Along the north bank of the Neckar River, opposite Heidelberg’s Old Town, is one of the most beautiful and relaxing attractions of the city. Known as the “Philosopher’s Walk” (“Philosophenweg”), it runs along the side of the “Heiligenberg” (the “Holy Mountain” or “Saints’ Mountain”). Originally just a simple path through the vineyards above the Old Town, later, during Germany’s “Romantic Period” (late 18th century to the early 19th century), it became a popular location for the University of Heidelberg’s professors and philosophers to enjoy its natural beauty and solitude. Thus, it became known as the “Philosopher’s Walk.” Poets, such as Goethe , Eickendorff, and Hoelderlin drew inspiration from their time on the mountain. Statues of these poets adorn this walkway.
If you are hardy and in reasonably good shape, one of the more popular ways to approach the Philosopher’s Walk is to cross the Old Bridge over the Neckar River to the entrance for the “Schiangenweg” (i.e. the “Winding Path”), a rather steep and winding pathway up the mountain.
Once we reached the Philisopher’s Walk, which indeed was nestled amongst vineyards, we discovered several flower beds containing exotic looking plants not found in the valley below. Somehow, the climate up on the mountain is more favorable for these plants than can be found down in the town itself.
In addition to the enjoyment we got from exploring nature on the mountain, our love of historical landmarks was peaked by discovering that there were ruins of a 4th century BC Celtic Hill Fort and 11th century monasteries (St. Michael’s and St. Stephen’s, both
branches of the nearby Lorsch Abbey) further up the mountain. In 1935, Hitler’s Nazi Party constructed an amphitheater (known as “Thingstatte”) higher on the mountain. It is still here intact.
We had a delightful time exploring this fantastic Heidelberg landmark, particularly because of the views it offered of Old Town down across the river.
If you are hardy and in reasonably good shape, one of the more popular ways to approach the Philosopher’s Walk is to cross the Old Bridge over the Neckar River to the entrance for the “Schiangenweg” (i.e. the “Winding Path”), a rather steep and winding pathway up the mountain.
Once we reached the Philisopher’s Walk, which indeed was nestled amongst vineyards, we discovered several flower beds containing exotic looking plants not found in the valley below. Somehow, the climate up on the mountain is more favorable for these plants than can be found down in the town itself.
In addition to the enjoyment we got from exploring nature on the mountain, our love of historical landmarks was peaked by discovering that there were ruins of a 4th century BC Celtic Hill Fort and 11th century monasteries (St. Michael’s and St. Stephen’s, both
branches of the nearby Lorsch Abbey) further up the mountain. In 1935, Hitler’s Nazi Party constructed an amphitheater (known as “Thingstatte”) higher on the mountain. It is still here intact.
We had a delightful time exploring this fantastic Heidelberg landmark, particularly because of the views it offered of Old Town down across the river.
One of the most popular ways to get to the Philospher’s Walk is to cross the Old Bridge just below Marketplatz...
...where the entrance to the “Schiangenweg” (the “Winding Path”) is located.
Are we truly ready for this climb?
Climbing this path is a great cardio workout.
It is quite steep and winding. Bring plenty of water.
But, once the Philosopher’s Walk is finally reached, the views of Heidelberg’s Old Town are spectacular!
Originally, this was just a simple pathway through the orchards and vineyards on the “Holy Mountain..,”
...but once the professors of Heidelberg University discovered the beauty and relaxing solitude of the walkway, it became a popular hiking spot.
We had the good fortune to explore the Philosopher’s Walk when the flowers were in full bloom. They were gorgeous!
As an added bonus, we discovered there were ruins of 11th century monasteries and a 4th century BC Celtic Fort on the hill.
We could only imagine what life would have been like up here back then.
Old sketches of the structures only provided a hint of this.
While not as old as the other archeological sites, this is the 1935 Nazi Party amphitheater.
It appeared to be fully intact.
What a magnificent day!
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