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.
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| 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.
