Heidelberg Castle

Heidelberg Castle, known as Schloss Heidelberg or Heidelberger Schloss in German, is the city's best-known symbol. The massive fortress has loomed over Heidelberg and the Neckar River since the Middle Ages, and it has inspired tributes from many writers and painters--among them, British landscape artist William Turner and the American writer Mark Twain. (For a history of the castle, see Wikipedia's comprehensive article.)

The castle is an essential stop on any tour of Heidelberg. We'd recommend taking a guided tour and coming back in the evening to walk around the floodlit castle after dark. At the very least, buy an admission ticket to the castle courtyard, which includes entry to the Great Vat and the Germany Apothecary Museum.

For more information, including hours and ticket prices, see the official Schloss Heidelberg Web site.

Also see our Heidelberg Funicular article, which tells how to reach the castle from the city below.

More photos:

From the funicular station, a path leads to the castle's Artillery Garden, which you enter through the Elisabeth Gate.

You won't need a ticket for the gardens, but to visit the castle proper, stop at the Kasse or ticket office (inset photo) on your way to the gardens. It's just uphill from the funicular station's exit.

Take a moment to admire the carvings on the Elisabeth Gate, which was built in 1615 as a present from Elector Frederic V to his wife Elisabeth Stuart, the daughter of King James I of England.

According to legend, the triumphal arch was built in sections, erected overnight, and presented to Elisabeth the next morning as a surprise birthday gift.

A bridge and tunnel lead into the castle courtyard (admission ticket required).

Inside the castle courtyard, you'll find a ticket office for guided tours. A tour will take you inside the castle buildings.

Another doorway leads to the Grosses Fass, or Great Vat, a huge wine barrel with stairs that lead to a platform on top.

In the castle's heyday, the vat was filled with wine that the Elector's subjects paid as a tax. The quality of the wine suffered from the fact that it was a blend of whatever was delivered to the castle--including wine that may have been diluted with water, urine, or other substances.

Another archway off the courtyard takes you into the Deutsches Apothekenmuseum, or German Pharmacy Museum, which is well worth 30 to 60 minutes of your time. The museum covers the history of the pharmacy profession from the Middle Ages through the modern era, and many of the displays are of interest to the layman--especially the reconstructed apothecary shops and laboratories.

(Note: Admission to the museum is free with a castle courtyard ticket.)

From the castle and its gardens, you'll enjoy views such as this panorama of the Schloss bulwarks, Heidelberg's Altstadt, and the Neckar River. (This photo was taken in December, a relatively dreary time of the year.)

If you need to use the toilets, look for a "WC" sign. (The old two-seater biffy on the castle walls is no longer in service.)

Take time to walk around the castle perimeter. (You can even walk in parts of the moat.)

This photo shows an old tower in the moat that was destroyed by Louis XIV's troops in 1693 during the Palatinate's War of Succession.

The tower, built in 1640, was used for storage of gunpowder, and its walls were so thick that the magazine split in two instead of disintegrating when French soldiers tried to blow it up.

If you have time, return to Heidelberg Castle after dark, when the walls, moats, and towers are floodlit. (In the evening, most visitors to the Schloss gardens are romantic young couples or neighborhood residents who are walking their dogs.)