Historic Cities · Germany
Heidelberg through the ages
Heidelberg is the fifth-largest city in the German state of Baden-Württemberg, and with a population of about 163,000, of which roughly a quarter consists of students, it is Germany's 51st-largest city. Located about 78 km (48 mi) south of Frankfurt, Heidelberg is part of the densely populated Rhine-Neckar Metropolitan Region which has its centre in Mannheim.
Heidelberg in 1400
Medieval Heidelberg
Heidelberg in 1400 is a compact riverside town whose castle and church already shape its skyline while a newly founded university begins to draw scholars into its narrow lanes. The walk moves from hilltop views across the Neckar, down through the bridge gate and market by the Heiliggeistkirche, along Hauptstraße past university houses, to the castle terraces and a final high lookout over the valley.
The skyline is a close-knit jumble: reddish clay roof tiles and dark timber-framed façades pressed under the stone bulk of the Palatine castle, round castle towers and church spire puncturing the low horizon. Narrow cobbled streets open to a single market square; the Neckar runs brown and lively with ferries and fish weirs. Walls and wooden gates ring the town; window shutters and painted signs enliven the façades. Stone, wood and clay dominate the palette.
The walk — 21 streets, squares and views
Heiligenberg View → Bergheim Approach → Brückentor → Neckar Bridge → Neckar Ferry → Fish Weirs → Boatman's Inn → Neckarufer → Marktplatz → Heiliggeistkirche → …
Step inside — 12 interiors
St Michael's Chapel · Ferry Master's Boathouse · Fish Smokehouse · Boatmen's Common Hall · Butchers' Hall · Nave and Library Tribune · Council Chamber · Disputation Hall · Scribal Loft · Binder's Workshop · Elector's Great Hall · Spiral Keep Stair
Planned from the Wikipedia record: Heidelberg.
Heidelberg in 1615
Palatine Heidelberg
Heidelberg in 1615 is at the height of its role as the Elector Palatine's court, with the castle newly extended and its great terraced garden being carved into the hillside. Walkers will pass the castle terraces and Friedrichsbau, thread the Old Town markets and riverfront, cross the Neckar and finish on the Heiligenberg with the castle and Hortus Palatinus laid out below.
A compact medieval town hugged by the Neckar and a steep wooded ridge, dominated by the vast multi-winged castle of the Elector. Red-brown sandstone towers, curtain walls and round artillery towers sit above formal terraces of clipped hedges and parterres. In the valley, timber-framed houses and steep tiled roofs pack the streets; the riverfront shows wooden wharves, low barges and gardeners tending the new palace gardens on the sunlit slope.
The walk — 22 streets, squares and views
Königstuhl View → Castle Outer Curtain → Hortus Palatinus Terraces → Friedrichsbau Façade → English Wing → Schlosshof and Great Tun → Dicker Turm → Schlossgasse Descent → Bastion and Rampart → Neckar Quay Landing → …
Step inside — 14 interiors
Ottheinrich Painted Chamber · Shell Grotto and Automata · Court Music Pavilion · Marble Hall · Electress's Privy Chamber · Great Court Stair · Electoral Wine Cellar · Dicker Turm Guardroom · Riverside Wine Warehouse · Riverside Tavern Taproom · Cooper's Workshop · Town Council Chamber · Nave of the Heiliggeistkirche · Academy Lecture Hall
Planned from the Wikipedia record: Heidelberg Castle.
Heidelberg in 1830
Romantic Heidelberg
Heidelberg in 1830 is the university town celebrated by poets and painters, its ruined castle looming over a compact Baroque old town beside the Neckar. The walk moves from the river approach, across the Old Bridge and through student streets to the castle terraces and the Philosophenweg, showing the city’s ruined masonry, narrow lanes and riverside houses.
In 1830 Heidelberg’s skyline is a layered silhouette of red-tiled roofs, timber-framed façades and the broken battlements of the Schloss high on the Schlossberg, all set in a green cleft of the Odenwald. The Neckar cuts a reflective ribbon beneath the Old Bridge; narrow, cobbled Hauptstraße and market squares sit under Baroque church towers. Artists and students gather where ruin, river and mountain meet in clear, often cool valley light.
The walk — 20 streets, squares and views
Bergstraße Approach → Bergheim Neckar Bank → Brückentor Gate → Old Bridge Span → Neckarfront Houses → Kornmarkt Square → Heiliggeistkirche Exterior → Marktplatz → Hauptstraße Main Street → Zum Ritter Inn → …
Step inside — 14 interiors
Bridge Gate Upper Chamber · Old Bridge Guardroom · Riverside Inn Parlor · Kornmarkt Wine Cellar · Heiliggeistkirche Nave · Town Hall Council Chamber · Bookbinder's Workshop · Zum Ritter Common Room · Jesuitenkirche Baroque Nave · Studentenkarzer Cell · Steingasse Tavern Backroom · Electoral Stair Hall · Friedrichsbau Open Courtyard · Painter's Studio with View
Planned from the Wikipedia record: Heidelberg.
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