160. Europe Bicycle Trip--The Heidelberg Castle (Schloss)

The Heidelberg Castle (Schloss) is a medieval castle built above the Old Town. The Castle ruins are among the most important Renaissance structures north of the Alps. It is located 80 metres (260 ft) up the northern part of the Konigsthul hillside and therefore dominates the view of the old downtown. it is served by an intermediate station on the Heidelberger Bergbahn funicular railway that runs  from Heidelberg's Kornmarkt to the summit of the Konigsthul.  The earliest castle structure was built before 1214 and later expanded into two castles circa  1294. The Palatinate Prince- Electors of the Wiittelsbach dynasty lived here for over 400 years.The oldest preserved building is a residential building the Ruprecht, built by Ruprecht 111 in 1400 In 1537, a lightning bolt destroyed the upper castle. The present structures had been expanded by 1650, before damage by later wars and fires. The castle fortification and it's towers were destroyed during the War of Palatine Succession in 1693. In 1764, another lightning bolt caused a fire which destroyed some rebuilt sections. The ruins of the Heidelberg Castle became the symbol of an entire epoch, the German Romantic period.

At the beginning of the 21st century, more than 3 million visitors come to Heidelberg and the Castle every year. Most of the foreign visitors come from USA and Japan.

I climbed UP to the part of the castle facing the river and entered and paid the fee.

Most people take a train up from Kornmarkt and enter from the hillside of the Castle.

Openings for cannons or guns.

Gated shut

Coat of arms

Entry from my approach

From the balcony, I could see the cannons overlooking the Old City and the Neckar River.

One wall inside the Castle courtyard.

It looked like there was a restaurant through the archway so I didn't go in there.

Bell tower

Lion sculpture on the wall

The inside courtyard

View from the bell tower terrace

This couple from Ontario took my photo.

Karl Graf von Graimberg went to Heidelberg to sketch the castle for a landscape and stayed for the remaining 54 years of his life. It is due to this man that the castle ruins still stand today. He made copper passes and sketches and also had a collection of artifacts  from the castle in his home. He accomplished the first historical excavations at his own expense and also lived a long time in the castle yard in order to prevent the citizens of Heidelberg from taking building materials from the castle to use in their homes.

Karl Graf von Graimberg

Part of the section that was burned

Inner wall

This is a wall with nothing behind it.

Built in 1718, this arched entrance gate replaced the original  watchhouse destroyed in the War of the Grand Alliance.

View of the Old City from the Castle