Address: Germany, Heidelberg
Foundation date: between 1294 and 1303
Main attractions: Ruprecht Palace, Bell Tower, Otto Heinrich's Palace, Apothecary Tower, Frederick's Palace, English Palace, Fat Tower, Elizabeth's Gate, Powder Tower, Prison Tower
Coordinates: 49 ° 24'37.9 "N 8 ° 42'55.7" E
Content:
The German city of Heidelberg, whose population does not exceed 150 thousand people, attracts more than a million tourists every year. Their main target is Heidelberg Castle, called in many tourist avenues nothing less than "the most legendary ruins of Germany."
A bird's eye view of the castle
Most of the tourists who come to this small town, stretched out on the banks of the Neckar River, consist mainly of residents of the land of the rising sun. Why they are most interested in Heidelberg Castle remains a mystery. But something attracts the Japanese here, as well as tourists from other parts of the world.
It is possible that numerous paintings painted by the most talented artists back in the 19th century are stirring up interest in "the most legendary ruins of Germany". In fairness, it should be noted that the castle on almost all canvases does not look like what a modern tourist can see. And the point is not at all about time: the city itself and the Heidelberg Castle just had some mystical effect on the artists. They portrayed him in a romantic, one might even say, fantastic style. For example, the artist William Turner repeatedly came to Heidelberg to reproduce mystical ruins on canvas.
View of the castle from the Neckar River
However, all the paintings show the artist's own vision of the Heidelberg Castle. The ruins depicted on the canvases are very far from the original. Turner depicted the castle in the wrong place where it is. Modern experts have proven that in many paintings Heidelberg Castle is "located" on the Königstuhl mountain 70-80 meters higher. Apparently in this place there is really something mystical that can change a person's worldview and his perception of the world around him.
Heidelberg Castle - construction and history
Among modern historians, to this day, disputes regarding the exact date when the castle was built on Mount Königstuhl do not subside. The city of Heidelberg is mentioned in documents that have survived to this day in 1196, but the castle itself was apparently built in 1214. In official sources, you can find the statement that the construction was carried out by order of the Emperor Frederick II. It was erected as a gift to the Palatinate Ludwig I. It is, alas, impossible to reliably indicate the period of time in which one of the best courtyards in Germany was built. After the castle passed into the possession of the Palatinate Ludwig I, it was upset for another 400 years.
View of the castle from the north. Left to right: Bell Tower, Friedrich Palace, English Palace, Fat Tower
There are documents that state that the castle was visited by the legendary Martin Luther. His description of the castle cannot be called otherwise than enthusiastic: in his letter to a friend, he described Heidelberg Castle, as a majestic and impregnable structure with beautiful halls and luxurious interiors... Martin Luther's visit to Heidelberg and its beautiful castle fell on the reign of Ludwig V. True, the castle complex experienced its greatest heyday when Elector Frederick V. earth is the Garden of Eden, called "Hortus Palatinus".
The ruler believed that a human genius was able to create a garden near the Heidelberg castle, which would be in no way inferior to that of Eden, described in detail in the Bible. In front of the entrance to the Hortus Palatinus, a beautiful gate was erected, named after the beloved Frederick V. The project of the majestic garden, which many called the eighth wonder of the world, belonged to the architect Salomon de Coss. In Hortus Palatinus one could find magnificent fountains, fabulous grottoes, swimming pools. Outlandish plants grew on two magnificent terraces: thanks to the mild climate in Heidelberg, even olives took root.
View of the castle from the east. From left to right: Apothecary Tower, Otto Heinrich's Palace, Bell Tower
Frederick V made a huge contribution to the construction of Heidelberg Castle and its magnificent garden, but his political views and became the reason for the destruction of the magnificent structure. Elizabeth's spouse Stuart in 1619 succumbed to the persuasion of the Protestants and decided to rebel against the rule of the Roman Empire. Count Palatine Frederick V became the ruler of independent Bohemia. The Romans did not put up with arbitrariness and literally immediately began a large-scale war. In those days, even the states, huge in size and population, could not withstand the onslaught of an organized and numerous Roman army. Near the White Mountain, a bloody battle between the army of the Roman Empire and the troops of Frederick V. The Elector was defeated and was forced to flee with part of his supporters. The city of Heidelberg and its beautiful castle were left without their leader. The fortification lasted only a little longer than the city, and was partially destroyed by Roman troops.
View of Frederick's Palace from the courtyard
Heidelberg Castle was not long in the power of the Romans. Already in 1633, the Swedes decided to take the impregnable structure with a long siege... The Roman troops did not surrender, and the Swedes began shelling the castle from artillery pieces. The garrison was forced to surrender, but the destruction suffered by Heidelberg Castle was horrendous. But the most terrible times for the castle were still ahead ...
In 1689, the castle in Heidelberg was practically razed to the ground. The French, who decided to seize the city and the adjacent territory, laid powerful powder charges under its walls. Explosions shook the air: only ruins remained on the site of the once majestic Heidelberg Castle.
As is known from history, in 1777 the court of the Elector of Bavaria was moved to Munich. For this reason, the Heidelberg Castle was no longer needed by the rulers and was officially deprived of the status of a residence. The population of the city was allowed to disassemble the ruins of the castle by stones and use them for their own purposes. In those days, priceless interior items, unique architectural elements that adorned the castle were irretrievably lost.
View of Otto Heinrich's Palace from the courtyard
Speaking about the difficult history of the castle, one cannot but recall Charles de Gremberg. Until the beginning of the 19th century, this man, without receiving any payment from the government, was a volunteer caretaker of a majestic landmark in Germany. It was thanks to him that ruins, some parts of the building and sculptures, which the volunteer protected from looting, have survived to this day.
Naturally, something had to be done with the ruins of the castle, and in 1890 an extensive commission was formed, which included leading German architects and historians. After lengthy meetings, the commission issued a disappointing verdict: the complete restoration of Heidelberg Castle is simply impossible. Huge costs, lack of building material, looted valuables became the main reasons for the refusal of specialists from a complete reconstruction. By the way, from 1897 to 1900, only the reconstruction of Friedrich's wing was carried out. These works cost the government 520 thousand marks, and this despite the fact that the Friedrichsbau wing was not completely destroyed.The work at that time was supervised by the architect and restorer Karl Schaefer.
Powder tower
Heidelberg castle - today
As mentioned above, from the beginning of the 20th century, crowds of tourists were drawn to Heidelberg. The city castle has aroused and continues to be of great interest in our time. It is rather difficult to explain such an increased attention to the "legendary ruins of Germany", despite their interesting and complicated history. Heidelber Castle attracts a record number of tourists every year and is worthy of competition sights of Rome, Athens and even the capital of Germany.
In the oldest part of the castle, called the Ruprecht wing in the tourist avenues, modern tourists can see a fireplace dating back to the Renaissance. The entrance to this part of the castle is decorated with sculptures of angels. Naturally, the most interesting is the restored wing of Frederick, the facade of which is decorated with numerous and high-quality sculptures of the Electors. In addition, the remains of two once majestic terraces of the Hortus Palatinus garden have survived to this day. Alas, almost all the beautiful fountains, gazebos, pools were destroyed during the "Swedish artillery bombardment".
Thick tower
Heidelberg Castle is home to the largest wine barrel on the planet. This attraction, listed in the Guinness Book of Records, is kept in one of the cellars. Tourists fall into a state of mute shock when they learn from the guide its volume - it holds almost 213 thousand liters of wine! This barrel was made by Werner back in 1751. In order to make the world's largest wine barrel, the master had to process more than 130 massive oak trunks.
At the end of the material, I would like to note that on the territory of Heidelberg Castle, in its chapel, you can perform a wedding ceremony... True, for this it is necessary to "book" the time of the ceremony in advance, because more than 100 ceremonies are held in the chapel every year. Germany, as you know, is a country of Catholics and Protestants, Orthodox Christians, whom paths and roads will lead to Heidelberg Castle, are unlikely to want to marry according to the Catholic rite. But it will be extremely interesting to look at the wedding ceremony taking place in one of the oldest castles in the Old World.
Gate tower (right), Ruprecht's palace (center)
And a walk through the ruins of the garden, which was once created by human hands in the likeness of Paradise Eden, will surely remain in the memory for a lifetime. Apparently, the Japanese have a refined taste and know a lot about the most interesting sights of the Old World ...
