Next we adventured out to Heidelberg Castle (in route to Frankfort). This is one of my favorite German Castles. It is about 2 hours from Stuttgart.
The Castle has a rich history though out the ages. Construction started on it in the 1300's. It had been expanded and a center for the local area until it was destroyed by the French Army in 1689, after the war with the French. In 1764 what was left of the castle caught fire when it was struck by lightning, leaving it in ruins. In the 1883 preservation and partial rebuilding efforts were begun.
Today it is partially in ruins, some has been rebuilt. It is a wonderful place to visit.
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Heidelberg Castle
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| A part of the castle that has been restored |
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A part that is still burned out.
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We read the book
Castle Life, by Struan Reid. It has great information about the parts of old castles. So it was fun to be able to see some of those parts come to life.
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| These were not chimneys... they were the old potties. They drained into what was a moat. |
There wall of some parts are just amazing in thickness...
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You can see how thick the wall in this tower once were.
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Parts of the inside that is rebuilt, but still interesting to see. You can only see it on the guided tour. We did the English guided tour. We were fortunate to be in the first tour of the day, and there was one of family with us. The tour guide was great, very knowledgeable, and happy to answer questions.
The Castle also has larges wine caskets. There were several built over the years. The first 1591 was destroyed during the 30 Years war. It was replaced in 1664. The second casket was replaced with a larger third one, it could hold 202,000 liters. It was leaky, so a fourth and larger casket were created. There is also a dance floor built on top. It to was also leaky, and was only filled three times. The caskets were used to keep all the wine, brought in payment of taxes.
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| The largest wine casket, with dance floor on top. You are allowed to walk up on the top. |
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| The second board over there is a sliver of light, where the casket leaks. |
There is so much more that you have to visit to enjoy. It is one of my favorite places.
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