Königstuhl

I collaborate with a few physicists at the Max-Planck-Institut für Kernphysik in Heidelberg on a small project. I try to visit the institute at least once a month given its close proximity (50 km).

After a fruitful meeting with my MPIK colleagues today, one of the graduate students suggested that I might want to stop by Königstuhl (literally "the king's seat") on my drive back to Karlsruhe on this gorgeous Spring day.

MPIK is about half-way up on a hill in the Naturpark-Neckartal-Odenwald. Its sister institute, Max-Planck-Institut für Astronomie is at the top of the 567-m high Königstuhl mountain. The drive from MPIK to Königstuhl took less than 10 minutes, but some of the roads scaling the hill are single-lane and windy. Once I reached the lookout area at Königstuhl, I was awed by the breathtaking view of Heidelberg and the Neckar river instantly. I strolled around for about 15 minutes before returning to Karlsruhe.

For tourists without access to a car, they can take the tramway (Heidelberger Bergbahn) from the old town of Heidelberg to Königstuhl (and the Heidelberg castle is the first stop of this tramway).