World Travels with Ron Brown

Heidelberg, Germany: The Queen of the Rhine River

Heidelberg stands on the bank of one of the most famous rivers in Europe, The Rhine River. The original name of the city was Heiligenberg, or Mountain of Saints. The city is famous for its famed university that rivals Harvard and Oxford in fame, its palaces, and its beer. But for the last 600,000 years this city has also been the faithful protector of the Rhine River and the many mystical creatures that inhabit it. Richard Wagner and a host of writers, painters, poets, and film makers have celebrated the legendary three Rhine Maidens: Woglinde, Wellgunde, and Flosshilde, a host of water-sprites, mermaids, and witches, as well as heroes, queens, and emperors. Most people relegate these creatures to the world of legend and myth, but in the beerhalls, university halls, and palaces of Heidelberg they are alive and well.