Happy Accidents in Heidelberg - a tourist's perspective on Heidelberg, its castle, and the pedestrian stroll

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Jun 30, 2004

Sometimes I'm sick of planning. Okay, not sick exactly, but tired of having to make a visit to a city at all about exploration of old churches, castles, and other such places. Sometimes I just want to kick back, relax, and well, shop. Such was my mood this past weekend during a quick jaunt to Heidelberg. We had to be in town Sunday for work, so we all headed down early in order to avoid getting up at 4:30am for an early morning commute.

For those unfamiliar with Heidelberg, Germany, you are missing out on an extraordinarily beautiful city. Heidelberg is located in the Baden-Wurttemberg region of Germany, an area that includes the famed Black Forest as well as some of Germany's oldest universities. Heidelberg sits on the banks of the Nekar River, and amongst its many famous sites is the majestic castle that perches above the town. Much of the style of the old town is new, relatively speaking. Continuous French incursions into the town left the medieval Heidelberg in shambles, and most of the town was rebuilt in the 18th century in a Baroque style.

I knew much of this from reading various guidebooks and speaking with friends who live in the area. Nevertheless, I planned for my Saturday sojourn to be about kicking back and doing nothing in particular. If I managed to make it all the way down the Hauptstrasse, then I managed more than I expected. My fellow co-workers had arranged to meet at 6:30pm for dinner, and that comprised the sum of my plans for the day. Of course, fate or maybe history had other plans in mind.

The Hauptstrasse is a pedestrian street located in the heart of Heidelberg's old town. It is the location of many festivals throughout the year, including various wine festivals and a Herbst (Harvest) festival in September. At first glance, a visitor might dismiss it as an outdoor shopping mall, and you would not be far off the mark. Swedish clothier H&M makes multiple appearances along the street. It would hardly seem like a shopping avenue without it. Department stores, such as C&A and Kaufhof, bakeries, restaurants, cafes, specialty shops, and even Starbucks are located down this long promenade. Ultimately, the Hauptstrasse is a great location to see and be seen.

On this given Saturday, we meandered our way through shops, slowly making our way down the street. We looked at jewelry store displays, spent far more money than we planned, and in the end kicked back to watch the people go wander by us. Along the way, and in spite of my goal to avoid the tourist thing, we managed to pick up a few major tourist sites. The restaurant where we met our work colleagues was located in the Holy Ghost Church (Heliggeistkirche) Square. This church, a landmark in the city skyline, dates to the early 15th century. Known mostly for its extensive collection of books and manuscripts, the church stuck in my mind due to an oddly impressive fact; between 1705 and 1936, the church was divided in half by a wall so that Protestant masses and Catholic masses could be held within, but in isolation. Strange, but true.

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