Heidelberg Castle - 5 Things to Know Before Visiting

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This castle, partly ruined is among the most important Renaissance structures in Germany. The earliest castle structure was built before 1214, and it was demolished in 17th and 18th centuaries and only part of it are rebuilt now. There used to be two castles in the area, the upper castle that was completely destroyed in the 15th century and the now standing lower castle located on a hill side, overlooking views of the Heidelberg oldtown.
 
The castle and the nature surrounding it are perfectly set for a beutiful view. The gardens and the forest behind the castle adds a lot of greenery. There is a fountain house in which a stream originate, using which the water was supplied to the castle grounds. The archetecture of the palace and its ruins is astonishing and the viewpoint overlooking the heidelberg old town and river Neckar is breathtaking- with red roofs of old houses shimmering in the sun and tall bell towers of the churches peeking over the houses below.
 
 The world's largest wine barrel- the Heidelberg Tun is housed in the caslte. It was used to store wine that was collected as tax and it looked huge, as big as a large truck. The barrel was buit in 1751 and stands seven meters high, eight and a half meters wide, and could hold 220,000 liters of wine, and has a dance floor built on top of it. A staircase allows visitors to climb atop the barrel.
 
You can reach to the top of the castle from Heidelberg town using a Funicular Railway or by hiking up. It is not a long hike but involces decent amount of steep climbing.