Third episode of the story of our August 2022 trip to Central Europe, with the organization of the tour operator Movimondo and the Strabordo Association. This time we are in Germany, more precisely in Heidelberg. Heidelberg is a city in southwestern Germany, located on the Neckar River, a tributary of the Rhine. It is famous for the university, founded in the 14th century and considered one of the best in Germany, so much so that the presence of students, not only Germans, it stands at 38 thousand units, compared to 151 thousand inhabitants.
Our visit took place all in the Altstadt (Old Town) in the morning and in the afternoon at the Castle, a famous example of Renaissance architecture located on the Konigstuhl hill, which can be accessed by funicular. During the 1600s the city and the castle were almost completely destroyed; the present appearance of the city dates back to the reconstructions, mostly in Baroque style, of the 1700s and thanks to the fact that the city, during the Second World War, suffered little damage from bombing, the center of Heidelberg is very rich in historical buildings. The visit to the Old Town follows the route of the Hauptstrasse (Main Street), largely pedestrianized, easily traveled by our motorized and non-motorized chairs, with the silhouette of the Castle always visible:
Marktplatz (Market Square) with the apse of the Church of the Holy Spirit, the Neptune Fountain and the bell tower clock:
Before entering the church, let's take a look at this splendid building from 1592, the Haus zum Ritter (House of the Knight), which today houses a luxury hotel and a restaurant:
A brief visit to the Church of the Holy Spirit, once divided inside by a wall that separated the Catholic part from the Protestant one, today entirely Protestant:
We now head towards the so-called Alte Brucke (Old Bridge), but first we look on the wall of a house for the indication of the level reached by the Neckar River in 1784:
the bronze sculpture of the German artist Gernot Rumpf, representing a monkey, which is said to bring good luck if you touch the coin:
Before going up to the Castle, let's take a look at a very significant document: the metal plate set in the courtyard of the University that recalls the book burning perpetrated by the Nazis in that place on May 17, 1933:
And we finally went up to the Castle, with a crowded funicular that can carry a maximum of two wheelchairs at a time:
At this point, with the help of our strong accompanists, we faced the steep and cobbled descent that leads to the largest wine barrel in the world (capacity 221,726 liters): to be done with great caution, of course:
A small detour from the descent of the barrel and you arrive at a large panoramic terrace, with a magnificent view of the city and the Neckar:
Great and beautiful city, this Heidelberg, full of history and culture and easy to visit in a wheelchair; even though there is a huge crowd in August, we didn't feel oppressed or hindered in moving around the Old City, because people were distributed well in the properly pedestrianized streets. Finally, thanks to our accompanists and our travel companions who have provided us with some of the photos that illustrate this post. Until next time!!
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