Heidelberg Castle

Heidelberg Castle's origins lie in the 13th century, when the Counts Palatine of the Rhine — one of the Holy Roman Empire's most powerful dynasties — built their first fortifications on the Königstuhl. What began as a medieval fortress was transformed by a succession of ambitious rulers over the following four centuries into one of the most elaborate palace complexes in the Empire.

The castle reached its architectural apogee under the Electors Palatine in the 16th and early 17th centuries. Friedrich II built the Gothic hall around 1530; Ludwig V added the Ruprechtsbau; Ottheinrich (Otto Heinrich) constructed the palatial Ottheinrichsbau between 1556 and 1559 — a Renaissance masterwork with a three-storey sculptural façade that art historians consider the equal of anything in Italy. Friedrich V, whose marriage to the English Princess Elizabeth Stuart was celebrated with enormous festivities in 1613, added the English Wing and the Hortus Palatinus, a garden terrace so ambitious it was called the 'eighth wonder of the world' while still under construction.

The catastrophe came with the Thirty Years' War (1618–1648). Friedrich V accepted the crown of Bohemia in 1619, was defeated at the Battle of White Mountain in 1620, and lost everything — the Palatinate, the castle, his title. The castle was occupied and stripped by Imperial forces. It partially recovered, only to be completely destroyed by the armies of Louis XIV in 1689 and again in 1693 during the Nine Years' War, when French troops systematically blew up the towers and burned the interiors.

The ruins were left largely untouched, becoming a defining image of European Romanticism. The 19th-century debate over whether to restore the castle or preserve the ruin remains one of the great cultural arguments in German architectural history — and was ultimately resolved by leaving things more or less as they are.

Getting there: Heidelberg is on direct train lines from Frankfurt (50 min), Stuttgart (40 min) and Mannheim (15 min). From Heidelberg Hauptbahnhof, take tram or bus 33 to the Rathaus/Bergbahn stop in the Old Town, then take the Bergbahn funicular to the castle (included in ticket, also runs separately for €5 return).

Walking up: The Burgweg path from the Old Town to the castle takes about 20 minutes on foot through a steep wooded path — good exercise and worth it for the approach through the forest. Take the funicular down if your knees are grateful.

What's included in the ticket: The €9 ticket covers the castle grounds, the Great Hall, the German Pharmacy Museum and entry to see the Great Cask. Guided tours of the interiors (English, German) run several times daily and add significant context.

Photography: The classic view of the castle is from the Old Bridge (Alte Brücke) across the Neckar — the ruin against the hillside above the baroque spires of the town. For a view that includes the Neckar valley, the terrace on the west side of the castle is best. The Heidelberg Illumination — when the castle is lit a deep red to simulate the fires of the French bombardments — happens on the last Saturday of June, July and September and draws large crowds but is visually spectacular.

Combine with: Heidelberg's Old Town is one of Germany's best-preserved and most atmospheric, and the castle is only part of the reason to visit. The university (Germany's oldest, founded 1386), the Church of the Holy Spirit, and the pedestrian Hauptstraße are all worth time.