My Favorite Girmscheid Stein
By Salvatore Mazzone ~ Florida Sun Steiners

I have in my collection several steins made by Matthias Girmscheid, some decorated in relief, some etched. My favorite among these by far is the Catalog Number 814 Heidelberg stein.It is an etched beauty with an inlaid figural castle-tower lid standing a stately 14.75 inches tall. It has a capacity of 2-liters. Its principal decoration features the magnificent Heidelberg castle atop its hilltop overlooking the city of Heidelberg. Above this appear the arms of Baden, a shield with a red band traversing a field of gold, from upper-left to the lower-right, or "Or a Bend Gules" in heraldic terms.

Below the principal decoration is the text Alt Heidelberg du feine, Du Stadt an Ehren reich, Am Neckar und am Rhein, Keine andre kommt dir gleich. which translates as: "Old Heidelberg you fine city, Rich in honors, On the Neckar and Rhine, No other can equal you." This is from a poem written in 1853 by Joseph Viktor von Scheffel and set to music in 1872 by Weise von Zimmerman.

Much has been written in Prosit over the years about Heidelberg and the many steins honoring it. I'll not re-hash any of that here and merely direct the interested reader to the SCI online Prosit Table of Contents.

Each time I glance at this stein, I'm reminded of the wonderful visit my wife and I paid to the magnificent castle and charming city in 2012. Alt Heidelberg du feine, indeed.