Neuschwanstein Castle: Bavaria's Iconic Fairy-Tale Masterpiece
Neuschwanstein Castle is currently one of the most photographed and visited tourist attractions in Europe. Ironically, the former ruler of the castle, Henry II called the Mad, in his lifetime definitively stated that no stranger can put his feet inside the building. But about that in a moment.
Directions to the Neuschwanstein castle
The castle is best reached by the 95 route from Munich (less than a 1.5-hour drive), heading for the city of Schwangau, where this beautiful building is in fact located. We will be wandering through the beautiful scenery where alpine cows graze every green meadow, and the view of the snowy summits of the Alps will accompany us all the time. From the south, on the Swiss side, you can reach Schwangau on the road 179. Regardless of which side we are going to go from, it is worth to temporarily stop for a moment and enjoy the beautiful views of Bavaria.
You can see Neuschwanstein Castle from a distance, it just can not be missed. If we associate a castle with Disney's fairytales, comparisons cannot be avoided - after all, it was modeled on the Schwangau building. You must be aware that the first impression can be different than what we always see in the photographs, which are made from one place from which the building looks best.
Under the castle, life goes much more calmly, and cows graze in the meadows. It is worth stopping for a moment in the town or in one of the neighboring inns and tries German-Bavarian cuisine. Although even here crowds cannot be avoided and there were no free seats available, but we had no problem eating a meal outside.
The nearby Hohenschwangau castle
When we are at the side of our Disney kingdom, it is worth visiting a second castle, called Hohenschwangau - it is also a charming building built with yellow blocks, also suitable for photographing or a short visit. It is worth adding here that it was here King Ludwik II was brought up.
Road to the Neuschwanstein castle
Are we fed and full of excitement? Time to go to our dream castle Neuschwanstein! We can get to the top in three ways: on foot, by a chaise or by coach. I leave the choice to you, although I will only add that the footpath is quite tiring (although it also gives us a lot of fun).
Reaching the summit, the first towers of the castle begin to emerge among the trees. The higher we are, the more we can see the magnitude of the castle (from a distance it seemed small and faded in the mountains). Neuschwanstein Castle is huge, magical, fabulous! Exactly how others described it. Unfortunately, I have the impression that soon the castle will be lost not only in the face of the Alpine mountains but also the mass of Asian tourists, photographing everything that is possible - the trees, the walls, and benches :-)
The interior of the castle
After standing in the queue, accompanied by displays informing about the number of the current trip, we finally got inside. Unfortunately, inside the palace, it is forbidden to take photos or make films.
Neuschwanstein Castle is relatively new - its construction began in 1869 and, although the architecture is modeled on the Middle Ages, the interiors were filled with modern solutions from the 19th century. Let me also add that the construction has never been completed. We pass through Ludwik II's beautifully designed Gothic-style bedroom. We admire the largest room of the castle, the Singers' Hall, and we visit the illuminated grotto with artificial stalactites. Awesome.
Perhaps the most impressive interior that I had the opportunity to see is a throne hall full of gold and paintings. The only thing missing here is the throne, which never got here - Ludwik II died before he finished building the castle. Being here, do not forget to go out to the beautiful balcony, under which there is a great and picturesque view of the Alpine mountains surrounded by meadows and forests and the town of Schwangau.
A few words about Ludwig II and the history of Neuschwanstein
Visiting the Neuschwanstein castle, you can not avoid colliding with its creator, King Ludwik II called the Mad. The ruler was born in the Nymphenburg Palace near Munich and raised at the Hohenschwangau castle, which we passed while climbing towards the Disney palace. He entered the throne at the age of 18, after the death of his father.
During his reign, Bavaria was incorporated into the German Reich and, even though Ludwik himself signed a treaty to put William I on the imperial throne, he was against it - the difficult financial situation made him do this. For that, the ruler of Bavaria received from Bismarck 6 million marks in gold.
Ludwik II was a very eccentric person, and various eccentricities followed along with unsuccessful political undertakings. At the end of his reign, he practically separated from the rest of the world and settled in the unfinished Neuschwanstein, after which he was officially declared insane on June 9, 1886, depriving him of his throne. It was the result of a conspiracy tied up by hostile ministers and Prince Luitpold, who was Ludwik's uncle. Currently, it is believed that the eccentric and unusual behavior of the Bavarian ruler did not result from his madness, but from stress and political problems.
The King of Bavaria is currently one of the most characteristic rulers in all of Germany's history. He was the patron of the arts and he was actively supporting his favorite composer and conductor, Wilhelm Richard Wagner. He built not only the Neuschwanstein but also the Herrenchiemsee and Linderhof palaces.
Ludwik II died on June 13, 1886, and the Neuschwanstein castle was completed 5 years later, in 1891. Nevertheless, many rooms have not been finished. During World War II, the Nazis stored looted valuables, works of art and gold in the castle. Legend says that the day before the end of the war, the gold reserves of the bank of the Reich were sunk in nearby lakes.
Practical information
Below you can find some of the practical information that will come in handy when traveling to Neuschwanstein Castle and surrounding areas.
- During your stay at the castle, you cannot both take pictures and make films. It does not mean, however, that we should not bring a camera with us - the castle can be photographed from the outside, the views will also be beautiful (for example from the balconies in the castle).
- Being on a trip to the castle, it is also worth remembering that two other interesting objects can be found nearby. The first is the Hohenschwangau castle mentioned above, we can also visit the Museum of the Bavarian Kings.
- As the interest in visiting the castle is enormous (after all, it is one of the biggest tourist attractions in Germany), it is better not to stress and buy a ticket earlier, via the Internet - the price is EUR 13 (information from 2018).
