Heiliggeistkirche, Heidelberg

View of the church from the Castle. The structure is one of the most famous pieces of Christian architecture in Europe. If you climb to the top you can get a great view of the rooftops of the old town.

You definitely HAVE TO climb the chuch tower of the Church of the Holy Spirit!

For only a small fee of 0.50 euro, you get to climb to the top of the ancient stone-stepped tower for a magnificient 360 degree view of Heidelberg!

It was amazing! I truly enjoyed climbing up the tower and felt really rewarded for the effort of climbing up over 200 steps! hehehe...

It's a really impressive climb and it made me feel like I was back in the medieval times going up the stone tower... okie, that's me and my imagination... hehehe...

Anyway, I would consider this a more worthwhile climb than the one up to the Schloss! Really!

The foundation of the church was in 1398, but it was not actually finished until 1544. The gargoyles looking down on the south side.

Opening times:

April - October:
Monday - Saturday 11am - 5pm
Sunday 12:30 - 5pm

November - March

Friday - Saturday 11am - 3pm
Sunday 12:30 - 3pm.

The church once was used by Protestants as well as Catholics. From 1706 to 1936 walls inside the church separated the two confessions. It is now a protestant church.

Being located on the beautiful and popular market square of Heidelberg Heiliggeistkirche is completely surrounded by tacky souvenir shops. I guess it's supposed to distract from the fact that the church is closed most of the time ;-)

I am always interested to see the things they sell as souvenirs from Germany. Argh, I was shocked. Find out more in my shopping tip!

Take a stroll down Main street, passed a ton of shops, maybe you'll pick up a pastry at one of the many bakeries, or what about a ever popular laugenbrezel! Then go into the bubble-butted church that sits in the center of the town square. It's the finest of the surviving buildings in the Altstadt. All of which are grouped on Marktplatz, in the middle of which is the red sandstone Heiliggeistkirche (mentioned above), whose domed tower is one of the city's most prominent landmarks. There are tiny shopping booths between its buttresses, a feature ever since the church was built. Inside, it's light, airy and uncluttered, but was not always so, as the church was built to house the mausoleum of the Palatinate Electors; only one tomb remains.

We went up the tower of the Church of Holy Spirit when we were visiting Heidelberg. It was fun and the view was fantastic as well. From there, you can have an excellent view of the castle and the Old Bridge.

The church isn't so ornate and the atmosphere a bit light, but it was very interesting to see important events from the 20th century depicted in the stained glass.