Heidelberg was one of the loveliest places Robin and I visited during our time in Europe. One of our favorite spots to explore was Heidelberg Castle, situated against Königstuhl (kings throne or king’s chair) hillside. We toured the exterior on our own and saw sprawling gardens, fantastic views of the river and surrounding hills, and the entire city splayed out below us.
Heidelberg Castle has been destroyed, partially destroyed, invaded, struck by lightening and rebuilt many times, which is evident even from afar, as visible in the photographs I took below. It was so fascinating to take a tour and learn about how resilient the castle’s occupants were despite all of the repeated destruction done to this building. They were able to pay for repairs and expansions, thanks to their geographic position along the Neckar river, which allowed them to control trade and charge for use of the trade route. The materials they used to build and rebuild the castle seemed to change from a pink to a golden yellow-orange as the sunset, easily making it one of the most beautiful buildings I’ve ever seen.
After exploring the exterior of the castle, we headed inside to learn more on a private walking tour. Photographs of the inside are not allowed to preserve the castle’s mystique and charm, but it was immensely impressive to say the least, and definitely worth the €7 tickets. Occasionally the castle is rented out for business parties, and even birthday parties for celebrities. A wealthy businessman from Asia evidently rented the entire castle and the grounds for a private wedding and hosted guests from around the world for several weeks here, which is phenomenal considering how much that must have cost. Our tour guide wouldn’t tell us an exact price to rent the facility for a day, but said it was several million dollars an evening.
For a more complete guide to Heidelberg, please click here. In the mean time, visit some of my other travel posts below, and leave a comment letting me know what you’d like to see in my upcoming travel guides!
Until next time!
xAnnie Fairfax
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Tim says
Thank you so much for the great information. I saw pictures of Heidelberg on worldee, but yours really make me want to visit. You are great photographer and so pretty. Im from Czech Republic its near me. I would like to see it, and you have inspired me to travel there as soon as possible, thank you!
Megan Sturm says
Your pictures are incredible! Makes me want to go back and visit ASAP!