The most iconic castle in Germany is Neuschwanstein, hands down. Theme parks are centered around the design, and the view from the nearby bridge is world famous. However, Neuschwanstein construction began in 1869, while the building technology we have today was certainly not available, they definitely had the advantage over castles erected in the medieval era. A true age of castles, where the structure, durability, and location of your castle literally were life and death circumstances. Enter: Heidelberg.
The city of Heidelberg is, in light traffic, an hour from us. Our drive there was not ideal, Stuttgart has an excess of road construction in every direction at the moment so the ride was nearly two hours. As we approached our destination, we drove up steep and narrow roads without any clue where we were going to park. I assumed there might be a parking lot a la Neuschwanstein. Nope. We had to navigate our SUV into a small, partially on the sidewalk, space. Satisfied that we weren't completely blocking the sidewalk, we began the walk to the castle.
The foot path up was on an incline, but easy to navigate with stairs and railings. Beautiful houses and ample greenery lined the sidewalks.
We visited the information office to pick up our tickets for the English speaking tour, a very important specification at tourist sites! The day was lightly rainy, nothing significant but it certainly cast a gray hue behind the castle. We waited outside for the tour to begin.
I read up on the castle beforehand, so I knew it was old. The lower portion, or the castle remaining today, is first referenced in 1303, although exact dates are difficult to pin down in the early years. What I failed to realize was that there was no exaggeration behind the term of it being a ruin. Above you can see a main wall with literally nothing behind it. To be fair, the castle not only survived being struck by lightening, but also by numerous attacks and take overs. One such attack was made easier when one king, Frederick, tore down defensive cannons and walls to create a sprawling garden for his wife, Elizabeth. That is old school romance, he doesn't just give flowers, he gives a garden of them. Sadly, with lessened defenses, it was much easier for that side of the castle to be attacked. And it was.
Our tour guide was phenomenal. I know it is a requirement of a tour guide to present information and be knowledgeable about the history of the place they work, but the way our guide conveyed stories and pointed out specific details was humorous and astounding. At one point, as we were standing outside of the previous front entrance, he pointed out where the outhouses used to be (above us) and where the moat was at that time (where we are standing) and stated how moats were truly filled with excrement to deter attackers. Hundreds of years ago or not, I am convinced some of those germs were still etched into the bricks. Our guide drew our attention to the detail that went into the walls. Each brick was made by hand and transported to the building site, if the brick successfully survived being placed into the castle wall, only then was the brick maker paid. For that reason, the makers etched their initials or specified signature into their bricks, markers you can still see today.
The 221,000 liter wine barrel, or Tun, above was filled with required contributions of wine from surrounding villages. Due to the requirement, the wineries often sent their worst batches and the stuff was apparently putrid. Not putrid enough to be off putting though as it was consumed every night at dinner. A jester allegedly drank the entire thing one night after being locked in with the Tun. That may simply be an old wive's tale though... I would like to know where I can get a similar barrel for my own personal use.
View of Heidelberg below
A wedding was taking place that day and the couple was taking pictures just beyond this wall, I could catch a glimpse of them periodically. I can only imagine the expense incurred for such a one of a kind spot, but weddings are already expensive and you could literally say you were married in a castle.
Heidelberg has ties to the current Royal Family. The aforementioned Fredrick and Elizabeth are the distant great-grandparents (by that I mean great x10 or so) of the current Queen Elizabeth II of England. How cool is that?! I love when cities and countries are so deeply entrenched in history because it truly does all come full circle.
No comments:
Post a Comment