One of many tragedies of war is that a country’s history and heritage are badly damaged, even destroyed. Many of Europe’s cities were extensively ravaged by bombing and shelling in World Wars I and II, which is especially true of Germany. These injured cities throughout Europe have been rebuilt but their historic charm is largely lost.
The beautiful small city of Heidelberg fortunately was spared the damage of the great wars because it was a university town without a manufacturing base, so it was not attacked. It’s a beautiful city of about 150,000, still with a famous university, that I’ve had the privilege of visiting twice. To gain the view seen in this photo I had to hike a while on the opposite bank of the River Neckar, on the Philosophenweg (Philosopher’s walk). The old city is dominated by Schloss Heidelberg (Heidelberg Castle) sitting on a hill to the left (the castle has a fascinating pharmacy museum worth seeing, in addition to the usual old castle stuff). The Altstadt (old city) is accessed through the gate by the old bridge at the center of the photo. The tower of the Gothic Heilligeistkirche (Church of the Holy Spirit) dominates the town. Heidelberg is a lovely place to stroll through! You’ll feel like you’ve stepped back in time when you visit.
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2 Responses to “Pic of the Week”. March 01, 2013. Dusk in Heidelberg, Germany