a a a. Footpath leading up to the Castle. b. Carriage Road. c. Platform or Terrace. d. Building of Frederick IV. (1607). The statues in the façade are ancestors of the reigning house of Bavaria, from Charlemagne and Otho of Wittelsbach. e. Cellar containing the Tun. f. Entrance to it. g. Building of Otho Henry, or Ritter Saal, begun 1549, finished 1559. This is the finest portion of the Castle; it is in the best style of Italian architecture, and the sculpture with which it is decorated is of high merit. h. Octagon Tower (1525), first struck by the lightning which finally consumed the Castle in 1764. 2. Library Tower. k. Frederick IInd's Buildings (1549). 7. Oldest part of the Castle, begun in 1300 by the Elector Rudolph. m. Rupert's Building, begun 1400. n. Well, under a Canopy supported by pillars brought from Ingelheim (of Odenwald granite). o. Grand Gateway (1355), with Portcullis. p. The Blown-up Tower. q. The Gate raised in honour of the English Princess Elizabeth, daughter of James I. her great-grandson was George I. r. The Garden. s. The English building erected for the Princess Elizabeth by her husband the Elector Frederick (1612). t. Tower built by Elector Lewis V. 1533. Its walls are 22 feet thick. It was destroyed by the French, 1689. THE CASTLE, anciently the residence of the Electors Palatine, presenting the combined character of a palace and a fortress, is an imposing ruin. The building displays the work of various hands, the taste of different founders, and the styles of successive centuries: it is highly interesting for its varied fortunes, its picturesque situation, its vastness, and the relics of architectural magnificence which it still displays, after having been three times burnt, and having ten times experienced the horrors of war. Its final ruin, however, did not arise from those causes; but after the greater part of the building had been restored to its former splendour in 1718-20,it was set on fire by lightning in 1764: and since the total conflagration which ensued, it has never been rebuilt or tenanted. It is at present only a collection of red stone walls, and has remained roofless for nearly a century. It is approached by a carriage-road from behind, and by a winding footpath on the side of the Neckar. The oldest part remaining is probably that built by the Electors Rudolph and Rupert. It has all the character of a stronghold of the middle ages, and the teeth of the portcullis still project from beneath the archway leading to it. The Friederichsbau, named from the elector, who built it in 1607, is distinguished by excessive richness of decoration: its façade to the south is ornamented with statues of ancestors of the electoral family from Charlemagne. The part of the building most deserving of admiration, for the good taste of its design, and the elegance of its decorations, is that which overlooks the river, and extends along the east side of the quadrangle (g in the plan), built by Otto Henry (1556), in the style called cinque cento, which is allied to the Elizabethan of England. The statues of heroes from sacred and profane history, which decorate the front, though of (keuper) sandstone, are by no means contemptible as works of art. The English traveller will view with some interest that part of the castle called the English palace (s), from its having been built for the reception of the Princess Elizabeth Stuart, daughter of James I., and grand-daughter of Mary Queen of Scots. The triumphal arch (q), having pillars entwined with ivy leaves, was erected by her husband, the Elector Frederick V., afterwards King of Bohemia, to celebrate their nuptials; it led to the flower-garden which he caused to be laid out for her pleasure, and it still goes by the name of Elizabethen Pforte. ay, "When her husband hesitated to accept the crown of Bohemia, this high-hearted wife exclaimed, 'Let me rather eat dry bread at a king's table than feast at the board of an elector :' and it seemed as if some avenging demon hovered in the air, to take her literally at her word; for she and her family lived to eat dry bread and to beg it before they ate it; but she would be a queen."-MRS. JameSON. The granite pillars supporting the canopy of the well (n) in the corner of the court of the castle are said by some to have been brought from Charlemagne's palace at Ingelheim, though they are undoubtedly derived from the quarry in the Odenwald. (See p. 471.) In a cellar under the castle (e, f) is the famous Heidelberg Tun; it is the largest wine cask in the world, being capable of holding 800 hogsheads, 283,200 bottles, which is far less, after all, than the dimensions of the porter vat of a London brewer. In former days, when the Tun was filled with the produce of the vintage, it was usual to dance on the platform on the top. It has, however, remained empty since 1769, more than half a century. One of the towers which formed the outer defences of the Castle (der Gesprengte Thurm) (p), was undermined and blown up by the French; but so thick were the walls, and so strongly built, that though nearly the whole of one side was detached by the explosion, instead of crumbling to pieces, it merely slid down from its place, in one solid mass, into the ditch, where it still remains. Subterranean passages, for the most part still preserved and accessible, extend under the ramparts. The Gardens and Shrubberies round the castle, and the adjoining Terrace, to the eastward, afford the most agreeable walks and splendid points of view it is possible to conceive over the Neckar, issuing out of its vine-clad valley, and winding through a plain of the utmost fertility to join the Rhine, which appears here and there in distant flashes glittering in the sun. Spires and towers proclaim the existence of cities and villages almost without number, and the landscape is bounded by the outline of the Vosges mountains. The best general view of the building may be obtained from the extremity of the terrace raised upon arches, and projecting over the Neckar. The castle, however, is so grand an object, and the surrounding country so exceedingly beautiful, that the stranger will hardly be satisfied with seeing it from one point. He should mount the heights on the right bank of the Neckar, either by a path leading from the end of the bridge, which is steep, or by a more gradual ascent from Neuenheim. An agreeable path, easily accessible, called the Philosopher's Walk, conducts along the slope of the hill fronting the town. The hill behind it, which stands in the angle between the valley of the Rhine and Neckar, called the Heiligeberg, presents a more extensive prospect. On the top are ruins of a castle and church of St. Michael, which succeeded to a Roman fort built on the spot. In 1391, the wild sect called Flaggellants made a pilgrimage to this holy mountain, clad in black, and wearing a white cross in front and behind. In the Thirty Years' War, Tilly opened his trenches to bombard the town from this point. About 50 yards above the bridge, on the right bank, in a solitary inn called Hirschgasse, the students' duels are fought. Four or five sometimes take place in a day; and it is no uncommon thing for a student to have been engaged in 25 or 30, as principal, in the course of 4 or 5 years. The Konigstuhl, the highest hill in this district, lies behind the town and castle. The summit may be reached in 1, or 1 hour's walk, and the view is the most extensive in the neighbourhood. A lofty tower has been erected for the convenience of visiters, who often repair hither to see the sun rise, and if possible to extend the limits of the panorama, which includes the valleys of the Rhine and Neckar, the Odenwald, Haardt Mountains on the W., the Taunus on the N. W., the ridge of the Black Forest on the S., with the castle of Ebersteinburg, near Baden, and the spire of Strasburg Minster, 90 miles off. Tilly bombarded the town from this hill, after his attack from the right bank had failed: remains of his trenches are still visible. There is a small tavern near the top, called Kohlhof, where persons anxious to see the sun rise sometimes pass the night previously. The banks of the Neckar above Heidelberg are very interesting, and afford many pleasant excursions. The course of the Neckar is described in the Handbook for Southern Germany. A road, overlooking the Neckar, runs from the castle, along the shoulder of the hill to the Wolf's Brunnen, an agreeable walk of 2 miles. It is a pretty retired nook, named from a spring which rises there. There is a small inn close to it, famed for its trout. Here, according to tradition, the enchantress Jetta, who lived on the spot, and first foretold the great ness of the house of the Palatinate, was torn in pieces by a wolf. The Gardens of Schwetzingen, on one of the roads to Mannheim, are about 7 miles distant. (Route CIII.). Heidelberg is a very cheap place of residence, provisions being moderate and abundant. An English gentleman, who resided here in 1834, states his expenses for the year to have been but 3801., including horses, carriage, house-rent, and servants. At Florence, he spent within the same space of time, and living in the same style, 1800l. exclusive of horses and carriage. Heidelberg is a sort of head-quarters for Lohnkutscher (§ 34.). Many proprietors of coaches living here possess 30 horses, so that the traveller will be at no loss for opportunities of proceeding from this in any direction. Eilwagen go daily to Frankfort and Darmstadt, Mannheim and Mayence; to Carlsruhe, Baden, Strasburg and Basle, Heilbronn, Stuttgard, and Munich; and twice a week to Würzburg and Nuremberg. The journey from Heidelberg to Carlsruhe takes about 7 hours in posting. The road to the S. of Heidelberg scarcely retains any trace of the beauty of the Bergstrasse. 2 Wiesloch. The large building below the road on the right called Kesslau was formerly a Ducal Palace, but is now a state prison. 1 Langenbrucken, Inn, Post. 1 Bruchsal.-Inns: Post, or Badenscher Hof. Zähringer Hof. This inanimate town of 7200 inhabitants formerly belonged to the Archbishops of Spire, whose vast Palace, now empty, stands near the gate leading to Frankfort. About 10 miles from Bruchsal the road passes through Durlach, once the residence of the margraves of BadenDurlach. An old ruined castle upon a height to the left of the road was the cradle of the family in its infancy. The more recent Chateau or Palace in the town is now deserted, and half pulled down; what remains is turned into a cavalry barrack. In the gar dens are some Roman altars and milestones found in the neighbourhood. A straight avenue of trees, 2 miles long, leads into 3 CARLSRUHE.-Inns: Post good, but very dear; H. d'Angleterre, very good; Erb Prinz not good. Carlsruhe, the capital of the Grand Duchy of Baden, the seat of government and of the chambers of representatives, and residence of the court and foreign ministers, contains 22,000 inhabitants. It is a pretty but rather dull town, and one of the youngest capitals of Germany, as it was not begun till 1715. It owes its origin, not to any fitness in the situation for trade or manufactures, but solely to the accident of the Margrave Charles of Baden building a hunting-seat on the spot, which he fixed on from its seclusion and retirement, the surrounding country being at the time an almost uninterrupted forest. He called this retreat "Charles's Rest." In a few years, however, his solitude was invaded, and converted into a populous settlement, and the hunting-lodge became the nucleus of a new city, which derived from it the name of Karls-ruhe. It is regularly built, in the form of a fan, or rather of a wheel. The main streets, like the spokes, all radiate from the palace, which terminates the vista in every street; so that the citizens who wish "to know which way the wind blows" must necessarily look to the palace weathercock. The Palace, Schloss.-"The interior presents nothing more remarkable than the ordinary common-places of a palace-satin hangings, polished oak floors, audience rooms, or-molu clocks, and crimson velvet canopies." Autumn near the Rhine. In addition to which since the above remarks were written, the furniture has become old, and the damask hangings rather rusty; so that the palace itself might be passed over without any loss, were it not for the view from the turret which sur mounts it, called The Bleythurm. This deserves to be seen, as it will give a correct notion of the singular plan on which Carlsruhe is built. The city is nearly surrounded by the Hardt Forest, which is intersected by roads radiating from the palace, and corresponding with the streets of the town. Beyond this are seen the silvery windings of the Rhine, and behind it the Vosges Mountains in France; while to the S. the picturesque outline of the Black Forest mountains, and on the N. those of the Bergstrasse, complete the panorama. The Theatre attached to the palace is open 3 times a week. The opera is very good here. The building is plain in its exterior, but is well fitted up within. Several of the buildings of Carlsruhe are praised for their architecture, especially the Protestant and Catholic Churches, built by Weinbrenner, and the palace of the Markgraf of Baden. A Polytechnic School has been recently finished, in the style of architecture of the middle ages. The Estates or Parliament of Baden hold their sittings here: their debates are open to the public. In the centre of the principal square is a Pyramid of red sandstone, under which the founder of Carlsruhe lies buried. The inscription is prettily worded. After mounting the Bleythurm, and a short walk through the town, the traveller will have seen all that is most worth seeing in Carlsruhe. If, however, he is bent upon exploring every sight, there is a Picture Gallery in the building of the academy, on the left of the palace, the contents of which are not very remarkable, and will hardly afford much gratification to those who are acquainted with the better galleries of Germany and Italy. There is a Museum of Natural History on the right of the palace. Carlsruhe also possesses a library of 90,000 vols. and a botanic garden. The Palace Gardens, and those called Amaliensruhe, which are thrown open most liberally to the public, afford agreeable walks. Another pleasant short walk is to the village of Biertheim, where there are good baths, an accommodation which Carlsruhe does not afford. Stultz, the celebrated tailor, is the founder of an hospital in this town, near the Mühlberg gate, which he endowed with a sum of 100,000 florins; he was in consequence created a baron. In the shop of Mr. Creutzbauer the bookseller, will be found a number of interesting publications, engravings of all sorts, with guide-books, and views of the Rhine, and of Baden, &c. The Club ($ 40.) is called the Museum; strangers may be admitted to it by a member. All the German, many French, and a few English papers are taken in here. Eilwagen go from Carlsruhe to Munich and Vienna 3 times a-week: daily to Stutgard, Frankfort, Basle, and Baden. Carlsruhe is about 6 miles distant from Leopoldshafen, on the Rhine, whence the steam-boats set out to Strasburg and Mayence. (Route CII.) There are two roads from Carlsruhe to Rastadt; that by Durmersheim is said to be the better, and a little shorter, though the postmasters' distances are the same both ways. The duchy of Baden is one of the most fertile districts in Germany, and that part of it through which the road to Switzerland passes produces tobacco in large quantities, maize, hops, hemp and flax, besides every species of grain. It is a country of wine also, and oil, as the hills are clothed with vineyards, and the roads are shaded by luxuriant walnut-trees, from the nuts of which an excellent and clear oil is pressed, nearly as good for culinary purposes as fine olive oil. The agricultural peasantry in this country commonly wear cocked hats, even in the fields, · ‚— a singular decoration for a ploughboy. |