Hello and welcome! Can you believe it’s Friday already? I like it when the work week flies by. I have definitely been busy this week. I want to share the last of my posts about Heidelberg Castle, part of my 2014 Viking River Cruise down the Rhine in Europe. There was so much to see at Schloss Heidelberger and we were only there for a short period of time. My last post told you a little about the Ottheinrichsbau, the wing in the center below.
Today I just want to share a few more images of the castle with you. To the right of the Ottheinrichsbau above is the Ludwigsbau and I really did not get any pictures of that wing. It was really a ruin, and as explained earlier, part of it had been demolished to build the Ottheinrichsbau, just like the Glaserner Saalbau on the left.
I took a few pictures of the courtyard, but seemed to miss all the wells and fountains that were there, like the one on the right above. When we were in Cologne, I seemed to take pictures of every fountain we came across.
But I did get some pictures of the white lilacs that were blooming!
The bushes were loaded with blooms!
And the air was so fragrant!
We really enjoyed being there a few days after Easter. It was Springtime and so many things were blooming!
Across the courtyard from the Ottheinrichsbau was the Ruprechtsbau on the left, the Bibliotecksbau in the middle and the right corner is what is left of the Frauenzimmerbau. They are mostly ruins as well. Behind them is where we walked when we went to visit the Dicker Turm.
The Ruprechstbau on the left is one of the older parts of the castle. At one time they thought it was the oldest part, but while conducting an excavation they did find Roman windows which meant there were older parts that had been built over throughout the many years the castle has been here.
And just look at the Oriel on the Bibliotecksbau. I love that little window. I can just imagine Rapunzel sitting in a window like this to let down her hair.
The building on the right above is the ground floor of the Frauenzimmerbau, or Ladies Wing. There was a Great Hall on the ground floor and ladies quarters on the upper floors, which were destroyed in one of the fires. The city of Heidelberg uses the Great Hall today for parties and celebrations. To get an idea of what these buildings looked like you can visit this site and get a 360 degree view of an artist rendering of a reconstructed Heidelberg Castle. It’s pretty amazing!
I loved the little crest on the wall above one of the windows. It has the same knight and shields as the others throughout the castle.
This window is from the Ruprechstbau. All those panes of glass!
And here is a crest from 1545 on the Ruprechtsbau. I don’t know what it says but it has a lion, the knight and the shields. And it has a little roof built over it to help protect it from the elements. I wonder if that was originally part of the castle or added in later years.
And this was probably our favorite sculpture of the day for any area of the castle – the Angel’s Crest on a portal on the Ruprechtsbau. It immortalizes two children of the Master Builder that died in a tragic accident while this portion of the castle was being built.
The Master Builder had them affixed with a rosary and a circle, the symbol or badge of his trade so that they would forever be remembered. It was said that after the building was complete, he never worked in his trade again because he was so broken hearted.
This last building is the Soldatenbau, or Soldier’s Quarters. I loved the little arched entry over the well.
Here is a window from the Soldier’s Quarters. It is a much simpler window than what is found on the other wings where the Elector Princes and their families would have lived. And it was right by the Gate Tower, where we had entered the courtyard and started exploring the inside area of the castle.
We only saw a small portion of the castle during our visit and we only went in one building to see the Great Wine Barrel. There were other areas inside to explore along with gardens and even a gift shop. I am sure you could spend an entire day here at the castle and still not see it all. It was a fascinating place to be sure.
But it was time for us to climb aboard our buses and head down to the hill for a guided tour of the old city of Heidelberg. Until then….
This is not a sponsored post. This is my experience from my trip with Viking River Cruises. Email me to find out how you can save $100 when you book your first cruise with Viking through their referral program.
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