This morning we left our hotel early for the two hour drive to Neuschwanstein & Hohenschwangau Castles. Our first stop would be Neuschwanstein.
Neuschwanstein Castle (English: "New Swanstone Castle") is a nineteenth-century Romanesque Revival palace on a rugged hill above the village of Hohenschwangau near Füssen in southwest Bavaria, Germany. The palace was commissioned by Ludwig II of Bavaria as a retreat and as a homage to Richard Wagner. Ludwig paid for the palace out of his personal fortune and by means of extensive borrowing, rather than Bavarian public funds.
Ludwig II, King of Bavaria since 1864, addressed the following lines to the man he so greatly admired, Richard Wagner:
Ideal design for Neuschwanstein Castle by Christian Jank, 1869
«It is my intention to rebuild the old castle ruin of Hohenschwangau near the Pöllat Gorge in the authentic style of the old German knights' castles, and I must confess to you that I am looking forward very much to living there one day (in 3 years); there will be several cosy, habitable guest rooms with a splendid view of the noble Säuling, the mountains of Tyrol and far across the plain; you know the revered guest I would like to accommodate there; the location is one of the most beautiful to be found, holy and unapproachable, a worthy temple for the divine friend who has brought salvation and true blessing to the world. It will also remind you of "Tannhäuser" (Singers' Hall with a view of the castle in the background), "Lohengrin'" (castle courtyard, open corridor, path to the chapel); this castle will be in every way more beautiful and habitable than Hohenschwangau further down, which is desecrated every year by the prose of my mother; they will take revenge, the desecrated gods, and come to live with Us on the lofty heights, breathing the air of heaven».
Almost all the aspects of Ludwig's Neuschwanstein are mentioned here. What is not mentioned, however, is the political reason for building: in 1866 Bavaria, allied with Austria, had lost a war against the expanding Prussia. Bavaria was forced to accept a "defensive and offensive alliance", which removed the king's right to dispose over his army in case of war. From 1866, therefore, Ludwig II was no longer a sovereign ruler. This limitation was the biggest misfortune of his life. In 1867 he began planning his own kingdom, in the form of his castles and palaces, where he could be a real king.The foundation stone for the palace was laid on September 5, 1869. For about two decades the construction site was the principal employer in the region. In 1880, about 200 craftsmen were occupied at the site, not counting suppliers and other persons indirectly involved in the construction. At times when the king insisted on particularly close deadlines and urgent changes, reportedly up to 300 workers per day were active, sometimes working at night by the light of oil lamps. In 1884, the king was able to move into the (still unfinished) Palas, and in 1885, he invited his mother Marie to Neuschwanstein on the occasion of her 60th birthday. By 1886, the external structure of the Palas (hall) was mostly finished. In the end, Ludwig II only lived in the palace for a total of 172 days. Neuschwanstein was still incomplete when Ludwig II died in 1886, and remains incomplete today. The king never intended to make the palace accessible to the public. No more than six weeks after the king's death, however, the regent Luitpold ordered the palace opened to paying visitors. The administrators of Ludwig's estate managed to balance the construction debts by 1899.
We took a carriage ride up to the castle - it is quite a bit of a climb!
Our tour started immediately as we arrived, so we headed directly into the castle. Again, interior photographs are not allowed, so I have found some on the internet to share.
the king's personal bedroom
the Dining Room
the Dressing Room
the Entrance Hall
the Living Room
the Singer's Hall
a sitting room
the State Bedroom
the Study
the Throne Room
the Throne Room
the Kitchen
a waterfall on the way down the mountain
After our tour of the castle, we headed back down the hill to visit the Hohenschwangau Castle. Hohenschwangau Castle (High Swan County Palace) was the childhood residence of King Ludwig II of Bavaria and was built by his father, King Maximilian II of Bavaria. In February 1833, the reconstruction of the castle began, continuing until 1837, with additions up to 1855. More than 90 wall paintings represent the history of Schwangau (literally translated the Swan District), as well as medieval German romances such as Parzival and the story of Lohengrin, the Knight of the Swan, on which Richard Wagner later based his operas Lohengrin of 1848 and Parsifal of 1882, sponsored by Ludwig II who had grown up with these stories at Hohenschwangau.
Hohenschwangau was the official summer and hunting residence of Maximilian, his wife Marie of Prussia, and their two sons Ludwig (the later King Ludwig II of Bavaria) and Otto (the later King Otto I of Bavaria). The young princes spent many years of their adolescence here. Queen Marie who loved to hike in the mountains created an alpine garden with plants gathered from all over the alps. King Maximilian died in 1864 and his son Ludwig succeeded to the throne, moving into his father's room in the castle. As Ludwig never married, his mother Marie was able to continue living on her floor during the summer months. King Ludwig enjoyed living in Hohenschwangau, however mostly in the absence of his disliked mother, especially after 1869 when the building of his own castle, Neuschwanstein, began on the site of the old Schwangau fortress, high above his parent's castle.
the King's Study
the Bertcha Room
the Dining Room
a Guest Bedroom
the Hall of Heroes
the King's Bedroom
the Music Room
the Queen's Living Room
the Swan Fountain
a view of Neuschwanstein from Hohenschwangau
After completing our tours, we stopped for lunch at a restaurant overlooking Lake Alpsee. The view was great and the kids played on the shore, eventually attracting the attention of a group of swans.
our view of Lake Alpsee
We topped off the afternoon with a little shopping in the town and then headed back to Munich.
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