August 3, 2018. Heidelberg. Our boat was on the Rhine, but we took a bus to Heidelberg on the Neckar River. Heidelberg is famous for its university and one of the students was our local guide for a brief walking tour of the old city center. Heiliggeistkirche, or Church of the Holy Spirit, in the middle of the market place is a Gothic structure opened in 1398, has a steeple that dominates the old town. Jesuitenkirche, the Baroque Jesuit Chuch opened in 1759. The beautiful Heidelberg University Library building is of Renaissance and Art Nouveau styles faced in red stone. Heidelberg Castle was built before 1214 and much expanded by 1650, then damaged by later fires and wars. It is an impressive ruin with parts that are intact with a wine cellar, museum, adjacent extensive garden views of the city and river below.
