Heidelberg Castle

Heidelburg castle is the central landmark of the city of Heidelberg, dominating the sight of the town. It is located 80 meters from the hillside of Konigstuhl hill, and high above the Neckar river.

Heidelberg castle is one of Europe's most famous and magnificent historical attractions. It was first brought down to ruins by Tilly's troops in 1622, and was rebuilt by Karl-Ludwig. A second siege destroyed the castle for the final time during the War of Succession in 1693. It lay in ruins for a while until a poet by the name of Wolfgang Muller von Konigswinter vied for its complete reconstruction, which unfortunately met certain backlashes from public meetings and the press. Finally, in 1883, the Grand Duchy of Baden created the Castle Field Office, which committed to creating a detailed plan for the restoration and preservation of the Heidelberg Castle. The reparations plan found their completion in 1890, which resulted to leading a commission of specialists from all over Germany to determine if what to do with the castle to keep it preserved, since complete rebuilding was not possible. After these extensive consultations, they decided on preserving the Friedrich Building, whose interior was fire damaged though not ruined. The reparations then began in 1897 and ended in 1900, headed by Karl Schafer, with a huge cost of 520,000 deutchmarks.

For more than 600 years specifically from the 13th and 17th century, it was the home of many princes and kings. Now, it is one of Germany's most revered tourist sites, and it houses the world's largest wine vat, with a stunning capacity of 55,000 gallons.

Visitors of Heidelberg castle often spend a lot of time admiring the great wine cellar. Walking along the many rock-lined rooms dug out of the ground was also a pleasant experience, though some are wary with the state of some of the old towers, which look like they're falling apart ever so slowly. The castle is huge, sometimes dark, and downright chilling at times, which is why guests are always advised to have their own companion when touring the different sections of the castle, especially since there aren't a lot of English speakers in the area.