A Georgia Girl in Germany

I had wanted to head up to Heidelberg for a while, so when I learned that the Heidelberg Castle would be lit up under a fireworks display recently, I figured that was the perfect opportunity to take a road trip. I hesitated for a short while though, since I wasn’t sure if the weather would hold (this was the same day as MacKenzie’s soccer playoffs).

I have actually been to Heidelberg before, back in September 2001 when I deployed right after 9/11 and was delayed at Ramstein for a week trying to get downrange. This was definitely a more relaxing visit though, since I didn’t have to duck inside buildings to answer phone calls about my team’s onward travel. This time I only had to keep any eye on four children (yes, we had an extra body traveling with us).

The romantic Heidelberg Castle is perched atop a hill overlooking the picturesque Old Town and the Neckar River below. This view shows a Madonna statue in the Kornmarkt square. The Madonna was commissioned and placed in the town when the rulers decided it would be a Catholic town. The townspeople weren’t used to religious statues, so weren’t quite sure what to make of the statue, especially since they recognized that she was standing atop “nonbelievers.”

What is now the Haus zum Ritter (Hotel Ritter), was built in 1592 by a wealthy merchant, and has a rather elaborate façade. It was made of stone rather than wood, and, as our guide stated, stones were a sign of wealth. Because of its sturdy construction, it was the only Heidelberg mansion to survive the French invasion of 1693, and is now the oldest remaining Renaissance building in Heidelberg. After the town was sacked and burned by the French, it served as the town hall from 1694 to 1703. xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
The only other building in the Marktplatz to survive the invasion was the Heiliggeist Kirche (Church of the Holy Ghost). Construction began in 1402, and the church was both Protestant and Catholic from 1705 to 1936, but is now a Protestant church. A wall between the nave and the choir separated the two faiths. The merchant stalls along the outside walls have been there since medieval days, and are now used by souvenir vendors.

From the Marktplatz, we traveled down picturesque winding alleys to the Alte Brücke (Old Bridge). Also known as the Karl-Theodor-Brücke, it spans the Neckar River and its twin-towered bridge gate dates back to the Middle Ages.

The Alte Brücke is actually the ninth bridge constructed on this site, with the previous eight bridges (all made of wood) being destroyed by floods, fire or ice. The current bridge was completed in 1788, only to be blown up in 1945 and rebuilt in 1947.


The kids actually stood still long enough for me to take a photo of them on the Alte Brücke with the Heidelberg Castle in the background. Zachary’s friend, David, is the fourth kid.

Zachary had to try on this bronze monkey sculpture. The sculpture was made by noted Professor G. Rumpf and is a reproduction of the stone sculpture that was on the bridge many centuries ago.



After our stroll across the Neckar River and back, the skies turned grey and opened up...so we ducked inside the Baroque Jesuitenkirche. It was built in 1712, and was pretty simple, yet elegant inside. I liked the plain white interior with gold and green accents on the columns. It's rather simple for a Baroque church, but still very elegant.


Fortunately, the rains didn’t last long, so we continued our tour past the Studentenkarzer (student jail) to the New University (the white building in the background) and Old University (with the red doors and window frames). The Old University was built in the early 18th century and is the oldest surviving building of the school, while the New University was built in 1930 with funds donated by Americans (Henry Ford was the largest contributor). Heidelberg University was founded in 1386 and is the oldest in Germany. When our guide began to tell us about the many degree programs the school offered, she quickly quit, then listed off the only degree programs it doesn’t offer (there were only about six).

After the tour, we stopped by the Hard Rock Café, hoping to get some good, meaty burgers. Sadly, the burgers weren’t anywhere near as good as what we had hoped, although the fries were delicious. David’s mom had led a USO tour (which we were allowed to tag along with), so when the tour group dispersed, she joined us for the rest of the evening.


After dinner, we walked down to the next bridge upstream from the Alte Brücke to stake out a position from where to watch the evening’s fireworks display. We contemplated staying on the bridge, but opted instead to sit along the bank of the Neckar River since it gave the kids plenty of opportunity to burn off some energy running up and down the pathway winding along the river.

The lighting of the castle only takes place three times a year, and now commemorates when the French General Melac and his troops destroyed and burned down Heidelberg Castle more than 300 years ago. The fireworks display is designed to give the illusion of a battle taking place between the people on the Alte Brücke below and the inhabitants of the castle. The event culminates with the fortress lit up as though it were on fire, complete with smoke and flickering blood red lights in the castle windows. While we had a wonderful view of the castle itself from our vantage point, we didn’t see much of the fireworks over the Alte Brücke. Sigh.


The fireworks and illumination actually began in 1613, before the French destroyed much of the town, when newly-wed Prince Elector Frederic V welcomed his young wife to Heidelberg.
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The English princess Elizabeth Stuart (daughter of England’s James I) was received with due respect and a splendid event, including illuminating the castle with bright colors and displaying star balls high above the Neckar River.


We decided to walk down the pathway toward the Alte Brücke during the show to try to find a better vantage point, and managed to see a little more of the fireworks and the light display on the bridge. Once the light show was over, I couldn’t resist taking a few night shots of the Old Town with the castle lit up...first from across the river...

Then from the Karlsplatz with a beautiful fountain in the foreground.

We still need to go back to visit the castle itself (it houses the world’s largest wine cask and the German Pharmaceutical Museum--I think the Germans have a museum for everything!). Again, I’ve been before, shortly after 9/11, but definitely think it's worth another visit.


Here are a few links to stories about Heidelberg. This one shows more of the town: http://www.afneurope.net/Article.asp?PT=Destinations&id=277261. This one shows more of the Student Prison, which we only walked past: http://www.afneurope.net/Article.asp?PT=Destinations&id=244206.

Labels: Benjamin, Germany, MacKenzie, Travel, Zachary