The Heidelberg Castle
View of the Castle, downtown Heidelberg, the Neckar River and the Old Bridge… taken from the Castle grounds…
Our Friday plans to head down to the Neuschwanstein Castle were thwarted because of torrential rain so we decided to pack for our weekend trip but spend the morning in Heidelberg touring the castle instead… a much better plan since it was nice and clear here.
We have seen the Heidelberg castle from a distance countless times and been up to the castle a few times before but this was the first time we actually toured the inside. We knew we’d have lots of family to take.
Chris, Sarah, Scott and Dan on the Castle grounds…
“Nestled in the hill 300 feet above the city of Heidelberg stands the breath-taking Heidelberg Schloss (castle). The castle is a combination of several buildings surrounding an inner courtyard, put together with a haphazard look. Each building highlights a different period of German architecture.
The castle has a history almost as old as the city itself. The first parts of the castle were constructed around 1300, but it wasn’t before Prince Elector Ruprecht III (1398 – 1410) that the castle was used as a regal residence. Until it was destroyed by lightning in 1764 leaving it permanently uninhabitable, the castle was the residence for most of the Prince Electors. In 1800, Count Charles de Graimberg began the difficult task of conserving the castle ruins. Up until this time, the citizens of Heidelberg had used the castle stones to build new houses.
Just as breath-taking as the castle is from the city, so too is the city from the castle. From either the Great Terrace or the gardens, one has an amazing view of Heidelberg, the Neckar River, and the Neckar valley far into the Rhine plain.
The castle gardens, constructed between 1616 and 1619 by garden architect Salomon de Caus, were commissioned by Prince Elector Friedrich V for his wife Elizabeth. The gardens were regarded as a masterpiece of their time. The gardens, built upon several terraces, were made up of many flowers beds, mazes and arbors, numerous sculptures, a heated greenhouse with orange trees, large fish ponds, waterfalls, and a man-made grotto for musical water arts.
The Heidelberg Tun, or the “World’s Largest Wine Barrel”, was built in 1751 by Prince Elector Karl Theodor to house the wine paid as taxes by the wine growers of the Palatine. It stands seven meters high, is eight and a half meters wide, holds 220,000 liters (58,124 gallons) of wine, and has a dance floor built on top of it. The court jester who guarded the cask during the reign of Prince Elector Carl Philip, a Tyrolean dwarf nick-named Perkeo, was supposedly known for his ability to drink large quantities of wine. Legend has it that he died when he mistakenly drank a glass of water.”
It was quite something to see the “World’s Largest Wine Barrel”. It’s massive. It’s crazy how much wine they drank everyday.
Inside the Castle courtyard…
View of homes across the Neckar River… I’d love to tour some of these… 
After touring the castle and walking around we headed down to the hauptstrasse to find some bratwurst for lunch. Below is what Dan and Sarah and most of my kids got. Elisha ordered a gyro with fresh chopped tomatoes and cucumbers and it was so good!
Matthew after being reprimanded by Daddy… probably for running into the street or something. Just look at that lip. That’s a very typical face for this kiddo.