Palais Morass (Kurpfälzisches Museum)

Palais Morass is a Baroque townhouse at Hauptstraße 97 in Heidelberg's Old Town, Baden-Württemberg, Germany, and it houses the Kurpfälzisches Museum, the city's historical museum. The building dates to 1712 and was commissioned by the Morass family in the years of reconstruction that followed the French destruction of Heidelberg in 1689 and 1693. It is among the grandest private residences that rose from the ruins and shows the restrained Baroque style of the Palatinate, with a symmetrical facade, high windows, and an interior arranged around a staircase and a garden court. The palace was acquired by the city in the 19th century and was adapted as a museum, with later extensions added in the 20th century to hold the growing collections. The museum inside covers the region's history from prehistory to the modern era in a mainly chronological arrangement. Archaeological highlights include a cast of the jaw of Homo heidelbergensis, found in 1907 at Mauer near Heidelberg and dated to roughly 600,000 years ago. The art collection includes Gothic works by Tilman Riemenschneider, among them the Twelve Apostles Altar, along with portraits of the Palatine electors and Romantic paintings of the castle ruin. The Baroque rooms themselves form part of the display. Restoration of the palace has retained original architectural features while adapting spaces for exhibitions and climate control. As a historic building, the palace is a monument in its own right, representing the burghers and nobles who rebuilt Heidelberg after the wars. It is located on the main pedestrian street, within walking distance of the Marktplatz and the Peterskirche, and is a useful stop for readers who want context on how the Old Town acquired its present appearance.