The Heidelberg Castle is bathed in soft light just before sunset. This world-famous ruin majestically overlooks the city of Heidelberg and the Neckar Valley. First mentioned in the early 13th century, the Heidelberg Castle (German: Schloss Heidelberg) served for over 400 years as the residence of the Palatine Counts and Electors of the House of Wittelsbach.
Over the centuries, the castle was expanded into one of the most important Renaissance structures north of the Alps. It suffered extensive damage during the Thirty Years’ War and the Nine Years’ War.
Despite partial rebuilding efforts, a lightning strike in 1764 ultimately sealed the castle’s fate as a dramatic ruin, making it a symbol of German Romanticism in the 19th century.
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Photography & text © Tricia A. Mitchell. All Rights Reserved.
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