ted by none, as it cannot fail of affording gratification by its fine panoramic view. The road from Darmstadt to Heidelberg is celebrated for its beauty all over Germany. It is called Bergstrasse (mountain road, from the Latin strata montana, although, in fact, perfectly level), because it runs along the base of a range of hills, which form the E. boundary of the valley of the Rhine. Its chief beauty arises from the fertility and high cultivation of the district it overlooks, rich in its luxuriant vegetation of vines and maize, enlivened by glimpses of the Rhine, and bounded by the outline of the Vosges mountains in France. "On the left, the wooded and vinecovered range of mountains, with their old castles, forming the boundary of the Odenwald, runs parallel with the road, and immediately above it. On the right stretches a vast sandy flat, through which the Rhine wanders, bounded by the heights of Mont Tonnerre and the Vosges, at 50 or 60 miles distance. The villages and towns on the road are beautifully situated at the foot of the mountains, overhung by vine-covered slopes, and embosomed in orchards, which extend in cheerful avenues along the road, from one town to another." "Almost every mountain on the Bergstrasse, and many of those in the Odenwald, are crowned by a castle, one of those relics of the days of knighthood, which, embosomed in the woods of beech, or surrounded by vineyards, adds the interest of its antiquity and chivalrous associations to the charms of the landscape.". Autumn near the Rhine. 13 Bickenbach. THE ODENWald. At the villages of Alsbach, Zwingenburg, and Auerbach, lying at the foot at the Melibocus mountain, guides, with mules or donkeys, may be found for those who choose to avail themselves of their aid in ascending the mountain. Carriages may be sent on by the high road between these villages, to await the traveller on his descent. In proceeding south, if the traveller wishes to extend his walk, he may send his vehicle on to Heppenheim. The ascent is most easily made from Auerbach, (p. 472.) from which place it is practicable on horseback. The path lies principally through shady beech woods. The Melibocus or Malchen, is a conical hill of granite, 1632 Paris feet above the sea: it is the highest of the Odenwald chain of hills, and is conspicuous far and wide, on account of the white tower on its top, erected 1772, as a Belvedere. The view from it is most extensive, owing to the vast expanse of flat in the valley of the Rhine below. "The more distant objects are, Spires, and Mannheim with its slated dome to the left, Worms and its Gothic cathedral opposite, and the dark towers of Mayence lower down. The tower is built on the very edge of the declivity. The smoking villages, the gardens, vineyards, and orchards of the Bergstrasse, appeared immediately beneath us. We traced the course of the Rhine, which now gleamed in the bright sun, and appeared little removed from the base of the mountain, from above Mannheim, almost to Bingen, a distance of nearly 60 English miles. At Bingen it loses itself in the defiles of the Rheingau mountains, which bound the view on that side. The course of the placid Neckar, and its junction with the Rhine are very visible, as also that of the Maine. A good telescope is kept in the tower, by the help of which, in a clear day, we were told, you might distingush the tower of Strasburg cathedral, at a distance of above 100 English miles. Towards the north, the view reaches the mountains in the neighbourhood of Giessen, in Hesse, 60 miles distant. To the East lies the Odenwald, over the chaotic upon one another, and extending from near the top of the Felsberg almost to Reichenbach. They are of the same kind of rock as the mountain itself, so cannot have been transported from a distance. They appear like an avalanche of stones, hurled by some convulsion of nature from the summit. From this point again the traveller has the choice either of returning to the high road at Auerbach, by way of Reichenbach, or of proceeding on to Erbach. At the distance of about 18 miles from Auerbach, along a tolerable road, passing through Schoenberg, Reichenbach, the hill of Winterkasten, and Reichelsheim, lies Erbach (Inn, Post). This small town is situated in a narrow valley overlooked by high rocks, composed of the new red sandstone (Bunter Sandstein) and Those who intend to extend their walk through the Odenwald, continue by a convenient path to another mountain, the Felsberg, 3 miles off, surmounted by a hunting-lodge (Jägerhaus), which also commands a fine view. The valley which separates it from the Melibocus is one of the wildest in the Odenwald. A little way from the Jägerhaus, on the declivity of the hill, by the side of the path leading to Reichenbach, lies the Riesensaule (Giant's Column), a gi-muschelkalk of geologists. gantic column of hard syenite, similar to the rock of which the mountain is composed, and without doubt quarried on the spot: it is about 30 feet long, nearly 4 in diameter, and tapering toward one end. Its origin and use are unknown, but it must be of great antiquity. Not far off lies a vast block of the same stone, called Riesenalter, bearing on it incisions and marks of the saw. The appearance of these vestiges of human power and art in the depths of a sequestered forest is peculiarly striking, and not easily accounted for. Some have supposed that they are of German origin, and were intended to form part of a temple of Odin. It is more probable that they are the work of Roman artificers, during the time they were established in this part of Germany, which was included in the Agri Decumates. It was at one time proposed to erect the column on the field of Leipsig, as a monument of that victory a project more easily started than executed. The Castle of the Counts of Erbach, a modern building, erected on the site of an ancient baronial residence, the greater part of which, except the donjon tower, was removed in the last century, contains a very interesting armoury, highly deserving of a visit. There are many suits, arranged, some on horseback, in the attitude of the tournament, others on foot. The Felsenmeer (Sea of Rocks) is a singular accumulation of fragments The history of every one is known; many have belonged to ancestors of the family, others have been worn by robber knights (Raubritter), not a few of whom expiated their crimes on the wheel or scaffold. Those which have a more general historical interest are, the suits of Philip the Good of Burgundy, the Emperor Frederick III., Maximilian I. of Austria, Gian Giacomo Medici, Markgrave Albert of Brandenburg, Gustavus Adolphus and Wallenstein. The two last, with many other suits in the collection, were brought from the arsenal at Nuremberg. Here is besides the panoply of Franz of Sickingen, and his friend Goetz of Berlichingen, with the iron hand, brought from Heilbronn, the dwarf of the Archduke Ferdinand | many, is expected by the people to of Austria, and worn by him on some festive occasion when he was presented in a pie to the company seated at table. There are other curiosities in the castle, such as fire-arms of various periods, painted glass, antiques, vases, &c.; in short, it is highly worthy of a visit from strangers. In the chapel are the coffins in which Eginhard, secretary and son-in-law of Charlemagne, and the faithful Emma his wife, were buried; they were removed from the church in Seligenstadt in 1810. Eginhard was an ancestor of the Erbach family. Erbach is connected by a post road, not very good, with Darmstadt; the distance is 5 Germ. miles 2 posts. There is also a way from Erbach to Heidelberg by Beerfelden and Eberbach on the Neckar, from whence the descent of that river may be made in a boat, or the road along the banks may be followed. About 9 miles N. W. from Erbach, between Reichelshein and Bilstein, in a wild and secluded mountain district, surrounded by forests, lies the castle of Rodenstein, the seat of the singular superstition of the Knight of Rodenstein, or the wild Jäger, who, issuing from out the ruined walls of the neighbouring castle of Schnellert, his usual abode, announces the approach of war by traversing the air with a noisy armament, to the castle of Rodenstein, situated on a solitary mountain opposite. "The strange noises heard on the eve of battles are authenticated by affidavits preserved in the village of Reichelshein; some are of so recent a date as 1743 and 1796, and some persons profess to have been convinced by their eyes as well as their ears. In this manner the people assert that they were forewarned of the victories of Leipsic and Waterloo. If the spectral host return at once to Schnellert, nothing material occurs; but if the huntsman tarry with his train, then some momentous event, threatening evil and calamity to Ger occur. The flying army of Rodenstein may probably be owing to a simple cause. The power of the wind is very great, and its roar singularly solemn and sonorous, in these vast districts of forest. In the pine forests it sometimes tears up thousands of trees in a night."- Autumn near the Rhine. The legend of the Wild Huntsman has been attributed, with some probability, to another cause the passage at night of vast flocks of the larger birds of passage, as cranes, storks, &c. through the air in their annual migrations. The rustling of so many wings, and the wild cries of the fowl, heard in the darkness of night, and in the solitude of the forest, may easily have furnished the superstitious peasant with the idea of the aërial huntsman and his pack. Since the dissolution of the German empire, the spectre, it is said, has given up his nocturnal chase; at least, the inhabitants of the farm-house standing directly under the Rodenstein have not, for many years, been disturbed by noise or sight that can be traced to a ghostly origin. Bergstrasse continued. About 15 miles from Darmstadt lies Auerbach (Inns, Krone (Crown), good; - Rose), one of the prettiest villages on the Bergstrasse. It is sometimes resorted to as a wateringplace, on account of a mineral spring in the neighbourhood. In the village itself there is nothing remarkable, but no one who passes the Bergstrasse should omit to tarry here, at least for a few hours, to explore the beauties of its neighbourhood. A gradual ascent, practicable for a light char, leads past the Brunnen to the ruins of the Castle of Auerberg, one of the most picturesque in the Odenwald. It was destroyed by the French under Turenne, '1674, and time is fast completing the work of destruction begun by man; one of its tall slender towers fell in 1821, and the other threatens to follow it. The hill on which it stands is composed of granite and gneiss. A shady and easy path conducts from the ruins to the Melibocus; guides and mules are to be hired by those who require them. Near Bensheim, a town of 4000 inhabitants, on the road a little S. of Auerbach, is a hillock in the middle of a field, called Landberg, upon which, in ancient times, the Burggraves of Starkenburg held, in the open air, their tribunal called Gaugericht. About 3 miles W. of Bensheim, off the road, is the ruined Abbey of Lorsch, the oldest Gothic edifice in this part of Germany. A fragment of a portico, which served as an entrance into the original church, consecrated in 774, in the presence of Charlemagne, his queen, and two sons, still exists. The rest of the building is of the XIth century, and exhibits a specimen of the debased Roman style. A part of the building, at present used as a storehouse for fruit, dates from 1090. Lorsch is now only interesting to the antiquarian and architect. The holy monks who founded the abbey, not only spread civilisation and religion through the surrounding country, but redeemed it from the state of a wilderness, like the backwoods of America, and brought it under cultivation. In process of time, the priory surpassed in wealth and extent of possession many bishoprics and principalities. 12 Heppenheim.-Inn: Halbe Mond (Halfmoon), indifferent. This small town of 3700 inhabitants, like most others on the Bergstrasse, has an ancient and decayed appearance, but is prettily situated. The church was built by Charlemagne. On a commanding height behind, rise the towers of Starkenburg Castle, built 1064 by the abbots of Lorsch as a defence against the attacks of the German Emperors. It afterwards belonged to the Archbishop of Mayence, who considered it their strongest fortress, and maintained a garrison in it down to It was taken by the Spaniards under Cordova (1621), by the Swedes under Gustavus Adolphus (1631), and was twice fruitlessly besieged by Turenne (1645 and 74). A little way out of Heppenheim the road crosses the frontier of Darmstadt into Baden. 2 Weinheim (Inn, Der Karlsberg) is considered the most beautiful spot on the Bergstrasse ; it lies on the Weschnitz, and has 4900 inhabitants, whose wealth consists in the orchards and vineyards around. The best wines of the Bergstrasse are the Laudenbacher, the Heinsbacher, and after them the Weinheimer. Above the town is the castle of Windeck, remarkable for its cylindrical donjon tower. The ruined castle of Strahlenberg, above the town of Schriessheim, is conspicuous on the left. The cherries of Dossenheim, a village near Handschuhsheim, are, it is said, sent by steam-boats to the London market. At the village of Neuenheim, in a house that goes by the name of Mönchhof, according to an obscure tradition, Luther was lodged when he passed through Heidelberg in 1518. The approach to Heidelberg along the right bank of the Neckar, and the view from the bridge, are enchanting. 21 HEIDELBERG.- Inns: Badensche Hof; Prinz Karl; König von Portugal. Hotel de Hollande, the newest inn; it faces the river. The beauty of the Bergstrasse has been perhaps exaggerated; that of Heidelberg cannot be too much extolled; it is beautifully situated on the left bank of the Neckar, on a narrow ledge between the river and the castle rock. It has 12,500 inhabitants. Few cities in Europe have experienced to a greater extent, or more frequently, the horrors of war, than the ill-starred Heidelberg. Previous to the Thirty Years' War, it displayed in its buildings all the splendour arising from flourishing commerce and the residence of the Court of the Electors served for the French to display the most merciless tyranny, and practise excesses worthy of fiends rather than men, upon the town and its inhabitants, parallelled only in the French Revolution, and which will ever render the name of Frenchman odious in the Palatinate. The castle was betrayed through the cowardice or treachery of the governor, with the garrison, and many of the townspeople who had fled to it for refuge. The cruelty of the treatment they met with was, in this instance, heightened by religious intolerance, and no mercy was shown to the Protestants. On this occasion the castle was entirely ruined. five times bombarded, twice laid in | Chamilly, in 1693, that it was reashes, and thrice taken by assault and delivered over to pillage. In 1622 (the fatal period of the Thirty Years' War), the ferocious Tilly took the town by storm, after a cruel siege and bombardment of nearly a month, and gave it up to be sacked for 3 days together. The garrison retreated into the castle, headed by an Englishman named Herbert, but the death of their commander, who was shot, compelled them to surrender in a few days. The imperial troops retained possession of the place for 11 years, after which it was retaken by the Swedes, who were hardly to be preferred as friends, to the imperialists as foes. But Heidelberg was destined to suffer far worse evils from the French. In 1674, the Elector, Charles Louis, incurred the displeasure of Louis XIV.; and a French army, under Turenne, was in consequence let loose upon the Palatinate, carrying slaughter and desolation before them. The Elector beheld with distress, from the castle in which he had shut himself up, the inroads of foreign troops, and flame and smoke rising up along the plain from burning towns and villages. Unable to oppose the French with equal force at the head of an army, but anxious to avenge the wrongs of his country, he resolved, in a spirit which some may deem Quixotic, others chivalrous, to endeavour to end the contest with his own sword; and accordingly he sent a cartel to Marshal Turenne, challenging him to single combat. The French general returned a civil answer, but did not accept it. The ambition of Louis XIV. led him, on the death of the Elector, to lay claim to the Palatinate on behalf of the Duke of Orleans, and another French army, more wicked than the first, was marched across the Rhine. Heidelberg was taken and burnt, 1688, by Melac, a general whose brutality and cruelty surpassed that of Tilly. But it was at the following siege under The University, founded 1386, is one of the oldest in Germany; in 1830 the number of students was about 800, but since the foolish disturbances at Frankfort, in which some of them took part, the King of Prussia, and other German princes, have forbidden their subjects to study here, fearing the contamination of revolu tionary ideas. Many of the professors at the present time are men of great eminence, as Thibaut, the first lawyer in Germany; Zacharia, another eminent jurist; Gmelin, distinguished in natural history and chemistry; Tiedeman, in anatomy; Paulus, in theology; Schlossser, in history; Mittermeyer, in criminal law. It is as a school of law and medicine that Heidelberg is most distinguished. As an edifice the University is not remarkable. It is a plain and not very large house in the small square near the middle of the town. The Library, in a building by itself, consists of 120,000 volumes, besides MSS. A portion of the famous Palatine Library, which was carried off by the Bavarians in the Thirty Years' War, and sent to the Vatican as a present to the Pope, and as a trophy of the success of the Catholic cause, was restored to Heidelberg by pope Pius VII. in 1815. The volumes sent back, 890 in number, relate |
