Heidelberg

Heidelberg is synonymous with German Romanticism. The partly ruined castle on a hill above the old town was a magnet for painters and writers. The river Neckar, its stone bridge with centuries-old gate towers, historical church spires and buildings from the late Gothic period are tucked between hills. The location is hard to equal.

The university's old-town buildings and a few publicly accessible halls are among the attractions. It also has its own museum. Baroque town mansions are part of the streetscape of the main pedestrian artery Hauptstraße and surround Karlsplatz.

Some of the Romantic paintings of Heidelberg can be studied at the city's Kurpfälzisches Museum, established in one of the Baroque mansions. Among the other attractions are one of the world's largest wine kegs in the castle.