Heidelberg

Three times a year, Heidelberg has a castle lighting event.  The Heidelberg Schloss is lit up to look like it’s on fire, in memory of the three times in history (1689, 1693 and 1764) when the castle actually was on fire (twice under attack, finally destroyed by lightning).  It seems that thousands of people converge on the Neckar River in Heidelberg three times a year for the castle illumination and fireworks.  We decided to go to Heidelberg for Labor Day weekend, to see a little of the town and the castle, and stay for the lighting.

We got to Heidelberg in early afternoon, and I think the crowds were already starting, as we had to look around for a place to park.  The parkhauses in Altstadt were already full.  We found a parkhaus close to the new bridge across the river, which worked out quite well for us.  The weather was pretty nice, so we walked along the river towards Altstadt (old town) and the Schloss (castle).

The Heiliggeistkirche (Church of the Holy Ghost) in the Marktplatz is one of the few buildings to have survived the many wars over the past several hundred years.  The foundation was laid in 1398 and the tower completed in 1544.  This church has been used by both Catholics and Protestants, and had a divider from 1706 until the 1930s, so both could have services there.

We walked through the Brückentor (Bridge Gate) to the Karl Theodor bridge or Old Bridge (Alte Brücke), built by Prince Elector Karl Theodor in 1786 to replace the latest of several wooden bridges at this location which were destroyed by ice, snow, and high water. There are really nice views of the castle and the city along the banks of the Neckar River from the bridge. We also saw the Heidelberg bridge monkey. This monkey statue is either a legendary symbol to remind the city-dwellers and the people who lived outside the city that neither is better than the other, or it’s just there for the natives to laugh at the tourists putting their heads in it to get a picture…

We rode the funicular up the mountain to the castle grounds. Much of the castle is in ruins, but a lot of it is still standing. Apparently it’s free to walk around the grounds and the gardens, or you can pay the entrance fee to go into the courtyard area. We overheard a guard saying you could get into some of the buildings with a guided tour. Evidently you can also get married at the castle; we saw a couple having wedding photos taken.

With the entrance fee to the courtyard, you also get entrance to the Fasskellar (the wine cellar, with the world’s largest wine cask) and the Apothecary Museum, which has historical displays of medical scientific items, especially pharmacy items, actually pretty interesting!

We also walked around the castle garden areas. There are several statues, and a lot of green open space and trees. You can also get some really gorgeous views of the castle and overlooking the city.

We rode the funicular back down the mountain and went back into Altstadt.  There was a craft fair or market of some type in the Kornmarkt, so we walked through that and then back along the main street in the old city to find something to eat. Then we went back along the river toward the area where we parked the car. It rained a little bit, but not too badly. Our plan was to stay around and see the castle lighting, so we positioned ourselves along the bank of the river with a few other people, close to the parking garage. The weather cleared up and it was nice watching the boats cruise along the river waiting for the illumination, but it really wasn’t worth waiting around three hours for. It got really crowded as the time got closer, which wouldn’t have been so bad, except that when the illumination started, people immediately starting standing up and crowding right in front of us. We watched the illumination and about five minutes of the fireworks, and then beat feet to the car, so we could get out of the city before the massive crowd started going.

Heidelberg Schloss and Altstadt are worth a visit; it was a nice day trip for a reasonably fair weather day.

View our Heidelberg photo gallery.