The Castle of Heidelberg was built as early as 1400s. And of course, every subsequent ruler wished to add something of his own to the place. So we may say the Castle was built from 1400 till 1600. Long-suffering structure, it was fully destroyed by French and rebuilt later only to be destroyed again by the same French troops, just during another war. And then …the lightening struck the Castle and that was when they gave up on her and used her stones to build the houses in Heidelberg. So nowadays it is all mostly the ruins of the Castle of Heidelberg, though still quite imposing. Long-term construction period contributed to the current views of all sorts of styles from Gothic to the late Renaissance.
There is not much to see in the Castle as such. But there is a reasonable Pharmacy museum and the worldwide biggest wine barrel in the castle's cellar. They say it was built in 1751 and holds 221,726 litres. A story goes with it that at one time the guardian of the barrels was a dwarf who was said to have drunk 10-12 litres of wine a day and lived to the 'ripe' age of 83 when he died after drinking a glass of water. Must have been the shock to the system! There are stairs leading to the top of the round thing, where there is enough space for a dance party!
The Castle stands on the hill named Königstuhl (King Chair), where we choose the “ALT” route (Alternative-Lazy-Tourist) and took a funicular railway – Bergbahn. In two minutes we already enjoyed the views of the Old Town, picturesque lying at the foot of the King Chair. As the Castle itself is not exactly on the top of a hill, I had to take a funicular to “climb” further up. Actually, it was a rather ancient railway with the funny old-style carriage and a speed that lets you jump off and walk by its side…well, not really, no jumping allowed, but, trust me, it was very slow indeed. And the breathtaking views from top of the mountain well worth 20 minutes of 40% rise in a shabby carriage from 1890s…
Overall the Castle is the most romantic place I’ve seen during my trip. Especially at night, when it lighted up and looks like a mysterious fairy tale scene. Apparently, Heidelberg has been visited and loved by some famous writers and poets, like Mark Twain and Goethe. There is also a famous song about Heidelberg, which I’ve found rather charming and therefore here it is in English translation, of course:
I lost my heart in Heidelberg for all time,
On a balmy summer night.
In love head over heels, oh were she all mine,
And like a rose, her laughing mouth my light.
As by the gates she said: "Good-bye my lover,"
That last sweet kiss, it did confirm once more,
I'd lost my heart in Heidelberg forever.
My heart still beats on Neckar's shore...