If you've seen any Disney movie, you'll know the castle that Sleeping Beauty lived in. It appears in the company's logo at the beginning of each film. As a child, you may even have dreamed of one day visiting a building just like this one. The good news is that you can, because the castle that inspired Disney's design really exists. It is called Neuschwanstein Castle and it stands on a hill in Bavaria, Germany.
The castle is in Schwangau, a municipality near Germany's border with Austria. There are several villages here and in the Middle Ages, three castles held fort over the area. King Maximilian II of Bavaria bought the ruins of one of these castles, Schwanstein, in 1832. He then built Hohenschwangau Castle on the site to replace Schwanstein Castle.
In 1864, Maximilian II died and his eighteen-year-old son ascended to the throne, becoming King Ludwig II. Ludwig II was very private and shy and wanted a place that could serve as a retreat. He therefore decided to build a new castle on the ruins of the other two medieval castles in Schwangau, Vorderhohenschwangau and Hinterhohenschwangau.
The king loved the operas of Richard Wagner. Wagner's operas were mainly set in medieval times and based on German sagas. Ludwig II wanted a castle similar to what he thought a medieval castle from a Wagner opera would be like. He enlisted the services of the stage designer Christian Jank to have a draft drawing made. Then the architect Eduard Riedel did the final design based on Jank's drawings, creating a prime example of Romanesque Revival architecture. The king himself provided much design input too.
Building began in 1868 with the preparation of the building site, but the first foundation stone was laid about a year later. The castle was built of brick and then covered in white limestone, sandstone and marble. The king moved into the building in 1884 even though construction wasn't completed yet. In fact, he never saw the completion of his dream palace, since he died in 1886.
Six weeks after King Ludwig II of Bavaria died in 1886, the first paying visitors entered the new castle. Opening the building to a paying public was a way of recovering the debts the king had incurred. Ludwig's dream of a private retreat is now one of the most popular tourist attractions in Germany and receives in the region of 1.3 million visitors every year.
Visitors can only enter the building as part of a guided tour. When you visit, the tour guide will help you appreciate the ornate paintings depicting scenes from those sagas that inspired Wagner's operas. The Upper Hall has the saga of Gudrun while the Lower Hall shows the Sigurd saga. The story of Tristan and Isolde is depicted in the bedroom and the tragic tale of Tannhauser is shown in the study. Parzifal's adventures are shown in the Singer's Hall and those of his son Lohengrin in the Salon.
Getting to Neuschwanstein Castle is very easy. You can travel by car or take public transport to Fussen and from there to Hohenschwangau, the village below the castle. Admission tickets are available in the booking office in the village. Then you only need to take a bus or a horse-drawn carriage or if you prefer, you can hoof it up the hill to visit the castle of legends.
The castle is in Schwangau, a municipality near Germany's border with Austria. There are several villages here and in the Middle Ages, three castles held fort over the area. King Maximilian II of Bavaria bought the ruins of one of these castles, Schwanstein, in 1832. He then built Hohenschwangau Castle on the site to replace Schwanstein Castle.
In 1864, Maximilian II died and his eighteen-year-old son ascended to the throne, becoming King Ludwig II. Ludwig II was very private and shy and wanted a place that could serve as a retreat. He therefore decided to build a new castle on the ruins of the other two medieval castles in Schwangau, Vorderhohenschwangau and Hinterhohenschwangau.
The king loved the operas of Richard Wagner. Wagner's operas were mainly set in medieval times and based on German sagas. Ludwig II wanted a castle similar to what he thought a medieval castle from a Wagner opera would be like. He enlisted the services of the stage designer Christian Jank to have a draft drawing made. Then the architect Eduard Riedel did the final design based on Jank's drawings, creating a prime example of Romanesque Revival architecture. The king himself provided much design input too.
Building began in 1868 with the preparation of the building site, but the first foundation stone was laid about a year later. The castle was built of brick and then covered in white limestone, sandstone and marble. The king moved into the building in 1884 even though construction wasn't completed yet. In fact, he never saw the completion of his dream palace, since he died in 1886.
Six weeks after King Ludwig II of Bavaria died in 1886, the first paying visitors entered the new castle. Opening the building to a paying public was a way of recovering the debts the king had incurred. Ludwig's dream of a private retreat is now one of the most popular tourist attractions in Germany and receives in the region of 1.3 million visitors every year.
Visitors can only enter the building as part of a guided tour. When you visit, the tour guide will help you appreciate the ornate paintings depicting scenes from those sagas that inspired Wagner's operas. The Upper Hall has the saga of Gudrun while the Lower Hall shows the Sigurd saga. The story of Tristan and Isolde is depicted in the bedroom and the tragic tale of Tannhauser is shown in the study. Parzifal's adventures are shown in the Singer's Hall and those of his son Lohengrin in the Salon.
Getting to Neuschwanstein Castle is very easy. You can travel by car or take public transport to Fussen and from there to Hohenschwangau, the village below the castle. Admission tickets are available in the booking office in the village. Then you only need to take a bus or a horse-drawn carriage or if you prefer, you can hoof it up the hill to visit the castle of legends.
About the Author:
When searching for creative vacation locations, consider the Allgau area. Additional info can be found on this page.
No comments:
Post a Comment