Heidelberg Castle
On the slope of Koenigstuhl mountain in Germany there are ruins of the huge Heidelberg Castle. In the 17th century, Louis XIV's troops 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 mentions date back to 1225, and the papers of 1303 already mention 2 castles: upper and lower. This area is shrouded in historical events. During the period of the church schism, Antipope John XXIII was in custody in the castle. And the castle itself has long been the residence of the rulers of the Kurpfalz region. In 1622, Count Johann Douglas von Tilly captured Heidelberg and massacred it during the Thirty Years' War. From 1689 to 1693, Louis XIV's army captured the city several times, practically destroying Heidelberg Castle. In the following years, they tried to restore the castle, but there were not enough funds. 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 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 guidebooks about the castle, which attracted a lot of tourists from all over the world. In 1890, after much discussion, it was decided that the Heidelberg Castle was too expensive to rebuild and the money would only be enough to strengthen the walls of the lower castle. From 1897 to 1900, the ruins were reconstructed, spending 520 thousand marks.
Heidelberg Castle is listed in the Guinness Book of World Records, because it houses the largest wine barrel, with a capacity of 212,422 liters. The barrel was made in 1751 from 130 oak trees. Many famous people have visited these places, including writers Mark Twain and Victor Hugo, Martin Luther. In 1840, a railroad was built to the city, and then the number of travelers increased with each passing city. By the 21st century, up to one million people came to the city annually, most of whom were from Japan and the United States.
