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...University
town, famous for the Heidelberg Catechism |
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| Heidelberg
has
been populated since Celtic days and is now a bustling tourist town.
The beauty of Heidelberg attracted poets including Arnim, Brentano,
Hölderlin, Eichendorff and Goethe and composers such as Schumann,
C.M. von Weber, and Brahms.
Richard Thorpe's film, The Student Prince (1954) based
on the romantic operetta has made this town a popular destination.
During the Reformation, from 1556, its rulers embraced Lutheranism,
but soon turned to Calvinism. During the Thirty Years' War, Heidelberg
was sacked by Catholic forces ending on September 16, 1622 after
an 11 week siege.
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Old Town. Along the south bank of the Neckar River
is the half-mile-long 'Hauptstrasse' pedestrian mall, The Old Town
is a warren of cobblestone streets lined with shops offering artworks,
antiques, books, clothing and a range of other items. There are
many open-air cafés and restaurants, creating a wonderful
ambiance. The 16th century ' Hotel Zum Ritter', built in 1592 by
Charles Bèlier, has an impressive Renaissance facade. It
was Heidelberg's town hall from 1695 - 1705 and has been a hotel
ever since. Back to top.
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Castle.
Towering about the town, is the impressive castle.
It was built in the early 15th century as a residence for the Palatine
princes. Due to damage during the Thirty Years War and by the French,
the castle has ended up being a mixture of styles, from Gothic to
Baroque. In the cellar of the Renaissance Friedrichsbau Wing is
a huge wine barrel which can hold 185,500 liters (49,000 gallons).
It's fun to take the mountain railway (Bergbahn) from the Kornmarkt.
Click here to read a local's view of the castle.
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University.
The University was founded by Ruprecht 1 in 1386 and was said to
be the centre of higher education in Europe at the time. It played
a leading role during the age of Humanism and the Reformation. Martin
Luther was received here with great honors and defended his 95 theses.
In 1562 a 28 year old professor Zacharias Ursinus and a 26 year
old preacher called Caspar Olevianus wrote the Heidelberg Catechism
(Click here to
read), one of the most important Calvinistic statements of faith.
It has 3 main parts: (1) Man's Sin and Guilt (2) Man's Redemption
and Freedom (3) Man's Gratitude and Obedience.
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Philosopher's
Way.The "Philosophenweg" gets its name
from the fact that Heidelberg's philosophers and university teachers
are said to have once walked and talked here. You can get a wonderful
view of the town as you stroll along this path on the northern bank
of the Neckar river. Back to top.
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Old
Bridge.This
charming bridge over the Neckar River was built by Prince Elector
Karl Theodor from 1786 to 1788. The West Tower contains dungeons
and the East Tower contains a spiral staircase. During the Middle
Ages, cattle were driven through the nearby "Tränktor"
(Drinking Gate) to their drinking places.
Back to top.
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| Church
of the Holy Ghost. (Heiliggeistkirche) During the
30 Year's War, Commander Tilly took the library, 'Biblioteka Palatina',
which once included more than 5000 books and 3524 manuscripts to
the Pope of Rome. Only 885 manuscripts were returned to Heidelberg
in 1816. The church has been both Catholic and Protestant. In 1706
a partition was built because both denominations wanted to hold
services here. For 230 years, the barrier stayed in its place until
it was removed in 1936. Today, the Church of the Holy Spirit is
a Protestant Church. Back to top.
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Museum
of the Palatinate. (Kurpfälzisches
Museum). Housed in a Baroque palace, this museum contains wonderful
paintings and works of art. Tilman Riemenschneider's altar, (Windsheimer
Zwölfbotenaltar), shows Christ and the 12 apostles. You can
also see the cast of the jawbone of the 500,000 year old Heidelberg
Man.
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 Christian
History Highlights in Heidelberg:
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Martin
Luther (1483-1546)
- In the Spring of 1518 he spoke
to the general chapter of the meeting of the Augustinian
Order. Although
older theologians remained unmoved by Luther's Heidelberg
Disputation, it impressed a number of young theologians
including Martin Bucer, Johann Brenz, and Theobald Billikan,
Heidelberg Catechism (1653)
-In 1653 the Calvinistic "Heidelberg Catechism"
became the most prominent handbook of this religious body
in Europe. |
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 Selected
Cultural Events in Heidelberg: |
| Heidelberg
Music Festival. Theme,
"From the new world", with works by Dvorák,
Schnittke and Nono, March 27, to April 25, 2004. |
| Castle
Festival "Schlossfest-Spiele". 5
week festival with opera, classical music, jazz and theatre,
in July and August. |
| Open-air
markets at Friedrich-Ebertplatz, on Tuesday
and Fridays. |
| Open-air markets
at Marktplatz, on
Wednesdays and Sundays. |
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Have you been to Heidelberg? Maybe you live there...we want
to here from you! Use the following form to tell us your recommendations.
Thank you! |
©
Reformation Tours, LLC 2008 • CST#2093421-30
409 Portland Ave, Belleville, IL 62220
Tel: (618) 222-9914 • Fax: (618) 222-9917 • Toll Free: (800) 303-5534
info@reformationtours.com
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