Posseltslust

Posseltslust stands on the Kohlplatte in Heidelberg’s city forest, combining a pavilion, terrace, and observation tower. Regional red sandstone gives the structure its early Renaissance character. A three-arched arcade hall frames the entrance, while nearby meadows and old apple trees open into the woodland.

Louis Posselt, a Heidelberg pharmacist, left funds and instructions for this pleasure house before his death in 1880. Heidelberg completed the building in 1881, following designs by city architect Gustav Schaber. The original grounds included a pond, grotto, landscaped park, and a fifteen-metre tower linked by a spiral staircase. Weather, frost, rain, and tree roots damaged the sandstone and shifted an entrance pillar over time. Restoration in 2008 and 2009 removed moss with hot steam and anchored the repaired pillar.

Several sequoias still mark the former park, alongside the small Hubertusfels monument. Overgrown sightlines now replace many earlier views towards the Neckar Valley and Kraichgau. The surrounding forest nevertheless keeps this historic viewpoint connected to Heidelberg’s walking landscape.