The huge castle of Heidelberg is itself as a ruin one of the most beautiful castles of Germany. Unlike Neuschwanstein Castle, Heidelberg Castle has a history of almost 900 years. Its foundation goes back to Konrad the Staufer, half brother of King Friedrich Barbarossa, who relocated his seat of rule to Heidelberg around 1180. In the centuries of its existence, the enormous fortification was repeatedly expanded, besieged, conquered and damaged. The greatest devastation suffered the palace in the Palatinate War of Succession, when the victorious French blew up large parts of the castle. For many years, the ruin fell into ruin and was partially restored only from the late 19th century. Today, the castle is lovingly maintained and houses a medieval museum and the German Pharmacy Museum. Opening times and entrance fees can be found at schloss-heidelberg.de/besucherinformation/preise
Very beautiful castle complex located above the Neckar.
An absolute highlight!
From the medieval castle to the magnificent Heidelberg Castle
The history of Heidelberg Castle goes back to the 13th century. At that time, the Counts Palatine built their first residence on the northern slope of the Königsstuhl in the Odenwald. However, the medieval fortress was still a long way from the later Renaissance splendor of the palace.
Only over the course of the centuries did the castle become the representative Heidelberg Palace as we know it today. The impressive complex was crowned at the beginning of the 17th century with the impressive castle garden Hortus Palatinus.
But shortly thereafter, the Thirty Years' War largely ended the history of Heidelberg Palace construction. The Palatinate War of Succession also took its toll on Heidelberg Castle. In 1693 the towers and walls of the castle were almost completely blown up.
Old walls with a checkered history
After the end of the war, the castle was initially to be demolished and parts used to build a new palace. When this proved too difficult, the castle was provisionally restored. In 1720 the incumbent Elector Karl Philipp moved his residence to Mannheim and left Heidelberg Castle to its fate. Over time it became a tourist attraction: the ruined walls attracted painters and artists even before the beginning of the 19th century. And to this day it has lost little of its romantic charm.
The Heidelberg Castle is one of the most famous ruins in Germany and the landmark of the city of Heidelberg. Until its destruction in the Palatinate War of Succession, it was the residence of the elector of the Palatinate. Since the destruction by the soldiers of Louis XIV in 1689 and 1693, the Heidelberg Castle was only partially restored.
The castle ruin of red Neckar valley sandstone rises 80 meters above the valley floor on the northern slope of the Königstuhl and dominates from there the image of the old town. The Ottheinrichsbau, one of the palaces of the palace, is one of the most important German buildings of the Renaissance. Around the year 1182 Konrad the Staufer, half brother of Emperor Frederick I Barbarossa and since 1156 Count Palatine near the Rhine, moved his court from the castle Stahleck at Bacharach on the Middle Rhine to the castle Heidelberg.
The city of Heidelberg is named in 1196 for the first time in a document. A castle in Heidelberg ("castrum in Heidelberg cum burgo ipsius castri") is mentioned in 1225, when Ludwig I received this castle from the bishop Heinrich of Worms as a fief. In 1214, the dukes of Bavaria from the house Wittelsbach had been entrusted with the Palatine county. A castle is last mentioned in 1294. In a document of the year 1303, two castles are listed for the first time: the upper castle on the Kleine Gaisberg at the current Molkenkur and the lower castle on the Jettenbühl. For a long time research had therefore established that the founding of the lower castle had to be between 1294 and 1303, especially since the construction office meticulously carried out by the palace office in the second half of the 19th century came to the conclusion that the building was not a date of the castle before the 15th century.
Due to architectural findings and recent archaeological research, however, in the recent research on the Heidelberg Castle, the origin of the lower castle is now dated to the first half of the 13th century.
Translated by Google •
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