Heidelberg Castle
On the slope of Mount Königstul in Germany are the ruins of the huge Heidelberg Castle. In the 17th century, the troops of Louis XIV destroyed the castle during the war, but in the 19th century it was partially restored.
Little is known about the construction of the castle, the first mention dates back to 1225, and 2 castles are already mentioned in the 1303 papers: upper and lower. This area is shrouded in historical events. During the church split in the castle, the anti-pope John XXIII was detained. And the castle itself has long been the residence of the rulers of the Kurpfalz region. In 1622, Count Johann Zerlas von Tilly captured Heidelberg and massacred him during the Thirty Years War. From 1689 to 1693, the army of Louis XIV captured the city several times, almost destroying the Heidelberg Castle. In subsequent years, they tried to restore the castle, but there was not enough money. In addition, in 1720, Charles III Philip had a conflict with the inhabitants, and he moved his residence to the Mannheim Palace.
Perhaps the castle was completely destroyed by time if it were not for Count Charles de Gremberg, who came to the city and spent 54 years in it. All this time he looked after the castle, and also published guides to the castle, which attracted a lot of tourists from all over the world. In 1890, after much discussion, they decided that the Heidelberg Castle was too expensive to restore and that money would be enough only to strengthen the walls of the lower castle. From 1897 to 1900, ruins were reconstructed, spending 520 thousand marks.
Heidelberg Castle is marked in the Guinness Book of Records, because here is the largest wine barrel, whose capacity is 212,422 liters. The barrel was made in 1751 out of 130 oaks. Many famous people have visited these places, including writers Mark Twain and Victor Hugo, Martin Luther. In 1840, a railway was laid in the city and then travelers with each city only increased. By the 21st century, up to one million people came to the city annually, most of which were from Japan and the USA.
