We were off to another castle- about one hour away- to the town of Heidelberg! We first
looked at the Church of the Holy Ghost, located in the center of old town.
Then above the rooftops of the houses surrounding the town square we caught our first glimpse of Heidelberg Schloss---or the ruins of it! Magnificent!!!
We rode a funicular up to it and began our English tour of the grounds. It was begun in 1214 and added onto by each succeeding Prince Elector. In 1764 it was destroyed by fire caused by lightening. It was considered too "old fashioned" to rebuild. Three times a year there is a reenactment of the Castle Burning with lights and fireworks.
This model shows what it used to look like before the fire.
Notice the extensive grounds in the background.
This is part of the inner courtyard.
Notice the blue sky through the windows.
One wing of the interior courtyard has been restored and
events such as weddings are held here.
This wine barrel held the king's fine wine!
But this is the world's largest wine barrel. All the farmers had to pay a tax of 10% of their wine to the Prince Elector where it was given to the servants and the soldiers. It holds 58,000 gallons!
The ruins from the grounds were very impressive!
The view from the Castle is gorgeous, overlooking the Neckar River and it's famous bridge!
We then traveled to Schwetzingen which is known for it's palace gardens.
Another Saturday in the life of the Roberts in Germany...next week Cologne!
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