Heidelberg Castle has a history as old as Heidelberg itself. The first parts of this breathtaking Schloss were built around 1300, gaining regal recognition when Prince Elector Ruprecht III inhabited it. The castle is made up of several separate buildings all surrounding a large courtyard. Though it once stood as a masterpiece on the hill, it has never been completely rebuilt after first suffering, of all things, a lightning bolt strike to its upper castle in the 1500’s, and war and fires later o