The idyllic castle park at the end of the former old town of Neckarbischofsheim is a true local recreation oasis. The 2.6-hectare castle park surrounds the New Castle, built in 1829, which houses a castle hotel with a restaurant, as well as the Old Castle, also known as the Stone House. The Old Castle was built in 1368 as a palace and is the only surviving building of the former castle complex. Its stair tower was built in 1546. The frescoes in the Knights’ Hall also date from the Renaissance period. During the Thirty Years’ War, it was the headquarters of the famous general Tilly, who led his siege of Heidelberg from this location. After the Bischofsheim line of the von Helmstatt family died out, the building became the property of the city in 1975. Today, the building houses a wedding hall and a local history museum in the Knights’ Hall. During my walk through the castle grounds, I passed the Old Castle, which I consider to be the most beautiful building on the estate. Its corner blocks and the stair tower on the south side are particularly worth seeing. Above the stair tower is the alliance coat of arms of the Helmstatt and Neipperg families. As I continued on my way towards the park, I discovered the magnificent lake, which was part of the former moat. Not far from the lake is a magnificent Renaissance gate from 1590, built by the sculptors Adam Wagner and Jakob Müller. The park used to serve as a defensive structure. Today, it is a beautiful park with extensive green spaces, numerous park benches, beautifully landscaped gravel paths, and gorgeous rose bushes. The restaurant in the castle hotel also caters to your culinary needs. I enjoyed the trip to this green paradise with its huge trees and lavender bushes teeming with bumblebees.
