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Exploring Heidelberg, Germany
Cobblestone streets flanked
with intricate Baroque architecture; market squares edged
with outdoor cafes; and picturesque castle ruins overlooking
everything. Heidelberg has it all. (Questions about
Heidelberg?)
by Bob Neubauer
Fly Delta
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 It was just
before 11:00 a.m. when the faint sound of bells first
drifted to my ears.
Forgetting the picture I'd been about to snap, I hurried
to the stone wall at the edge of the castle garden and gazed
down at the town below. A half dozen church steeples towered
above the sea of orange-brown rooftops, and from their
belfries rose a symphony of bells. Each one added its own
sound to the mix--not simply chiming the hour but clanging
loudly and furiously, as if a fanatical altar boy was at the
end of each rope.
For a moment the enchanting sound carried me with
it, and I floated out across the sunny Neckar River valley,
over the tightly clustered buildings and narrow, Medieval
streets, down to the tops of the trees covering the lush,
wooded hillsides, and along the swift Neckar River as it
gushed beneath ancient stone bridges, built by royalty in a
century long past.
Heidelberg was every bit as captivating as I had imagined
it would be.
 I
had arrived in town the previous day with my friend Rich
Miehle for a two-day visit, having chosen Heidelberg as the
first stop on a two-week European excursion. Home to
Germany's oldest university (founded in 1386) and less than
an hour south of Frankfurt, Heidelberg seemed to have
everything a romanticized German town required: narrow,
cobblestone streets flanked with intricate Baroque
architecture; market squares edged with outdoor cafes;
densely wooded mountains threaded with trails; and
picturesque castle ruins overlooking it all.
Mark Twain had fallen in love with Heidelberg, gushing
over its splendor in A Tramp Abroad. What better
endorsement was there than that of a world traveler like
Twain?
What was more, Heidelberg had somehow avoided Allied
bombs during World War II. It was not simply a collection of
20th-century reconstructions; this town was authentic.
Ornate Karl-Theodor
Bridge
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We pulled into the train station at about noon
and walked to our hotel, the comfortable Pension
Kohler. After a brief, jet-lag-induced rest we set
out to see the town. The second we stepped outside,
however, the clouds rolled in. By the time we
reached the mile-long pedestrian mall, it was
raining.
Rather than dampening our excitement, however,
the dank, dreary atmosphere it created somehow
heightened the feeling that we had been transported
centuries back in time. We wandered the maze of
dark alleyways, peering over thick walls at
ancient, fortress-like houses and courtyards
bedecked with splashing fountains.
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We walked onto the Karl-Theodor Bridge, passing through
its fabulous arched gateway, bordered by two cylindrical
Baroque towers. The towers, one of which holds several
dungeon cells, were once part of the medieval town
fortification. The stone bridge, which spans the Neckar
River, was finished in 1788. From its center we got our
first full view of the castle, rising above the treetops,
its crumbling facade a testament to its considerable age.
Its oldest sections date from the 15th century.
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Saving exploration of the ruins for the next
day, we pursued indoor activities, such as checking
out the 600-year-old Church of the Holy Ghost.
Inside, protected from the ravages of weather,
lay the 15th-century tomb of the church's founder,
King Ruprecht I, and his wife, Elisabeth, their
carved likenesses still distinct.
The rain provided a good excuse to try out a few
mugs of German wheat beer in a small, smoky bar
just off the pedestrian mall. Then we sat down to
dinner in a dark, plain restaurant called Perkeo,
named after an 18th-century dwarf who once served
as both court jester and keeper of the royal wine
keg. Perkeo, despite his size, was reportedly quite
a prodigious drinker. According to legend, his
death came about when he mistakenly drank a glass
of water.
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Church of the Holy
Ghost
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We retired soon after dinner, but rose early the next
morning. Downing the complementary breakfast at the pension,
we headed straight back to the Old Town under clearing
skies. Because of the hour, and the fact that it was a
Sunday, we had the city to ourselves.
Without the crowds to distract us, the beauty of the
multicolored building facades was much more apparent. Tall
and narrow, the old dwellings were packed closely together,
windows overflowing with colorful flowers, roofs sprouting
dormer windows.
Hotel zum
Ritter
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Some buildings shouted for our attention, like
the intricate Hotel zum Ritter, built in 1592, with
its Renaissance-era columns, curlicues and carved
figures creating a dazzling display. Also
interesting was the Giant's House, with its arched
gateway and an inset, larger-than-life statue of
the builder. Across the street stood an oversized
statue of chemist and Heidelberg resident Robert
Bunsen--immortalized in chemistry classes
everywhere thanks to his famous burner.
Noticing a slow trickle of tourist traffic, we
quickly made for the castle. Taking the trail
marked "Uberburgweg" we plodded up a hill, paid the
two-Mark entrance fee and stepped into the
magnificent castle courtyard. Here Renaissance
styles mingled with Baroque designs, testifying to
the large span of years between additions.
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One of the most striking structures is the
Renaissance-era Ottheinrichsbau, built by Prince Elector
Otto Heinrich in 1556. Its facade is a carnival of ornate
pilasters, columns and statues, with two lone figures
standing guard high above. Behind the facade, the top two
levels of the building are missing; their windows open into
thin air, revealing only sky beyond. The structure was
intact until 1764 when a lightning-induced fire destroyed
most of the castle.
Nearby, the Friedrichsbau, built in 1607, is equally
elaborate, bursting with statues of the royal ancestors of
Friedrich IV, who had it built.
We strolled through the sunny courtyard, gazing at the
mingled architecture from different centuries and exploring
quiet passageways lined with crumbling stone walls. In one
building we paused to examine an enormous 58,000-gallon wine
barrel. Constructed in 1751 from 130 oak trees, the barrel
is reportedly the largest wooden barrel in the world ever to
have been filled with wine. Unfortunately, it is filled no
longer. We checked.
The keg is "guarded" by a statue of the famed Perkeo, a
tribute to his years of service there--as well as to his
party-animal status. I found it ironic that this court
jester was more well known today than the king he served.
Walking alongside the moat, now dry, we entered the Gun
Garden through a triumphal arch known as Elisabeth's Gate.
It was supposedly built in a single night by Prince Elector
Friedrich V in 1615 as a birthday present for his English
princess, Elisabeth Stuart. The garden itself, a grassy,
flowerless expanse, was bordered by a stone wall, beyond
which lie a breathtaking view of the town. In awe I gazed
out over its rooftops and tall church steeples, as the air
reverberated with the sound of bells.
When Mark Twain visited Heidelberg in 1878 he looked down
at this same scene and remarked: "I have never enjoyed a
view which had such a serene and satisfying charm about it
as this one gives." Nothing has changed.
After walking around the castle, Rich and I investigated
the castle gardens, adorned with statues and fountains. Then
we descended back to the town via a different route.
The streets of Heidelberg had filled up in our absence,
and we congratulated ourselves for having outwitted the
masses by getting up early. Hoping to avoid them again, we
crossed the Karl-Theodor Bridge and ambled along the water's
edge, stumbling upon a regatta festival and spending an
enjoyable few hours drinking beer and munching bratwurst
with some of Heidelberg's residents.
We eventually wandered back to the Church of the Holy
Ghost and made the long, spiral climb to the top of its bell
tower. An outdoor balcony let us walk around the structure,
enjoying fantastic views in every direction. We could just
make out the Alps in the hazy distance.
Garden alongside
Philosopher's Road
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One item remained on our list of things to do
and that was stroll the famed Philosopher's Road, a
woodland walking path traversing a hillside across
the river.
We crossed the bridge and took the winding Snake
Path up a series of stairs until it intersected the
road. After a short walk the trees parted,
revealing a breathtaking panorama as the entire
town spread itself out like a canvas for our
appraisal. We stared for a very long time.
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Darkness was coming and we hadn't yet eaten so
we returned to the town and found an outdoor table
in the market square. Fortifying ourselves with yet
more bratwurst and beer, we relaxed and let night
overtake the town. Then, shrugging off the chill,
we made our way onto the Old Bridge one last time.
From its center unfolded the glorious sight of the
castle bathed in a luminous orange light, glowing
as it must have during the fire of 1764. In the
darkness it seemed to float above the illuminated
buildings of the town.
I thought of Mark Twain's reaction when he first
viewed Heidelberg in the glow of twinkling gas
lights.
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Rathaus (City
Hall)
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"One thinks Heidelberg by day--with surroundings--is the
last possibility of the beautiful; but when he sees
Heidelberg by night...he requires time to consider upon the
verdict."
Once again, nothing has changed.
This story appeared in
the Philadelphia
Inquirer
and in the
Newark Star Ledger
in 1994.
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