The Castle was erected on a medieval fortress complex high above Heidelberg. For five centuries, the powerful Prince-Electors of the Palatinate region, members of the House of Wittelsbach, resided here. In 1693, during the War of Palatinate Succession, the Castle with its towers was destroyed. The magnificent ruins became the symbol of an entire epoch, the German Romantic period. Today during the annual summer Castle Festivals the Castle is an enchanting stage setting for numerous open-air performances.

One of the city’s oldest squares, Market Square is framed on the east by the town hall and on the west by the Church of the Holy Spirit. In the center of the square stands the majestic Hercules Fountain, erected between 1706 and 1709 as a reminder of the immense efforts required to rebuild the city after its almost destruction in the War of Palatinate Succession, 1689-1693. The Church of the Holy Spirit was constructed from 1400 by Ruprecht I as both a collegiate church and a final resting place. The distinctive feature of the church is its loft galleries, where originally the famed Bibliotheca Palatina was housed as a safely enchained library, until its abduction and transport to the Vatican during the Thirty Years’ War. Today the Church of the Holy Spirit is the city’s main Protestant church and attracts visitors in large numbers to its concerts and church services.