The city of Heidelberg was the location of the Count Palatine of the Rhine, one of the seven electors of the German emperor. Over the centuries, an imposing castle was constructed, with the oldest part dating from the 1100’s. Much of it is in ruins today, having been struck both by lightning and the French.
Heidelberg is the home of one of the oldest and best known universities, one of which still operates today. As an academic center, it was open to new ideas, including the Reformation. The area became officially Lutheran, but many Reformed people lived there as well.
The year after Martin Luther posted his 95 Theses in Wittenberg, he received an invitation to present his views at the University of Heidelberg. He composed 28 points and presented them to students and faculty of liberal arts. Three young students studying to be priests in the Dominican order attended, one of whom was Martin Bucer, who went up to Luther after his presentation to ask him questions. Luther invited Bucer to have lunch with him the next day and offered him a copy of his new commentary on Paul’s letter to the Romans. Bucer looked back on that day and remarked that he entered an Erasmian and left a “MartInian.” Bucer went on to become a major leader of the Protestant Reformation. He never forgot that day of his conversion in Heidelberg.
In 1583, the elector Frederick III commissioned Zacharias Ursinus and Caspar Olevianus, along with help from the entire theological faculty of the university to draw up a statement of faith that would provide a basis for unity between the Lutheran and Reformed churches of the Palatinate. The form taken was that of a catechism designed primarily for teaching the young the Biblical doctrines of grace. The Heidelberg Catechism was composed during meetings held in the church of the Holy Spirit in Heidelberg.
The following pictures were taken at the Castle at Heidelberg, which was built over a period of time from the 1100s to the 1600s, and was the residence of the elector of the Palatinate.
The above ornamentation used to house the family crest in between the lion figures. The French removed this crest when they occupied most of Germany.
The most recently-built part of the castle, still occupied by its owners.
The earliest part of the castle, dating from the early 1100s – note the difference in the construction, with stones piled upon stones, as opposed to the ornate architecture of later structures.
The castle winery, with its large barrels
The largest barrel in the winery, as referenced by Sage’s height
The ornate staircase, descending from the walkway above and around the large barrel
Inside the German Apothecary Museum, located within the castle walls. This is an example of a 19th Century Apothecary.
An 18th Century Apothecary example
Sage sitting on a wall, watching local actors rehearsing a stage production of ‘Shakespeare in Love’
The ‘Shakespeare in Love’ rehearsal for an upcoming performance
A beautiful, nearby house that is being lovingly restored
The city of Heidelberg from the scenic lookout at the castle
The vacation home of Andre Agassi
The city gates at the bridge over the Tauber river
The Church of the Holy Spirit, where the Heidelberg Catechism was composed in 1583
This is the restaurant where was ate an authentic Heidelberg lunch
City Hall
Church of the Holy Spirit
Interior of Church of the Holy Spirit
”The Church of the Holy Spirit is the main Protestant church of Heidelberg and was built between 1398 and 1441. The Holy Spirit is the power and the love of God alive in the world.
Uniting faith and knowledge, the University of Heidelberg was established in 1386 in the church that preceded this building. Since the beginning until removed by thieves in 1623, the Palatine Library (Bibliotheca Palatina), one of the biggest in Western Europe, was held in the galleries.
The Princes of the Palatine are buried here near the altar.
The church is the birthplace of the 1563 Heidelberg Catechism, which still serves as the most important Confession of the worldwide Reformed Church.
Different denominations squabbled over the church into the 20th Century. For two hundred years, it was divide by a wall across the middle into Roman Catholic and Protestant areas, the wall being finally removed under Pastor Herman Maas in 1936.”
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