Middlebury register. (Middlebury, Vt.) 1886-1937, 1886-05-21
A GERMAN UNIVERSITY Town.

A GERMAN UNIVERSITY TOWN.
HEIDELBERG. Germany, April -. 1856.
We left Strasburg for this place in the
afternoon and came over a fine. level
tract of country: the grass green and
the foliage of the trees fast putting out.
Our ride of three hours was very enjoy
able. We are much pleased with Held
elburg, Il clean. well-built city of about
p. 900 inhabitants. on the banks of the
Neckar. We are now on the Analag e,
the grand promenade of the town. at the
base of small mountain called koenig
stuhl. which is very steep and rises 800
or 600 feet above the Neckar. This. to
uS Nermonter>. looks very pleasant and
homelke, as it is nicely wooded to the
very top. The town is neatly built of
stone which is quarried from the side of
the mountain. The streets in the older
part of the town are for the most part
rather narrow: but all are kept scrupu-
lousy clean. The town is growing very
fast and has every indication of prosper
ity. Its churches are large and rather
prctentiouS. The finest one is st. Pet
cr'>. Il Lutheran church built in the fiji
teenth century. The facade of this
church. recently restored. is very fine.
1t has tail opcn-Work Gothic tower,
which forcibly reminded me of the mon
mncnt to Sir Walter Scott in Edinburgh.
The inside is nicely finished. and the
vaulting is supported by ten large col
unm-. We went To this church last sun
day. where over one hundred young boys
and girls were confirmed. They were all
apparently between the ages of ten and
sixteen years. and neatly dressed. the
boys in black trOck coats with black
gloves and Il testament in their hands
the girls in black. without bonnets. car
rying in their hands II small testament
and an embroidered handkerchief nicely
folded. 1t was very pretty sight to see
them all leave the church after the rest
of the congregation had departed.
The Roman Catholics number here
about 5000. They have very good
church, which is well attended.
In the market place is large old
church, built in the beginning of
the fifteenth century. In l705 the
the nave of the church was separated
from the choir by wall, so the Roman
Catholics could worship there at the same
time the Protestants did without quarrel
| ing. The Catholics took the choir and
the Protestants the nave. As this is the
largest place in town for public meetings,
they are now preparing it for the coming
celebration in July. which is the 50Oth
anniversary of the foundation of the uni
versity.
The university here, called the castle
of science. is one of the most celebrated
in Germany, founded in 1856; 1000 stu
dents are now here. The library con-
tain, over 100000 volumes and large
number of valuable manuscripts. The
university buildings cannot be called
handsome. They look very old and sub
stantial and seem to have been built for
service rather than ornament. Many
American students have been here at diff
ferent times to put Il finishing touch on
their education. Longfellow, after he
left college in America, studied here for
a time.
The greatest attraction for traveller
in Heidelberg is the old castle ruins, the
most extensive ruins in Germany as well
"a the most noted. The castle stands on
the mountain, BIS feet above the Neckar,
overlooking the town, which is built at
the foot of the mountain and extending
on to the side of the steep mountain with
in "A very few rods of the castle walls.
History tells Us that this building was
commenced in the twelfth century and
great additions were made to it from time
to time until it was strongly fortified in
the fifteenth century. 1t has been the
scene of many bloody strifes. 1t was
blown up by the French in 1852 and the
beautiful palaces erected there in the six
teenth and seventeenth centuries were
destroyed by fire. In the eahy part OF