3 Best Sights in Heidelberg and the Neckar Valley, Germany

Heidelberg's main square, with the Rathaus (Town Hall) on one side and the Heiliggeistkirche on the other, has been its focal point since the Middle Ages. Public courts of justice were held here in earlier centuries, and those accused of witchcraft and heresy were burned at the stake. The baroque fountain in the middle, the Herkulesbrunnen (Hercules Fountain), is the work of 18th-century artist Heinrich Charrasky. Until 1740 a rotating, hanging cage stood next to it. For minor crimes, people were imprisoned in it and exposed to the abuse of their fellow citizens. Today the Marktplatz hosts outdoor markets every Wednesday and Saturday.

Houses of prominent burghers of centuries gone by surround this square, which is the busy heart of the Altstadt (Old Town), busy with open-air cafes in warm weather. At the open-air market on Monday, Wednesday, Friday and Saturday from 7 to 5 in the summer and 9 to 3 in winter, you can buy flowers, bread, pastries, poultry, sausage, and cheese.

A huge area enclosed by royal palaces and planted gardens, the square has elegant arcades branching off to other stately plazas. The magnificent baroque Neues Schloss (New Palace), now occupied by Baden-Württemberg state government offices, dominates the square. Schlossplatz is the extension of the Königstrasse pedestrian shopping street, dotted with outdoor cafés in season. It borders the Schlossgarten (Palace Garden), which extends across Schillerstrasse all the way to Bad Canstatt on the Neckar River (where the annual Canstatter Volksvest, or Oktoberfest, is held). The adjoining parks also include an exhibition hall, planetarium, and the mineral hot springs that attracted the Romans.