# Exterior view [View the canonical artwork record]() ## Artwork - Artist: [ARCHITECT, German]() - Date: 1551-1600 - Technique: Photo ## Commentary Nestled in the hill 100 metres above the city of Heidelberg stands the Heidelberg Schloss. The castle is a combination of several buildings surrounding an inner courtyard, put together with a haphazard look. Each building highlights a different period of German architecture. The castle has a history almost as old as the city itself. The first parts of the castle were constructed around 1300, but it was not before Prince Elector Ruprecht III \(1398-1410\) that the castle was used as a regal residence. During the reign of Ludwig V \(1478-1544\), it was extended with the addition of many fortified buildings plus the main gate. Elector Palatinate Ottheinrich \(Otto-Heinrich, 1502-1559\) added the grandiose Renaissance wing, the Ottheinrichsbau. Next followed Elector Palatinate Friedrich IV \(1574-1610\), who added Baroque elements to the palace, such as the Friedrichsbau. The castle was destroyed at the end of the 17th century and partially restored in the 1890s and later. Only the Friedrichsbau, whose interiors were fire damaged, but not ruined, was completely restored. The ruined Ottheinrichsbau \(Ottheinrich Building\) has a façade with biblical and mythological figures <a onclick="return OpenOther\('/html/c/colyn/ottohein.html'\)" href="/html/c/colyn/ottohein.html">created by Alexander Colyn</a> in Renaissance style. Presently, Heidelberg Castle is the most popular castle ruin in Germany. The photo shows the Friedrichsbau in the inner courtyard. ## Related artworks - [Aerial view]() - [Aerial view]() - [Aerial view]() - [Aerial view]() - [Aerial view]() - [Baumburg Tower]() - [East view \(detail\)]() - [Exterior view \(detail\)]() - [Exterior view from the east]() - [Exterior view from the east]() - [Exterior view from the north-east]() - [Exterior view from the north-east]() ## Attribution [Web Gallery of Art]()