Earlier this week I told you about one of the markets or squares in Heidelberg, Germany that we toured as part of my Viking River Cruise along the Rhine. Today I want to share a few pictures of another that we passed through while visiting the Altstadt, or Old Town of Heidelberg. This square is the Kornmarkt, or Corn Market. If you remember, we also visited quite a few different markets in Cologne.
Our tour guide Evelyn quickly took us through this square. There were two highlights that she pointed out – the first was the Palais Prinz Carl. It no longer is a royal palace, as today it can be rented for weddings and other venues.
I love the detail of the lion crest above one of the windows.
The Palais took up most of the buildings that lined the square, but there was this one with adorable filigree wrought iron balconies. Very romantic!
But the main attraction in the Kornmarkt is the Madonna Statue. It is a sculpture built upon an old fountain. There was a constant stream of people taking water from it’s three fountains while we were there.
It was sculpted in 1718 and was a type of early propaganda by the Catholic Church to try and convert the heavily Protestant population of the city to Catholicism.
It is a beautiful statue of the Virgin Mary and Baby Jesus. But it is full of symbolism. For instance, she stands upon a globe and a dragon snake. The dragon snake represented the Protestant religion in Heidelberg. Baby Jesus had a scepter in his hand piercing the snake’s head while holding up his other hand in a form of blessing, showing that it was not the true faith, like Catholicism was. There are four cherubs holding up the globe and Mary wears a gilded crown of stars, making her appear as the Heavenly Queen. All of the symbols in the sculpture represented motif’s that were common in the fight against Protestantism at the time.
Today it is a beautiful work of art that represents a piece of religious history in the story of Heidelberg. But it was time to head on to our next destination, The Church of the Holy Spirt…
This is not a sponsored post. This is my experience from my trip with Viking River Cruises. Email me to find out how you can save $100 when you book your first cruise with Viking through their referral program.
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