I mentioned in my In and Around Munich post that my cousin took me to see Neuschwanstein Castle. I was spoiled again when my friends who live near Stuttgart took me to Heidelberg to visit this charming German town and Heidelberg Castle, one of the most beautiful castles in Germany.
Heidelberg is located about 120 km north west of Stuttgart, right on the Neckar River. The town is known for Heidelberg University, Germany’s oldest university, founded in 1386, and the red sandstone ruins of Heidelberg Castle.
HEIDELBERG OLD TOWN
Upon arriving in Heidelberg, we strolled in the Old Town and admired the beautiful buildings. The Gothic Heiliggeistkirche church towers over the vibrant town centre Marktplatz. One can spend many days in this town to examine its architectural details. From the main square, we could see Heidelberg Castle standing on Königstuhl hill.
HEIDELBERG CASTLE
To conserve our energy and time, we took the funicular from the ground level to Heidelberg Castle. Below are some of my photos during our exploration of the various buildings on the castle site. I organized them in chronological order with the earliest structure first.
The Ruprecht Building single-story, simple medieval structure was built under King Ruprecht I, who ruled between 1400 and 1410. It is the oldest surviving residential palace within Heidelberg Castle.
The Powder Tower (aka the ‘Exploded’ Tower) was built under Prince Ludwig V, who ruled between 1508 and 1544. It once functioned as a gun turret. “Kraut,” or powder, specifically gunpowder, was stored in the basement. French mines destroyed the roughly 7-meter-thick wall during the war between 1688 and 1697.
The Hall of Glass was named for its magnificent second-story hall, once adorned with Venetian mirror glass. It was constructed by Prince Friedrich II, who ruled between 1544 and 1556. Its Italian arcades connect the two most beautiful buildings within Heidelberg Castle: the Friedrich Building (left) and the Ottheinrich Building (right).
The Ottheinrich Building was erected during the rule of Ottheinrich (1556–1559). The elaborate decorative figures on the stately facade were created by sculptor Alexander Colin. The roof was damaged by fire from French troops in 1693 and was finally destroyed by a lightning strike in 1764.
The German Apothecary Museum has resided in the basement of the Ottheinrich Building since 1958. The castle admission ticket includes a visit to this interesting exhibition on the history of pharmaceutics.
The Friedrich Building and its lavishly decorated facade was built during the rule of Friedrich IV (1583–1610) by his architect, Johannes Schoch, between 1601 and 1607. The electoral family lived on the two top floors. The attic floor was reserved for the servants.
The Bell Tower seen next to Scheffel Terrace was originally constructed as a gun turret in the early 15th century. Over the centuries it was reinforced, built up, and finally converted into a bell tower and lookout tower.
The English Building was built between 1612 and 1614 during the rule of Friedrich V (1613–1619) for his English bride Elizabeth Stuart. The surviving window facade is on the left in the photo below.
The Barrel Building was constructed in the 16th century. A giant barrel was installed in the building’s basement in 1591, holding 130,000 liters of wine. In 1664, it was replaced by an even larger barrel with 200,000 liters capacity. Nearly 100 years later, Prince Carl Theodor had the third and current Great Barrel constructed. 220,000 liters of wine were stored here.
After visiting the beautiful Heidelberg Castle, we strolled in the castle gardens, and took the stairs (some 300 steps) to get down to Heidelberg Old Town. Walking with my longtime friends made the descent from the summit seem shorter.
I’m hosting the Wellness Wednesday link up on August 14. The optional prompt is Friends with regards to how they affect our well-being. Since I’ve written my Health updates in my July Wrap-Up post, I’m sharing my wonderful outing in Heidelberg with my friends for Wellness Wednesday. Please click here to join in on the fun.
I’d love to hear your comments.
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Natalie the Explorer 
Hi Natalie, This castle was a very memorable visit for us about 15 years ago. Unfortunately, we did not see Heidelberg Castle. Your photos depict how vibrant the town is. It is amazing how thick the walls were made at that time. Likely for good reason. You are in amazing shape, Natalie, likely thanks to all the walking you do every day. 300 steps down is sometimes worse than up (for me, anyways). Thank you for sharing a very interesting post. Danke:)
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Hi Erica – I think Heidelberg University students give the town its vibrancy (aside from tourism). It’s too bad that you didn’t see Heidelberg Castle. I found it interesting with the layers of history and architecture from the various royal families. The 300 steps down can be hard on the knees. Thank you for reading my post and for your comment.
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What a lovely city and how nice that you were able to explore it with friends! The castle is so different from Neuschwanstein.
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Hi Janis – It was a wonderful outing with my friends as they have very busy work schedules. I like that we could walk around freely on our own at Heidelberg Castle where several royal families lived. Neuschwanstein Castle required guided tour to see the rooms in the castle and it was built (unfinished) for one King.
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That looks so wonderful!!
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It’s a big castle site with lots to see and explore.
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HI, Natalie – Thank you for the awesome tour. I greatly enjoyed it.
And…220,000 liters of wine is very impressive!
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Hi Donna – The wine barrel is huge. Unfortunately it’s in a darker room and my photos didn’t turn out well.
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Thanks for the tour! I love how university towns tend to have a vibrancy that others may not. As for the 220,000 litres of wine? I’d like to see that.
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Heidelberg town centre is very nice and vibrant with plenty of good, inexpensive eats, plus lots of nice buildings to look at. I read somewhere that the wine barrel at Heidelberg Castle is the biggest in the world. Everyone looked tiny standing next to it.
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Wow! That’s beautiful…love the intricate architecture! Buildings like that are always inspiring!
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The Heidelberg Castle is different from other castles that I’ve seen. It’s like a village of royal buildings from different times. Thank you, Sanch, for stopping by.
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I enjoyed this tour with you Natalie! Thanks so much for showing this to us. #lifethisweek
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My pleasure to share this. Thank you, Debbie, for stopping by.
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Natalie, I am finding it hard to wrap my head around a university founded in 1386. How special is that !Germany and castles are like ice cream and chocolate sauce; perfect for each other. We visited Ludwig’s Neuschwanstein and Hohenschwangau in Fussen, but have not seen this one. Both the town and the castle look like a place I’d want to explore and how better to do that than with friends. Thanks for sharing your visit.
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Hi Suzanne – I like that at Heidelberg castle, visitors can go on their own and freely take photos inside and outside. The castle and its grounds are quite big, easily taking up a few hours to explore. The town is very nice, too with lots of historic buildings and architectural details. I was in awe looking at the year when some of the buildings was constructed. My friends sure have spoiled me on this visit.
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Great photos and brief history of this area. I’ve travelled only very briefly in Germany so I don’t associate it with spectacular castle ruins like these.
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Hi Joanne – My friends sure picked a wonderful town and castle to show me a part of Germany. I’d recommend a visit to Heidelberg town and castle to other travellers.
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Lovely pictures. My son just visited Heidelberg and sent a few pictures but yours are better and I learned more!
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Thank you, Luna, for your kind words. I’m humbled to hear you think my photos are better and you learned more about the castle from my post. I hope your son is enjoying his time in Germany.
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Heidelberg is so beautiful! Living in the US, I can’t imagine the antiquity of some of these buildings. I love learning about new places and your posts never disappoint. I will be sure to check out your Wellness Wednesday.
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Hi Laurie – I love going to Europe and other places in the world that have years and years of history. Please feel free to join in on the Wellness Wednesday link up with your wellness-related post.
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Just over 3 years ago we visited this amazing place. Our guide was kinda weird so didn’t get all the information that you have on this post. Brings back so many memories. Thank you. Loving your blog so much xx #SeniSal
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Thank you, Bree, for your kind words. I’m glad my post brought back memories and gave you additional information. Your comment made my day 🙂
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🙂
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Some gorgeous buildings in Heidelberg. Great photos. #SeniSal
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Thank you, Darlene, for stopping by. It’s a beautiful castle with rich history and architecture.
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That looks wonderful – and it’s fun meeting up with friends OS.
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I greatly appreciated my friends’ hospitality. They took time off work to be with me at a few beautiful places near Stuttgart. Thanks, Lydia, for stopping by.
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What a beautiful place. Very nice. Thanks for sharing. #MLSTL
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Thank you, Patrick, for your kind comment.
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I’d love to see more of Germany and Heidelberg Castle looks amazing. I’m a big fan of castles and large country houses. Thanks for the tour and the great photos 🙂 #MLSTL and Pinned
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Thank you, Johanna, for your visit and comment. I like castles and large country houses, too. There are some outstanding castles in Germany that gave me an idea to plan a castle-themed trip in the future.
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What an interesting place Natalie – and very much a step back in time. I loved the apothecary display – which would have been an education to view I’m sure.
Thanks for linking up with us at MLSTL and I’ve shared on my SM 🙂
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Hi Leanne – The apothecary museum is very interesting and has more rooms and displays than what I share in my post (to keep my post at reasonable length). Thank you for hosting. Have a wonderful week!
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Hi Natalie, thank you again for taking me on your travels through your blog posts. Heidelberg looks so lovely and I’ve not visited there before. Thank you for linking up at #MLSTL and I’ve shared on SM 🙂
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Thank you, Sue, for hosting and sharing. Heidelberg is lovely. I’d recommend the town and castle to visitors who are in their vicinity. Have a beautiful week!
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I am not sure how you compile your photos and information but it is done well and full of interest.
Amazing details.
Thank you for linking up for Life This Week. Next week’s optional prompt is 33/51 Tea, Coffee or What? 19/8/19. Hope to see you linking up then too. Denyse.
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Thank you, Denyse, for your kind comment. I take a lot of photos when I travel, including some maps or descriptions of the places or items I was looking at. When I write my travel posts, I select the photos I like the most and build my story from there. I try hard not to be too detailed. I look forward to next week’s link up. Have a wonderful week!
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It’s amazing how long that castle has been standing, considering all the damage that it’s taken through the years. What a testament to builders without modern-day equipment. Thanks for sharing the pictures and history lesson.
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Thank you, Jennifer, for your comment. The construction of the various buildings at Heidelberg Castle is amazing. There has been restoration to the site so hopefully the castle will last for many more years.
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Oh wow, I love how the castle kinda looms over the city. I guess perhaps that was the purpose once? Fiefdoms and all that. I’m always relieved to see buildings like that protected and being restored. It’s so important to keep that history, though I wonder if people will be saying that in centuries about some of the boring monstrosities now. Perhaps… if others no longer exist?
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Yes, this castle was built on a hill, presumably for demo of power and strategic defense. I guess if there is any interesting story associated with some of the tallest buildings in the world today and if those buildings remain for a few centuries, people would still be in awe when they see them.
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From what I’ve seen in pictures and on TV Germany is beautiful and somewhere I’d love to travel to one day. Heidelberg Castle is gorgeous – I’m fascinated with old architecture. It’s done well to be still standing after all these years! #TeamLovinLife
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There are some beautiful castles in Germany, Min. One could easily spend hours studying and taking photos of the architectural details in Heidelberg. Thank you for sharing your interest in old architecture.
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This castle would be a feast for an architecture buff like me. Love all the pretty details.
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Heidelberg castle and its grounds are big enough to fill several delightful hours of sightseeing and taking photos. Thank you, Mary, for stopping by and sharing your interest in architecture.
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What a gorgeous castle! I could explore there for hours. The town is so pretty too. Germany is definitely on my list of countries to visit.
#SeniSal
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Thank you, Cindy, for your visit and comment. I’d plan a full day to visit Heidelberg town and castle, or even overnight stay if time allows.
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I do love castles! This one is just fabulous. Thanks so much for sharing your photos with us.
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You’re welcome, Betty. Thanks for stopping by.
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Uh oh. Now I need to put Germany on my list. My list is getting VERY LONG!
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A long list of places to visit is a good thing. It will keep you entertained for a long long time 🙂
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I think the Apothecary Museum would be quite interesting. We missed out on both the Heidelberg and Neuschwanstein Castles when we were in Germany. But did go to a charming castle – PC is not home to remind me of its name – tucked in the woods in southern Germany. Could have spent hours there and at the Nuremberg Museum. Would gladly revisit Germany. How fortunate you had friends and family on your trip.
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The Apothecary museum was interesting. Nuremberg is a nice place to visit. Maybe next time you go to Germany, you can explore Heidelberg and Neuschwanstein Castles. Thanks, Leslie, for stopping by.
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