Heidelberg Castle

Heidelberg Castle

The Heidelberg Castle (German: Heidelberger Schloss) is a castle in the German city of Heidelberg. Originally a fort, it was transformed into a castle in 1544. Over the centuries, it has been damaged by war and fire. It still stands over the Neckar River today. It is one of the cities biggest tourist attractions.

Huge Wine Barrel in the Heidelberg Castle

Each year 500 000 tourists from all over the world marvel at Heidelberg Castle and its huge wine barrel.

Today´s barrel (= Fass) is the fourth in the history of the Neckar town.

1. Johann-Casimir-Fass...1591
2. Karl-Ludwig-Fass.........1664
3. Karl-Philipp-Fass..........1728
4. Karl-Theodor-Fass.......1751

Poem of Anton Praetorius on the 1. Wine Barrel

Being the first calvinistic pastor of the parochy of the wine producing community of Dittelsheim Anton Praetorius visited nearby Heidelberg, the centre of Calvin´s theology in Germany.

Impressed by the huge wine barrel in the Heidelberg castle he wrote a poem in 1595 praising the barrel as an apparent proof for the superiority of the calvinistic belief: Vas Heidelbergense (Poem on the 1. Great Wine Barrel in the Castle of Heidelberg).

Two years later Anton Praetorius had to witness the torture of 4 women accused of witchcraft in the town of Birstein. He was so appalled that he wrote the book "Gründlicher Bericht über Zauberey und Zauberer" (Thorough Report about Witchcraft and Witches) to protest against the use of the torture and the prosecution of witches.

Publication of Praetorius (Latin)

• Anton Praetorius, Vas Heidelbergense, Heidelberg, October 1595 (Poem about the 1. Great Wine Barrel in the Castle of Heidelberg. Only one remaining print)

Bibliography (in German)

• Hartmut Hegeler und Stefan Wiltschko: Anton Praetorius und das 1. Große Fass von Heidelberg, (the 1. Great Wine Barrel in the Castle of Heidelberg) Unna, 2003 ISBN 3980896900

Weblinks

• http://www.fass-heidelberg.de Anton Praetorius and the poem on the 1. Great Wine Barrel in the Castle of Heidelberg (pictures and literature in German)
• http://www.rzuser.uni-heidelberg.de/%7Ecd2/drw/F3/praetor/o02wid.htm reprinted text of the "Bericht" of Praetorius 1613
• http://news.genealog.de/rheinhessen/dittelsheim-hessloch/anton-praetorius-teil1.shtml Praetorius as pastor in Dittelsheim (in German, with pictures)