Academia has probably played the single largest role in Heidelberg?s history. The University of Heidelberg was founded in 1328 as the first institute of higher learning in Germany and since then it has remained one of the world?s leading academic centers. Lining the steep cobblestone streets are the many libraries and classrooms that have produced such great minds as Max Weber, the founder of sociology, and Clemens Brentano whose collection of folk poetry inspired the Brothers? Grimm tales. If the youth of the prestigious Uni acted naughtily (e.g. were rowdy in the street or were caught being too flirtatious with a woman in public), they were sent straight to the Studentenkarzer, the student jail. Students, who before 1914 were under the sole jurisdiction of the university faculty, were in essence “grounded” for these petty offenses. Today you can read the spirited graffiti they wrote to amuse the next generation of incarcerees.
The next unavoidable stop-off point for any tourist must be Heidelberg?s Castle, das Heidelberger Schloss. It was begun in the early 14th century, and after 1329 served as the home of the Prince Electors, one of the seven men who voted for the Holy Roman Emperor. Over a period of almost four hundred years, but principally during the 16th and 17th centuries, many of the Castle?s dwellers commissioned their own additions, so the present courtyard displays fa?ades from the Renaissance and Baroque periods. Directly in front of the entrance, the statues of the princes decorate the fa?ade. In 1615, Frederick V, married to James I of England?s daughter, Elizabeth Stuart, had an entrance gate built in one night to surprise her on the morning of her nineteenth birthday. But the castle?s history hasn?t always been so romantic. During the 30 Years? War, it was destroyed and later rebuilt. Then the Elector Karl Ludwig married his daughter Liselotte to Louis XIV?s homosexual brother. When the Elector?s son died without an heir, Louis XIV invoked his claim to the territories by leveling the castle and the entire town. After a second reconstruction, an angry lightning bolt shocked the Castle in 1764 and crumbled big chunks. Ironically it was only after this damage that the Prince Electors decided to move their residence to a place with less of a curse. The Schloss is easily accessible by foot or by the Bergbahn. Note that getting inside is only possible with a tour.
