NEUSCHWANSTEIN CASTLE HISTORY & ARCHITECTURE
The Real-Life Fairytale Castle Of Neuschwanstein
If you are trying to find a real-life fairy tale castle, the Neuschwanstein is a place you are looking for. The castle is located on the green hills in the Bavarian Alps, in a small village of Hohenschwangau, with towers, turrets, frescoes, and a throne hall. The view from the castle is stunning. It overlooks an Alpine lake and the largest nature preserve in Bavaria. Trust us, it will leave you breathless.
The Neuschwanstein castle is a fine example of European historicism and one of the last significant palace buildings in the 19th century. Today it is a part of UNESCO World Heritage.
An Iconic Example Of The Romantic Style
The Neuschwanstein castle (Schloss Neuschwanstein) with its towers, authentic style, and turrets is the iconic example of the Romantic style and remains a recognizable symbol of Bavaria and Germany.
King Ludwig II was inspired during his journeys in 1867 by two castles he visited, the castle Wartburg in Eisenach and Château de Pierrefonds. Christian Jank made the drawings modeled by these two castles, and the architect Eduard Riedel started the construction. The castle is planned as a neo-gothic building, but now it stands as a magnificent building in Romanesque style. King Ludwig hired more than 300 workers working the whole day and night using oil lamps. They used only modern techniques to build the Bavarian castle.
History Of The Mad King’s Castle
The castle embodies King Ludwig II of Bavaria. The famous Bavarian king is well known as the Mad King. During his reign he dreamt up and commissioned the building of the Neuschwanstein Castle in 1869. King Ludwig II spent his childhood in the Hohenschwangau Castle. He suffered from depression and shyness his whole life. He was only 18 years old when his father, Maximillian II of Bavaria, died. After accession to the throne, Ludwig II wanted to create a place to escape public life. He started the construction of the new castle on the castle ruins of Hohenschwangau.
Even though the King used the best technologies for the construction of Neuschwanstein, the courts no longer had a defensive and strategic purpose. King planned to finish the Neuschwanstein castle in three years, but it took more than sixteen years. Unfortunately, the Neuschwanstein Castle was never fully completed. King Ludwig II died by mysterious death in 1886 without seeing the end of the construction of his dream castle. The castle construction stopped after King Ludwig II died. There are some rumors he was murdered or committed suicide, but king’s death is still a mystery. Seven weeks after his death, the Mad King’s castle was opened to the public.
Inside of The Neuschwanstein Castle – Castle Of Swans
As you might suppose, Neuschwanstein castle inside is as beautiful as its outside. The Mad King castle was built for his relaxation, and he adapted the castle himself. There are more than 200 rooms inside the Neuschwanstein, but only 14 rooms are fully finished. The rooms are majestically decorated. Wagner’s operas inspired images in the rooms, especially three characters repeat: the poet Tannhäuser, the swan knight Lohengrin and his father, the Grail King Parsifal. The swan element repeats in many castle images, and it represents the symbol of purity and tombs of Schwangau village.
A modern Fairytale Castle
King Ludwig II paired his love of medieval architecture with the latest modern techniques. Inside the Neuschwanstein castle, there are flushing toilets, hot and cold water in the kitchen, and a central heating system. The King also had an electric bell system and telephones at his disposal to servants who brought the food to him from the dining room by elevator. He spent a lot of money, almost 6.000.000 DM, to use the latest technologies of that time and design the Neuschwanstein castle interior.
Neuschwanstein Castle’s Throne Room
Byzantine churches inspired the castle’s throne hall. King’s wish was to put a throne in the place of the altar, but till today, there was never a throne inside of the Neuschwanstein’s Throne Hall. King saw himself as an intercessor between God and the world. These elements of his interpretation of kingship you can see on the dome, the aspects of the stars and floor mosaic beneath it, representing the earth with plants and animals.
Ludwig’s Dressing Room Inside The Neuschwanstein Castle
The entire dressing room is finished with violet silk and rich gold. The King was obsessed with poetry, so the whole room is full of murals illustrating the works of Hans Sachs and Walther von der Vogelweide.
The Real-Life Fairytale Castle Of Neuschwanstein
The most remarkable room inside the Neuschwanstein castle is the bedroom of King Ludwig II. Inside the room, there is a silver-plated swan washstand carrying fresh water from the stream. The bed is made of oak in a neo-gothic style. The seats are covered in blue silk with swans, lions, crowns, and a Bavarian coat of arms. As an admirer of Wagner, there are elements of Tristan and Isolde as a leitmotif.
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Best View Of The Neuschwanstein Castle
The best view of Neuschwanstein castle is the iconic view from Queen Mary Bridge which will leave you breathless. With this magnificent castle view, you will feel like you are in a real fairytale. This is the best place to take photos of the castle because it is not allowed to use the camera inside the Neuschwanstein castle.
Since When is Neuschwanstein Castle Opened To Public?
The authorities opened the Neuschwanstein castle to the public a few weeks after King Ludwig II died. The costs for the construction were huge, so the authorities decided to open the castle to the public to recover the debts. Unfortunately, the Neuschwanstein castle was never fully finished.
You decided to visit the Neuschwanstein castle?
We bring you all the information you need to know before your visit.
Whenever you decide to visit the fairytale castle, you won’t regret it because it is gorgeous and magnificent during the whole year.
Interesting Facts About Fairytale Castle Neuschwanstein
- The King was a great admirer of operas of Richard Wagner since he was a young boy. Wagner’s characters inspired many rooms inside the Neuschwanstein Castle, especially the third floor. The Singers halls on the fourth floor also contain Wagner’s opera characters. It is believed that the name of the castle “New Swan Castle” comes from his famous opera Lohengrin, an opera about swan knights.
- Another interesting fact about the Neuschwanstein castle is that the castle inspired Walt Disney. Still, all Walt Disney fairytale lovers already know that. The Bavarian fairytale castle became his muse. During his trip to Europe, Walt Disney visited Neuschwanstein castle. He was mesmerized by its magnificent beauty that stands on the hills of the Bavarian Alps like a real fairytale castle, the dream of every little girl. With its excellent exterior, decadent decors, and spectacular alpine ambiance, the Bavarian castle inspired the Sleeping Beauty’s castle in Disneyland Paris.
- With the hidden location in Bavarian Alps, Neuschwanstein castle was used for hiding the art looted by Nazis during World War II.