year old bridge spanning the river were fantastic from the high vantage point.

Berg denotes a castle before the advent of artillery when a structure was primarily used as a fortification. Schloss refers to a castle after fortification when a structure was primarily a residence.

Famous Heidelberg Fass

In the castle cellar sits the Heidelberg Fass, also known as the Tun. The largest wine barrel in the world has a capacity of 58,124 gallons of wine. Today it is more of a tourist attraction than anything else as it is no longer used. It is said that it took 130 oak trees to build the enormous keg.  Stairs lead up to a dance floor built on top of the barrel. Mark Twain apparently visited and received inspiration for a chapter in Huck Finn.

            Heidelberg is a rather small baroque city built on Roman foundations where culture is highly valued. The city is home to Germany’s oldest university, founded in 1386.

            We learned about several old historic buildings and churches  in the heart of the city before moving on to the university. A rather unusual feature of the university was its Student Prison, which functioned from 1712-1914. Mostly well bred, rather well-to-do students attended the university. Punishable offences included dueling, brawling, practical jokes, drunkenness, extinguishing street lamps, and chasing citizen’s pigs down alleys.

We were told, “Students actually liked to be sent to the student prison as it was such a lark. The first two days they were starved on bread and water, but after that they could have food brought in. Water came from a well in the courtyard. Visitors were allowed. The boys continued to attend classes. Liquor was not banned. The boys arrived with their mattress and linens.”

 The walls were covered with graffiti. There were five cells with an iron bed frame, a couple of tables and stools. Using a bright light and candle-soot the boys fashioned silhouettes. The graffiti is preserved now with a coat of varnish. There are a few stairs up to the prison, but it is quite unique and worth the visit.

For some unknown reason the city of Heidelberg escaped WW II bombings which helped preserve its lovely old buildings.