Heidelberg is Germany's oldest university town, situated in the Neckar Valley just east of the Rhine. Known as the cradle of the German Romantic movement, The old city also boasts beautiful baroque architecture including the imposing Heidelberg Castle. It's been said that Heidelberg's cityscape is so beautiful and so admired that American forces deliberately chose to avoid bombing it during World War II. The ancient city is a center for culture, like most college towns, and we found the streets leading up to the Castle to be busy, beautiful and full of interesting things to admire:
The town sits on a narrow passage of the river at one end of the graceful Old Bridge.
Majestic Castle is a magnificent red sandstone ruin perched 300 feet above the river, home to the Palatinate princes until it was partially destroyed by fire in the 17th century. The Castle has long inspired writers as varied as Johann von Goethe and Mark Twain. Originally built during the early 13th century, it was the residence of the Palatinate monarchy through the 18th century.
Descend into the Altstadt, or Old Town, for a walking tour toward the turreted Heidelberg University. Founded in 1385, it is Germany’s oldest.
