Heidelberg Castle

The sandstone ruins of Heidelberg Castle cling to the steep northern slope of the Königstuhl, turning a deep, rusted red against the green hillside. This jagged silhouette represents centuries of transformation from a fortified medieval stronghold into an opulent palace for the Electors Palatine. In sixteen eighty-nine, French troops systematically blew up the residential buildings during the War of the Grand Alliance, leaving behind the shattered facades and collapsed towers that still define the skyline over the Neckar River valley today.