Heidelberg Palace

History

Heidelberg Palace ranks among the most significant palace complexes in Germany and is at the same time its most celebrated ensemble of ruins. The history of the site begins in the early 13th century, when the Wittelsbach Electors Palatine erected the first fortifications on the Schlossberg hill above the city of Heidelberg. Over the following four centuries, successive expansion created one of the most magnificent residences in the Holy Roman Empire.

The palace reached its zenith under Elector Ottheinrich (1556–1559), who commissioned one of the most important Renaissance buildings north of the Alps, and under Frederick V, who in 1613, on the occasion of his marriage to the English princess Elizabeth Stuart, laid out the famous Hortus Palatinus — a Baroque garden celebrated as the eighth wonder of the world. The Thirty Years’ War and the War of the Palatine Succession (1688/1693) brought severe devastation; twice the complex was blown up and put to the torch by French troops. A lightning strike in 1764 set the last still-habitable wing ablaze and sealed the palace’s transformation into a romantic ruin.

Architecture & Setting

The palace rises on the northern spur of the Königstuhl hill, some 80 metres above the Heidelberg Old Town, and commands an incomparable view across the Neckar Valley. The complex unites architectural styles from nearly five centuries: Gothic towers and cellar vaults from the 14th century stand alongside the early-Baroque English Building and the Ottheinrichsbau, whose full-façade figure pilasters and finely worked sandstone reliefs are regarded as a masterpiece of the German Renaissance.

Particularly impressive is the monumental Altan — a massive viewing terrace from which the entire townscape unfolds, with the Neckar, the Old Bridge and the vineyards stretching into the distance. The red sandstone masonry, visible from far away — partly shattered, partly moss-covered, partly still intact in its historic form — lends the ruin that picturesque character which has inspired generations of Romantics, poets and painters. Victor Hugo, Mark Twain and Friedrich Hölderlin were all equally captivated by Heidelberg and its palace.

Visiting & Tips

The main approach to the palace is via the historic Heidelberg funicular railway, whose lower section (Kornmarkt–Schlossberg) has been in operation since 1890 and is considered the oldest electric rack railway in Germany. The combined funicular ticket includes admission to the palace courtyard; a separate palace ticket is required to visit the interior rooms, the Great Heidelberg Tun and the German Pharmacy Museum.

Those who wish to experience the palace in a particularly atmospheric setting should mark one of the Heidelberg Palace Illumination dates in their calendar: three times a year — in June, July and September — the ruin is bathed in reddish-golden light by Bengal fire and staged with a fireworks display over the Neckar. For children, a visit to the Pharmacy Museum is especially rewarding, with its historic laboratory rooms and unique collection of pharmaceutical instruments spanning five centuries.

Practical tips: the Palace Café and the Palace Restaurant offer refreshments with a view over the Old Town. Early in the morning or towards evening, the crowds of day-trippers are at their thinnest — and the light for photographs at its finest.