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| Neuschwanstein Castle |
Neuschwanstein Castle
Last summer I visited Southern Germany and the
Bavarian Alps; a beautiful region with fast flowing rivers that pass through
the mountainous landscape. This area is home to several 19th century
fairy tale castles, like for example the world famous Schloss Neuschwanstein.
Therefore, a trip to this beautiful part of
Germany would not be complete without a visit to this enchanting castle.
I still remember it as if it were yesterday.
As a 10
year old I would often head of to the local library on Sunday mornings to go
through picture books. On the second floor of this 17th century
building, constructed in the typical Meuse area “Maaslandse” Renaissance style, located in the historic centre of
Maaseik in Belgium, there were several hundreds of theme-oriented compilation
books and encyclopedia.
In those days there were no computers nor internet, so
the library became my “secret world”; the only place where I could fantasize
about far away countries, beautiful buildings, archeology and history. One of
the pictures I will always remember is that of Neuschwanstein Castle.
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| The town of Fussen, view from the roof terrace of our hotel |
Füssen
The fairy tale castle of Neuschwanstein is located in
the vicinity of Füssen. The historic, picturesque town of Füssen is
situated on the left bank of the river Lech. Füssen is surrounded by several
large and smaller lakes. The surroundings are exceptionally beautiful and the
mountainous terrain is ideal for hiking. Furthermore, the town of Füssen is the
ending point of the Romantic Road (Romantische Strasse in German), a
touristic “theme route” that starts in Würzburg and connects a number of scenic
towns and castles. It is definitely worth a visit!
Schloss Neuschwanstein and Schloss
Hohenschwangau.
In the immediate vicinity of Füssen there are two
famous 19th century castles namely Schloss Neuschwanstein and Schloss
Hohenschwangau.
Both castles are widely known across the world. If you
consider visiting one of these castles in summer, you will have to endure long
queues and waiting times to get in.
The waiting time at the ticket office is
approximately one hour. It is therefore highly recommended to reserve a ticket
in advance.
Needless to say this place
is usually swarming with tourists. As a consequence both castles lost much of
their original charm and character.
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| Schloss
Hohenschwangau |
Schloss
Neuschwanstein was built on a steep rock towering 200 meters over the
valley below.
There
are many ways to reach Schloss Neuschwanstein; I opted for a short scenic 30
minute walk to the Marienbrücke (Mary Bridge). This bridge over the Pöllat
gorge offers a magnificent panoramic view of this great landmark. It was truly
a breathtaking sight, stirring up melancholic emotions as this was the exact
same picture I remembered from my library visits in Maaseik (Belgium) almost 40
years ago. Schloss Neuschwanstein is undoubtedly one of the most photographed
castles in Germany.
I was definitely not alone on this bridge. ;)
Ludwig II
Schloss
Neuschwanstein, a Romanesque revival palace, was built in the second half of the 19th
century. It was commissioned by king Ludwig II of Bavaria, who was later on
declared insane by his own cabinet. It is without any doubt the most famous
building ever commissioned by Ludwig II, attracting well over 1.3 million
visitors every year; making it Germany’s most popular touristic destination.
Construction started in 1869 and the king envisioned a Romantic interpretation
of a medieval knight’s castle. The palace was designed by theater architect and
scenic designer Christian Jank. Eduard Riedel and Georg von Dollmann were
responsible for the management of the civil works. Construction was seized
immediately when king Ludwig died in 1886.
The castle was originally named Neue Burg
Hohenschwangau. Its current name
was not introduced until after Ludwig’s death in 1886. The first name referred
to the castle of the lords of Schwangau. This medieval fortress was
built on the exact same location as Schloss Neuschwanstein, and was called Schwanstein. Makes sense right?
Ironically, the castle -
which was in fact meant for only one inhabitant - was opened for tourists only
6 weeks after Ludwig’s death. It has been a major touristic destination in
Europe ever since.
Tourists can walk up to the castle or they can be
transported by a horse drawn carriage (just like the king). The fact that Schloss Neuschwanstein is often called a
fairy tale castle is probably due to the fact that the castle of Sleeping Beauty
in Disneyland California is based on the architectural design of Schloss Neuschwanstein. Walt Disney
visited Neuschwanstein before he
started construction on his first theme park.
A visit to Neuschwanstein Castle
Too bad it is not allowed to take photographs of the castle's interior. However, some pictures of the neo-Gothic-Romanesque interiors can be found on the internet without a problem.
Of the many beautiful rooms
and chambers the Byzantine coronation hall with its exquisite mosaic floor is
probably the most impressive. The living rooms of the king are all lavishly
decorated with paintings and various other treasures. In the beginning of the
19th century there was a renewed interest in medieval architecture;
especially Gothic but also Romanesque styles were reintroduced.
19th
century Germany was typified by a period of Castle
Romanticism, of which Castle
Hohenschwangau, Castle Lichtenstein,
Castle Hohenzollern and countless
other palaces and fortresses in the Rhine area are excellent examples. At first
the influence of the Romanesque style could be noticed in the assimilation of
Romanesque style features in Neoclassical buildings. The Romanesque style
façade was especially popular.
As both Gothic and Romanesque style features
were never completely copied, but instead integrated in one building, this type
of architecture is often labeled as eclectic. When construction of Schloss Neuschwanstein was finished, the
building had more than 200 rooms of which only 15 were completed.
The anterior structure
includes the premises for guests and servants, while the king’s staterooms and
lavish halls were situated in the upper stories. The total floor space of all
rooms amounts to nearly 6000 square meters.
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AN INTERACTIVE TOUR
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Translation : Koen verhees
