Heidelberg Castle — Decipher the Elector's Secret

Your quest begins at the perimeter of Heidelberg Castle, a historical monument in Baden-Württemberg. Built primarily between 1294 and 1622 as a residence for the Electors Palatine, these ruins cover 65,000 m² and overlook the city 80 m above the Neckar. It was here that Grand Duke Frederick I of Baden declared the site a historical monument in 1883. You will search for the first traces of Perkeo, the court dwarf born around 1605 and deceased in 1703, whose legend is linked to the famous Grosses Fass. This major German site, a candidate for UNESCO cultural heritage, holds many secrets beneath its ancient stones.

Continue your visit to Heidelberg in the Hortus Palatinus, the Baroque garden created between 1610 and 1619 by Salomon de Caus for Friedrich V. This garden, covering approximately 5 hectares with hydraulic fountains and artificial grottoes, was Germany's first Baroque garden, inspired by Italian Renaissance gardens. Declared a historical garden in 1926 and progressively restored since 1999, it is a key location for understanding the ambitions of Friedrich V, the 'Winter King,' and the clues left within this lavish setting. The Ottheinrichsbau, erected from 1556 to 1559 by Ottheinrich, Elector Palatine, stands with its 32-meter-high Renaissance facade, a Mannerist style inspired by Fontainebleau, crowned with a balustrade adorned with 80 allegorical statues. Restored between 1897 and 1900, it holds crucial clues.

Your route then leads to the Grosses Fass, the wine barrel built in 1751, with a capacity of 127,000 liters. Standing 7 m high and 8.5 m in diameter, it is located in the Keller des Grossen Fasses. It is here that Perkeo claimed to drink 1,500 liters a day without getting drunk, a 17th-century legend. This barrel, last filled in 1819 during a princely celebration, is at the heart of the enigma. Along the way, you discover the Pulverturm, a fortified tower from the 15th century, reinforced in 1536, about 20 m high. It served as a powder magazine until the 18th century and was damaged in 1693 by Louis XIV's French army during the War of the Grand Alliance, before being restored between 1883 and 1890.

The exploration of Heidelberg's heritage continues with the Friedrichsbau, erected between 1601 and 1607 by architect Johannes Schoch for Friedrich IV. Its Baroque facade is adorned with 141 sandstone statues, each 2 m high. Restored between 1895 and 1917 after the devastations of the Thirty Years' War (1618-1648), this edifice was listed as a cultural monument of Baden-Württemberg in 1949. This thematic circuit in Heidelberg will take you through centuries of history, each stone of the castle telling a part of the history of the Palatine House of Wittelsbach and the city of Heidelberg.

Your GPS treasure hunt in Heidelberg concludes at the Alte Brücke, or Karl-Theodor-Brücke, a red sandstone bridge built between 1786 and 1788, 174 m long with 9 arches. It replaced a medieval bridge destroyed in 1634 during the Thirty Years' War and was rebuilt in 1945 after partial destruction. The statue of Pegasus (1885) at its southern entrance symbolizes poetic freedom. By following this route, you will have not only discovered Heidelberg's major monuments and its history but also solved Perkeo's enigma. This interactive visit to Heidelberg is a complete immersion in the history of this city, a true journey to the heart of Baden-Württemberg.