Old Bridge Heidelberg

The Old Bridge spans the Neckar River with nine weathered red sandstone arches. Elector Karl Theodor commissioned this structure in seventeen eighty-six to replace a wooden bridge that frequently succumbed to ice and floodwaters. It stands as a gateway to the city, framed by two tall white towers that once served as a defensive barrier and a prison for common criminals. Soldiers once stood watch here, demanding tolls from merchants bringing wine and wool into Heidelberg for the markets.