Thursday, December 23, 2010

Heraldry at the Castle, Heidelberg

The castle overlooking the city of Heidelberg has a long and complex history. It has stood in ruins for a very long time, and the state is in the process of restoring parts of it and turning it into a tourist attraction. What’s great about that for the heraldry enthusiasts is that the place is chock full of coats of arms, from inlaid tables to fireplace mantels to stained glass windows to deeply carved and painted renditions on the ceilings.

Now, when I say deeply carved, I mean exactly that! The image above is only one of a number that I was able to photograph while we toured the castle.

It’s probably a bit too “foo-foo,” as my wife would say, for me to try installing at home, but it sure is impressive to see in a large room or a long hall. Indeed, it was almost humorous to watch all of the heralds among our group walk into a new room or hall and immediately look up and wander about never seeing our feet, attempting to be careful not to bump into each other, trying to take all the heraldry in!

3 comments:

  1. Unusual piece heraldry. Really beautiful.
    Invulgar peça heráldica. Realmente bela.

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  2. José -- I am glad you like it. There were many like it on the ceilings there; it was a very impressive display.

    Estoy alegre usted tengo gusto de él. Había muchos como él en los techos allí; era una exhibición muy impresionante.

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  3. very nice. The arms belong to one of the princes of Orange but the atrange thing is that one of the crests is that of Dietz (the one with the lions passant) and that usually Katzenelnbogen is depicted (2nd quarter)

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