The Königstuhl (German pronunciation: [ˈkøːnɪçˌʃtuːl]), is a 567.8 metres (1,863 ft) high hill in the Odenwald Mountains and in the city of Heidelberg, in the German state of Baden-Württemberg. The Königstuhl summit allows visitors views of the city of Heidelberg and the Neckar river. On days with good conditions the view extends to the Pfaelzerwald (Palatinate Forest), which is roughly 40–50 km away.[citation needed]
The hill is linked to Altstadt, by the Heidelberger Bergbahn, a two section historic funicular railway that stops at Heidelberg Castle, located on the lower slopes of the Königstuhl, the Molkenkur restaurant/hotel, and the ultimate stop at the mountain top which host a restaurant, an entertainment park for kids and various walking paths.
The Max Planck Institute for Astronomy is located near the summit of the Königstuhl, as is the historic Landessternwarte Heidelberg-Königstuhl astronomical observatory, established in 1898. Between 1912 and 1957, Karl Wilhelm Reinmuth discovered almost 400 asteroids whilst working from this observatory.
The ‘Konigsstuhl, also called Kaiserstuhi in commemoration of the visit of the Emperor Francis in 1815, 905 ft. higher than the Castle, and 1847 ft. above the sea-level, is reached from the Molkencur by an easy and shaded path (indicated by a guide-post on the road to the Schloss, behind and to the E. of the Molkencur) in ¾ hr., or by the carriage-road in 1 hr. The tower on the top, 93 ft. in height, commands a most extensive view of the Rhine, Neckar, Odenwald, Haardt Mts., Taunus, the Black Forest as far as the Mercuriusberg at Baden, and even the cathedral of Strassburg (?). Inn on the summit.
Bædeker The Rhine from Rotterdam to Constance (1878) Route 30 page 210