Heidelberg Castle

Heidelberg Castle is a large red-sandstone ruin that rises above the old town and the Neckar River in the city of Heidelberg. Construction began in the 13th century as a medieval fortress, but the most significant buildings date from the 16th and early 17th centuries, when the Prince-Electors of the Palatinate transformed it into a Renaissance palace. The castle was damaged repeatedly by war — first in the Thirty Years' War, then in the War of the Grand Alliance in 1689 and 1693, when French troops systematically destroyed the fortifications. Rather than being rebuilt, the ruins were left as they stood and became an icon of German Romanticism in the 19th century. The main surviving buildings include the Ottheinrich Wing, one of the finest Renaissance facades in Germany with its sculpted figures of classical and biblical rulers; the Friedrich Wing; and the English Wing. The courtyard contains the Great Heidelberg Tun, a wine barrel built in 1751 with a capacity of 220,000 liters, with a staircase and dance platform built on top of it. The German Pharmacy Museum occupies the lower floors of the Ottheinrich Wing, displaying pharmaceutical equipment from several centuries. The castle gardens, known as the Hortus Palatinus, were originally designed as a Renaissance pleasure garden. The castle is reached from Heidelberg's Altstadt by the Heidelberger Bergbahn funicular from the Kornmarkt stop, or by a steep 15-minute walk. A combined ticket includes the funicular ride, courtyard access, the Great Tun, and the pharmacy museum. Guided tours of the interior rooms are available hourly. The castle is open year-round and is part of a compact city itinerary that includes the Old Bridge, the Hauptstrasse pedestrian street, the Philosopher's Walk across the river, and Germany's oldest university.