Heidelberger Schloss

About the museum

In the 13th century, the Counts Palatine of the Rhine, later the Electors Palatine, built a castle on the slope of the Königstuhl above Heidelberg. Over some three centuries, they expanded the complex of red Neckar Valley sandstone into a splendid residence: palace buildings such as the Ottheinrichsbau from the mid-16th century and the Friedrichsbau, built from 1601 to 1607, still display magnificent Renaissance facades. In the early 17th century, the palace garden “Hortus Palatinus,” praised as a wonder of the world, was also created.

The castle was badly hit in the Thirty Years' War and above all in the War of the Palatine Succession; French troops set it on fire in 1689 and blew up towers and walls in 1693. Elector Carl Philipp moved the residence to Mannheim in 1720. When two lightning strikes in 1764 set the makeshift-repaired buildings on fire again, reconstruction was abandoned for good; parts of the ruins were even used as a quarry afterward.

Around 1800, Romantic poets and painters discovered the ruins as a symbol of past greatness. The French émigré Count Charles de Graimberg campaigned for decades to preserve them and made them famous worldwide with his views of the castle. Around 1900, the so-called castle dispute (Schlossstreit) ended with the decision to conserve the ruins rather than rebuild them – only the Friedrichsbau was renewed in the historicist style.

Today the Staatliche Schlösser und Gärten Baden-Württemberg manage the site, which welcomed around 1.06 million visitors in 2025. A visit includes the Great Barrel (Großes Fass) built under Elector Carl Theodor, the German Pharmacy Museum (Deutsches Apotheken-Museum), housed in the castle since 1957, and the Altan viewing terrace; the interiors are only accessible on guided tours.

Highlights

• Great Barrel in the barrel cellar from the time of Elector Carl Theodor
• Renaissance facades of the Ottheinrichsbau and Friedrichsbau
• German Pharmacy Museum, included in the castle ticket
• View from the Altan over the old town, the Alte Brücke (Old Bridge) and the Neckar Valley
• Ride up on the Bergbahn funicular from Kornmarkt
• Bronze tactile models of the castle today and around 1680

Permanent exhibitions

• Deutsches Apotheken-Museum – The history of pharmacy from antiquity to the present in the Ottheinrichsbau: complete pharmacy interiors from the 17th to the 19th century, around 1,000 historical medicines and a laboratory in the Apothecary Tower.
• Schlossinnenräume (Klassische Schlossführung) – The interiors of the former electoral residence can only be seen on a guided tour of about an hour, offered several times a day in German and English.

Operated by

Staatliche Schlösser und Gärten Baden-Württemberg

Director

Silke Eichhorn

Visitors per year

approx. 1,055,000 (2025)

Admission & discounts

The castle ticket includes a round trip on the lower Bergbahn funicular (Kornmarkt–Schloss–Molkenkur), the castle courtyard, the Great Barrel and the German Pharmacy Museum. Classic castle tour an additional €6 (reduced €3), audio guide €6, special tours €9–14 plus the castle ticket. Annual pass €40 (reduced €20), excluding the funicular. Schlosscard and Landesfamilienpass (state family pass) accepted; Ehrenamtskarte (volunteer card) 10% discount (since July 1, 2026). Tickets at all funicular stations, the tourist information offices and the visitor center; no dedicated online shop of the palace administration is linked.

Accessibility

• Partially wheelchair accessible
• Elevator: no information
• Accessible restroom
• Accessible parking
• Service dogs welcome
• Tactile models & exhibits
• Sign language tours: no information
• Easy-to-read materials
• Audio description: no information

The visitor center with restrooms and the main part of the palace garden are step-free; the castle courtyard, with rough cobblestones, is difficult with a wheelchair or rollator, while the Altan is easy to reach. Wheelchair-accessible (guided tour only): Königssaal (King's Hall), castle chapel, Gläserner Saalbau, Ottheinrichsbau and the ground floor of the Ruprechtsbau; mobile ramp on request. Two loan wheelchairs at the visitor center, folding stools at some stations. Two accessible parking spaces approx. 100 m from the visitor center at the Schloss funicular station. Inclusive tours for people with limited mobility, hearing impairments (listening system, T-coil), visual impairments/blindness and in plain language, bookable through the service center; audio guides with loanable induction neck loops. Since 2026, two bronze tactile models with Braille in front of the Ruprechtsbau. Website information in Easy German (Leichte Sprache) and sign language.

Kids & families

Great for kids & families

• Family tours & workshops
• Kids’ birthday parties

Children's and family tours, e.g., “Reise in die Zeit der Ritter und Hofdamen” (Journey to the time of knights and ladies-in-waiting), and holiday programs with crafts; the “Märchenhaftes Schloss” (Fairy-tale castle) tour (ages 6–10, 1.5 hrs) can also be booked as a children's birthday party.

Getting there & parking

By car via Neue Schlossstraße. The Graimbergweg has been closed since June 17, 2026, until approximately the end of the year; leave via Hausackerweg or Molkenkurweg/Klingenteichstraße.

Amenities & dining

• Café
• Restaurant
• Lockers

Castle dining: Café-Bistro Sattelkammer with terrace, Scharff's Schlossweinstube (fine dining), Historisches Backhaus (traditional German fare) and a wine shop (Vinothek) in the barrel cellar. Lockers at the visitor center, e-bike charging station at the main gate. Costumed tours on the program.

Events & venue rental

• Spaces for rent
• Private parties
• Corporate events
• Weddings / ceremonies

Up to 1,000 guests.

Seven rooms and areas for rent: castle courtyard (up to 1,000 people), Königssaal (up to 600 standing, 264 banquet), barrel cellar (up to 600 standing), Schlossaltan (300), Englischer Bau (120), castle chapel (120) and conference room (30). Inquiries to the Heidelberg palace administration; the Sattelkammer can be booked for private parties from 19:00.

Plan your visit