There are many famous university towns in Europe, and the domestic universities are very different: institutions of higher learning are scattered in towns, there are no walls, students not only shuttle between classrooms, libraries, student apartments, but also linger in the cafes and bars in the city, exuding youthful vitality everywhere. In such an untethered environment, the world's most advanced science and technology were born, and the ancient civilization that lasted for thousands of years was preserved; the collision of sophisticated experimental instruments was mixed with Latin dialogue, and the ancient castle and the modern teaching building were far away... Heidelberg is one of them.
Located in Heidelberg, baden-Württemberg, southwest Germany, about 80 kilometers from Frankfurt, it is a famous cultural ancient city on the banks of the Neckar River, surrounded by mountains and rivers, full of greenery, with a long history and profound cultural accumulation. The Old Town was fortunate to survive the bombing in World War II, thus preserving its medieval style intact. Founded in 1386, Heidelberg University is the first university in Germany and the third oldest in Europe. She has the ruins of the most beautiful palace in Europe and is bustling with tourists. The city's population is about 150,000, more than half of which are students and school staff. It is both the epitome of romantic Germany and one of the thirteen historical and cultural cities of Germany. Countless literati and inkers in history have been impressed by it and written countless intoxicating poems. Goethe's phrase "leave your heart in Heidelberg" adds a little romance to the famous university town.
Today's Heidelberg is a leader in modern printing technology, integrating history and culture with high technology. Like many European cities, in order to protect the old city, the city is divided into the old city and the new city. The new town includes business places such as the CBD, and the place where tourists gather is naturally the old town on the banks of the Neckar River.
Neckar River
Driving southwestern, Heidelberg was my first stop. To be fair, its first impression wasn't good. In the middle of summer in July, the german heat of more than 39 degrees scorched the earth, the road in the old city was winding, and it took half a day to find an underground garage, and the parking fee cost more than ten euros a night. However, the German summer days are very long, strolling on the banks of the Neckar River in the evening, the breeze is cool, looking up, the hills are verdant, the streets are fresh, a pleasing red roof, modern bands performing hard in the beer garden by the river, drinking with the locals, and the revelers are tireless until midnight... At that moment, my liking for the city came to me.
The main street of the old town starts from the central food square (Kornmarkt), which is flanked by chic little shops, restaurants and cafes. In the center of the square stands the 18th-century statue of the Virgin Mary erected by the Jesuits to win more Catholics. Look up and see Heidelberger Schloss Castle, built of reddish-brown sandstone on the Neckar River, standing quietly on the tree-lined Mount Königstuhl, overlooking the ancient city.
Construction of the castle began in the 13th century and took 400 years to complete. During the construction process, with the change of different cultural periods in Europe, the architectural style of the castle also changed continuously, forming a perfect fusion of Gothic, Baroque and Renaissance architectural styles, which is both the symbol of Heidelberg's city and a legend in the history of German architecture.
It has been the official residence of the Elector of The Palatinate since the 14th century, and in the 16th century, the castle was severely damaged by the French army because of the Elector's support for the New Deal reforms and was later involved in the Thirty Years' War in Europe (1618-1648). After the war, as was the "peace and affinity" policy in Chinese history, the Elector married his daughter to Louis XIV's brother, the Duke of Orléans. Later, due to the death of the son of the Elector, Louis XIV wanted to seize the right to rule under the pretext that his sister-in-law was the Princess of the Elector, but the Elector naturally did not agree, which led to the "War of Orleans", the castle of Heidelberg fell, and the Elector's family was devastated and moved to nearby Mannheim. In 1764, when lightning struck the bell tower and caused a fire, the castle palace was completely burned down and abandoned to this day.
You can choose to walk up the hill, which takes about 30 minutes, or take a cogwheel train, which is divided into two stops: the castle and the top of the hill. I decided to go up to the top of the hill to see the city before heading to the castle. You can buy a combined ticket for the cogwheel train and the castle, and when you arrive at the castle, you can change to a century-old wooden cable car.
The wooden cable car swayed up the hill and made a creaking sound, as if to bring the minds of tourists back to the Middle Ages
At the top of the hill, you can enjoy views of Heidelberg and the surrounding Neckar River
Descending the hill to the castle, the entrance to the red Arc de Triomphe, small in scale, was built overnight in 1615 and is quite romantic, a 20-year-old birthday gift from Friedrich V to his wife Elizabeth.
Once comparable to the Palace of Versailles in France, the castle now stands in the courtyard, most of which are ruined as far as the eye can see, and cannot help but sigh that the glory of the past can only be imagined from the remaining stone sculptures of the Guardians, but this is the charm of Heidelberg.
The tower on the right-hand side is named "Luperhit House", named after the Elector Ruprechtsbau III. In 1543, it was expanded by Lupecht V
From the castle's platform, you can look out over the Neckar River and the Old Bridge over the river. The Neckar river is a gentle green water, originating in the Black Forest, is an important tributary of the Rhine River, like a ribbon falling from the sky on Heidelberg, flowing quietly through the city.
Sundials on the walls inside the castle
The most imposing building inside the courtyard is named Friedrichsbau, named after The Elector Friedrich IV (1574-1610), who founded the city of Mannheim from 1583 to 1610 as Elector of the Pfats family. Built between 1601 and 1607, the building, which was restored today between 1890 and 1900, serves as a museum on the inside, with the façade carved out of the previous 15 electors.
Germany is not only famous for its beer, but also a fine wine region. The castle still preserves the world's largest wine barrel (Grosses Fass). This is the fourth barrel of the same size built in 1751 to hold 220,000 litres of wine (221726 litres), and more than 130 oak trees were cut down in order to build it.
There is also a smaller wine barrel next to it (Kleines Fass)
The horizontal barrels are nearly two stories high
There is also a statue of a dwarf on the wall opposite the barrel, named "Peike Yu", who was the guardian of the barrel at that time. It is said that he drank a lot of alcohol, did not drink water, and finally died because of a glass of water, and since then his image has become a medal of the Heidelberg Carnival.
Inside the castle there is also a museum of medicine, which displays medicine from hundreds of years ago. So there is this item that looks like a "pressure mill", is it that German medicine and Chinese medicine at that time were connected?
Long Yingtai once had a novel "Falling in Love in Heidelberg", although I did not fall in love with me alone, but on the high castle hill, overlooking this beautiful and incomprehensible city with the ancient castle, the houses with red roofs are dotted with green trees, and the old bridge on the river is picturesque under the sunlight, quiet and leisurely.
Castle Tips:
1. How to get there: Take the cogwheel train from the cable car station behind Kornmarkt and take one stop to the castle. It takes about 15 minutes on foot up the hill.
2. Gear train: every 10 minutes, 9:00-20:30 in summer, 9:00-17:00 in winter, and the end point is the top of Mount Throne.
3. Opening hours: Palace courtyard and large wine barrel 8:00-18:00, Medical Museum 4-October 10:00-18:00, November-March 10:00-17:30, closed on December 25.
4. Entrance fee: free of charge for the garden, 7 euros for the combined ticket (gear train, castle courtyard, large wine barrel and medical museum).
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【Author:Desert Rose】
Global travel expert, travel experience engineer, freelance writer, guest host, travel sharing engineer, cross-border self-media person. He has traveled to more than 40 countries and more than 200 cities on five continents.