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News
from: Heidelberg Marketing GmbH
www.heidelberg-marketing.de
Source: Steffen Schmid, Vera
Cornelius
Published: May, 2009
ABOVE: Heidelberg's famous Alte Brücke,
or Old Bridge, with its new lighting. The illuminated Schloß (Castle) is
visible in the background.
Heidelberg's 2009 Castle Illuminations come with a
bonus:
new lighting on the Old Bridge
Dates of the 2009 Castle Illuminations in
Heidelberg, Germany:
- Saturday, June 6
- Saturday, July 11
- Saturday, September 5
MAY, 2009: This year, Heidelberg, Germany's traditional Castle Illuminations
will again bathe the Neckar city in a glow of light. After eight years and an
investment of four million Euro, the renovation work on the Old Bridge has
ended. As of May 2, 2009, an elaborate new system of lighting illuminates and
enhances the Old Bridge.
Three times a year in Heidelberg, at 10:15 in the evening, thousands of faces
are turned expectantly toward the castle. They are awaiting the beginning of a
fascinating spectacle of flames and light. First, Bengalian beacon fires slowly
bathe the Heidelberg Castle in a mysterious blaze of red light. It is as if the
ruins were once again, for a further time in their long history, going up in
flames. Just as in 1689 and 1693, when the troops of the Sun King of France
razed the castle and the town, and left behind them the now world-famous ruin.
When the glowing castle slowly fades into the darkness, the second part of
the spectacle begins. Suddenly, fireworks radiate through the night sky over the
romantic city on the Neckar: explosions fill the air, golden rain falls from
heaven, the firmament is lit up in a play of colours. The Old Town of Heidelberg
takes on an almost unreal appearance in this blaze of light.
Already the well-travelled American author Mark Twain was enchanted by the
castle illuminations during his stay in Heidelberg in 1878:
"The towers continued to spout thick columns of rockets aloft, and
overhead the sky was radiant with arrowy bolts which clove their way to the
zenith, paused, curved gracefully downward, then burst into brilliant
fountain-sprays of richly colored sparks."
Again in 2009, the traditional castle illuminations will spotlight the
majestic ruin of the castle. Heidelberg Marketing GmbH, together with sponsors
Heidelberg mobil International GmbH (www.heidelberg-mobil.de),
the Castle Gastronomy Mövenpick (www.moevenpick.com
), and the Rhine Neckar Passenger Boat Trips, invites you to witness the
enchanting fireworks display. Welcome additions to the scene this year are the
stylish Neuenheim restaurant "Alter Mönchhof" (www.alter-moenchhof.de)
and, situated directly beside the Neckar, the Boutique-Hotel Heidelberg Suites (www.heidelbergsuites.com
), one of the "Small Leading Hotels of the World."
The first Castle Illumination will take place on Saturday, June 6, the second on
Saturday, July 11, and the third on Saturday, September 5, 2009.
Before each Castle Illumination, the stage is set for the coming drama by a
festive concert at 6:15 p.m. in the Holy Ghost Church, on Market Square, with -
among other musical offerings - Händel's famous Music for the Royal Fireworks.
During the day, a stroll through a special Artisan's Handcrafts Market on the
Corn Market is a welcome addition to the lively Old Town scene. From 11 a.m. to
7 p.m. on the Saturday and Sunday of each castle illumination, original
craftworks can be discovered here.
Prime locations from which to watch the illuminations: In the vicinity of the
Old Bridge, along the banks of the Neckar, on Philosophenweg, or on one of the
Rhein Neckar Passenger Boats. (Please note: Reservations are recommended for the
passenger boat ride. Telephone: 06221-20181; internet:
www.rnf-schifffahrt.de).
Those whose schedules might not permit them to visit the Castle Illuminations
can nevertheless enjoy, ever since May 2, 2009, a splended sight: The new
lighting on the Old Bridge. As the grand finale to eight years of continuous
renovations and an investment of over four million Euro, a new system of lights
was installed, presenting the venerable structure of the bridge in new
magnificence.
The arches of the Old Bridge are vividly accentuated by the lights. The
simultaneous illumination of the sculpted figures of Pallas Athena and Prince
Elector Karl Theodor, as well as of the bridge balustrades and the bridge
towers, complete this impressive play of lights.
For more information on
Heidelberg, visit
www.heidelberg-marketing.de.
[Editor's note: Also see our in-depth
Heidelberg travel guide and photo gallery
in the Germany section of Europe for Visitors.]
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