1936 On the Continent

completely changed in the last three years, he who comes to Heidelberg in search of German romance, will be no loser. The situation of the town itself, on the banks of the peaceful Neckar, surrounded by the hilly green outposts of the Odenwald, is captivating. One of the most beautiful paths I know is the Philosophenweg, which leads one through the hilly woods surrounding the town, and affords an excessively lovely view of it.
    In Heidelberg the so-called sights should not be looked for—there is a list of them in the guide-books, but if one is only here for a short period it is waste of time to trouble with them. Instead, one should rather sit in some café on the bank of the Neckar, comfortably and quietly, watching the passing boats, drinking a glass of good wine, and, if one can, spend at least a night and a day at the Schlosshotel. This stands opposite the castle ruins, which are most picturesque, and it is known as one of the most beautifully situated hotels in Germany. No wonder that the Hotelier’s School of Germany is established inHeidelberg. If one did nothing else at all but gaze at the town and landscape from the terrace of the Schlosshotel, a visit to Heidelberg would be well repaid. One room costs here 4 to 7 marks, and with bath 8 to 12 marks, the effect again of the reduction of prices in the German hotel industry. In the town itself there is the charming Europäische Hof and the larger and cheaper Hotel Viktoria, both to be recommended. There is also a crowd of smaller hotels which are frequented by students whilst looking for their lodgings. They are clean and comfortable and give perhaps a better idea of the spirit of Heidelberg than the large luxury hotels.
Students and Plays in Heidelberg
    Even if the life as depicted in novels and in Meyer-Förster’s play “Altheidelberg” or “Karl Heinrich” has vanished and the piece banned from the German stage, the spots where the romantic story of the love-lorn young prince and the innkeeper’s daughter was enacted, may still be found in Heidelberg. Still in existence is also the hall called “Paukboden,” where the famous students’ duels, “Mensuren,” took place and do now to some extent. If one is lucky and can obtain good introductions, it is possible to see one of these interesting students’ Mensuren.
    The university itself, a new building, is most interesting to us for the reason that in its new form English and America institutions are included. This university was always attended by many Anglo-Saxon students.
    National Socialism, which is trying to restore in other ways the romantic fantasies of the German people, has given the town of Heidelberg its special attention. Every summer the Reich Festival plays take place here, and the so-called “Tingstätte” on the holy mountain is dedicated to open-air plays and demonstrations, which are supposed to awake the spirit of old Germany.
    South of the Neckar lies the newly-built Ehrenfriedhof, which is a national memorial for the fallen. Heidelberg is the terminus of one of the very modern State motor roads, the making of which was promoted by Hitler.
The Black Forest at Baden-Baden
    If I had not decided to go to Baden-Baden and to breathe for at least a few hours the air of the Black Forest, the most fragrant in the whole of Central Europe, I should have had a good opportunity to travel direct from Heidelberg to Nüremberg over a famous stretch of line, called the “Romantic Express,” which passes through Heilbronn, Ansbach and many other historic and beautiful towns in South Germany. But from Heidelberg, as I wanted to go further south, it was more convenient to take the direct train to Baden-Baden, where I arrived in a few hours by way of Bruchsal and Karlsruhe, and found myself in the northern part of the Black Forest. In South Germany one is tempted at every station to leave the train—every town offers something worth seeing. Bruchsal, for instance, which is not one of the best-known tourist resorts, possesses one of the most beautiful Baroque palaces, an example both inside and outside of the best of the Baroque period. It was once the residence of the Prince Bishop von Speyer.
    Karlsruhe, again, is one of the newest towns in the German Reich, one of the few of which the greater part was founded during the last century. Where to-day stands the one-time seat of the Grand Duke of Baden, with its 160,000 inhabitants, 200 years ago was impenetrable forest. Although Karlsruhe, in