This time I'm in Heidelberg, Germany famous for its charming castle the
funicular and the longest high street in a European city. Let's go check it all out!
Heidelberg is a cute University town on the Neckar River in southwestern
Germany. 45 minutes drive away from Frankfurt Airport the altstadt ""old town" is
popular with day-trippers and tours to the Heidelberg palace. I was up early to
capture some of the scenery in the glorious morning sun, but don't be fooled
it's going to get much busier as the day goes on. A gothic Church dominates the
main town square with the outer perimeter lined with cafes, later this
will be filled with seating and tourists grabbing a coffee or some lunch.
The Heidelberg bridge monkey dates back to the 15th century and stands guard to the
side of the bridge gates. It used to be a stone statue but was previously
destroyed and replaced with a bronze one in 1977. Apparently touching the monkey
means you will return to Heidelberg.
The purpose for the towers either side of the gate on the altstadt part of the
bridge was to instill fear and respect into anyone entering the town.
The Old bridge spans the Neckar River and is fully pedestrianised so you can take a
stroll at your leisure and take in the movements on the river and get a great
view of the Heidelberg Palace looming over the hillside.
As the cafe's start to open up I made my way to the funicular railway.
The funicular railway begins from a rather unassuming carpark building more than a
million passengers a year use this service so it's one of the most popular
attractions in the town.
Split into three parts the lower and middle sections run on new trains with
the upper section still retaining a restored old original single carriage.
You can decide which services you wish to use entry to the castle is included
in the prices one adult can enjoy the castle and all three parts of the
funicular for 12 euros. Arriving early is the key to avoid the main tours that
seem to arrive around 10 a.m. they can bypass the queue and take an
entire carriage. Uou can also walk up to the castle if inclined it's steep though
so be warned, and when the funicular is included in the price of the castle why
would you really!
As I entered the castle the first tour groups began to form this was around 10
a.m. The views back down over the city are beautiful and you will get a good
picture of the layout of the town.
Over the years various wars French troops blasting holes in it and in 1764
a lightning bolt causing a fire, made it permanently inhabitable. Preservation of
the ruins has been the priority since.
Building work first started in the 12th century it is made up of a number of
buildings over many hundreds of years in construction, so it does look a bit
haphazard and covers many periods of German architecture.
The Otthinrich building is one of the most beautiful and oldest Palace structures of the
German Renaissance. Elaborate sculptures adorn the facade with the interior
showcasing examples of the luxurious decor.
Today the Emperor's Hall and the Lord's Hall are used for exhibitions.
The German Apothecary Museum has resided in the basement since 1958.
The sign said "big barrel" and walking down into the cellars of the castle I
was surprised to find people crowding around a large wine barrel.
There have been three giant barrels in the palace the first was installed in 1591 holding
a hundred and thirty thousand litres of wine, but this was destroyed in the
thirty year war. In 1660 the second barrel the one I think you're seeing now
was installed holding a whopping two hundred thousand litres. When you first
enter the barrel building everyone including myself thought this was the
largest barrel but wait.... 100 years later they decided to make an even larger
barrel this one the largest wine barrel in the world holding two hundred and
twenty thousand liters of wine, empty now sadly!
Standing guard over the barrel is a wooden statue of Perkeo an 18th century court jester that the then
Prince Carl Philip had brought to Heidelberg to entertain the court. He was
renowned for being able to hold his liquor
and supposedly died from a single cup of water!
Uou can walk around up and over on wooden viewing platforms, the video just
does not do its size justice.
Walking out onto the elevated terrace I was blessed with wonderful views of
Heidelberg and the river below, but this is not the highest point for views.
Due to time constraints I decided to forfeit walking around the palace gardens and to
make my way back onto the funicular heading for the 550 meter high viewing
point. The second station on the funicular offers further views and
walking trails but is also the interchange point to ride on the third
and final part of the railway on board the old restored carriage.
The train is slower and much smaller than the modern carriages on the
previous sections, you may also have to queue for a while as a result.
I have sped up this part of the video but it does take about 10 minutes to reach the summit.
Here at the top on a clear day you can see right across the Neckar Valley and beyond.
A little cafe offers light snacks and a place to rest. Again there are
walking trails and some people do try to walk back down the side of the hill to
the lower stations. For me it was time to head back down and check out more of the old town.
The town was now alive with visitors and the streets were filled with seating and
hungry travelers soaking up the sun with a snack or a beer.
I took to the shade and people watched with a mocktail and schnitzel salad.
The banks of the river were lined with stalls, beer tents and sausage sellers
doing a roaring trade. I'm not sure if this is a regular weekend thing or if
this was a special event but in any case the atmosphere was fun and exciting.
Heidelberg has the longest pedestrian shopping street in a European town and
although a Sunday with many shops closed it was bustling with people strolling its length.
There are many boutique shops with interesting items to buy and some more
traditional carved wooden toys and trinkets stores. Make sure you explore
some of the side streets where more cafes and bars are waiting to welcome you.
Heidelberg is a stunningly beautiful town with much to offer and I hope
you're inspired to visit sometime soon. Feel free to contact me in the comments
for any advice or help. Remember to Like and Subscribe if you want to be alerted
to our future travel guides. For now from the @MemorySeekers, happy travels!