If as a child you saw Sleeping Beauty's castle at the start of a Disney movie and thought that one day you would like to be in a castle just like that one, you'll be happy to know that it doesn't have to remain only a dream. You can visit the castle that Disney based their design on. Just like in the Disney logo, Neuschwanstein Castle is on a hill overlooking a village.
Near the German border with Austria a number of villages make up the Schwangau municipality. In medieval times there were three castles in the hills overlooking these villages: Schwanstein, Vorderhohenschwangau and Hinterhohenschwangau. By the nineteenth century these castles were ruins, but in 1832 King Maximilian II of Bavaria bought Schwanstein and built a new castle there, called Hohenschwangau 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 first draft of the design was made by a Munich stage designer called Christian Jank. Jank was the perfect choice, since Ludwig II loved the work of Richard Wagner. The king wanted his new home to look like a medieval castle like the ones in Wagner's operas. Eduard Riedel, an architect, then used Jank's drawings as basis for his architectural design, with the king's input. The result was a design in the Romanesque Revival style.
In 1868 workers started preparing the building site. In 1869 the foundation stone was laid and construction started. The builders used brick to construct the walls and then covered these in white limestone. They also used sandstone and marble in the finishes. In 1884, even before construction was completed, the king moved in. He stayed there until his death in 1886.
The palace was opened to the public only six weeks after Ludwig II died. This was to help recover his debts. Today about 1.3 million people visit the palace every year and it has become one of Germany's foremost tourist attractions.
When you visit the palace, you will need to take a guided tour to see the beautiful interior. In this way you can find out about the background of not only the castle itself and Ludwig II, but also about the Wagner operas that inspired the paintings throughout the building. These operas were based on German sagas from medieval times. In the bedroom you will see scenes from 'Tristan and Isolde', while in the study there are scenes from 'Tannhauser'. The sagas of Parzifal and his son Lohengrin are represented in the Singer's Hall and the Salon, while the Lower Hall shows the saga of Sigurd and the Upper Hall shows the Gudrun saga.
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.
Near the German border with Austria a number of villages make up the Schwangau municipality. In medieval times there were three castles in the hills overlooking these villages: Schwanstein, Vorderhohenschwangau and Hinterhohenschwangau. By the nineteenth century these castles were ruins, but in 1832 King Maximilian II of Bavaria bought Schwanstein and built a new castle there, called Hohenschwangau 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 first draft of the design was made by a Munich stage designer called Christian Jank. Jank was the perfect choice, since Ludwig II loved the work of Richard Wagner. The king wanted his new home to look like a medieval castle like the ones in Wagner's operas. Eduard Riedel, an architect, then used Jank's drawings as basis for his architectural design, with the king's input. The result was a design in the Romanesque Revival style.
In 1868 workers started preparing the building site. In 1869 the foundation stone was laid and construction started. The builders used brick to construct the walls and then covered these in white limestone. They also used sandstone and marble in the finishes. In 1884, even before construction was completed, the king moved in. He stayed there until his death in 1886.
The palace was opened to the public only six weeks after Ludwig II died. This was to help recover his debts. Today about 1.3 million people visit the palace every year and it has become one of Germany's foremost tourist attractions.
When you visit the palace, you will need to take a guided tour to see the beautiful interior. In this way you can find out about the background of not only the castle itself and Ludwig II, but also about the Wagner operas that inspired the paintings throughout the building. These operas were based on German sagas from medieval times. In the bedroom you will see scenes from 'Tristan and Isolde', while in the study there are scenes from 'Tannhauser'. The sagas of Parzifal and his son Lohengrin are represented in the Singer's Hall and the Salon, while the Lower Hall shows the saga of Sigurd and the Upper Hall shows the Gudrun saga.
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.
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