One of the most beautiful places in Germany is the Royal Neuschwanstein Castle. This is a reflection of the ancient German epic in stone, the embodiment of legends from the Middle Ages, the spirit of two great people - Ludwig of Bavaria and Richard Wagner.

History of Neuschwanstein Castle

Fairy King

From childhood, Prince Louis, who was supposed to inherit the Bavarian throne, was in dreams of medieval legends. In 1861, he managed to visit the Lohengrin opera, created by the famous Richard Wagner. The opera touched the young prince to the very heart, and it was this plot that formed the basis for the creation of the future fabulous Neuschwanstein castle.

The future Ludwig II was born in 1845 in Nymphenburg. All his childhood was spent in the no less fabulous castle of Hohenschwangau, which further reinforced his romantic dreams. The atmosphere of a medieval epic reigned in the castle, the murals corresponded to well-known legends. At the beginning of the 19th century, romanticism reigns in German art, which further reinforces the views of the future king. After accession to the throne in 1864, Ludwig II transferred Richard Wagner under his control, thus giving him the opportunity to create to the fullest extent of his abilities.

Case time

From this period begins a period of great achievements. Wagner creates his world-famous operas - The Valkyrie, The Death of the Gods, Siegfried, the Rhine Gold, the Nuremberg Meistersingers, Parsifal. The king, wishing to immerse himself even more in the realm of his favorite heroes, begins the construction of his magnificent castles. The desire to feel like the famous swan knight Lohengrin has created world-class architectural masterpieces.

In total, Ludwig II built three castles. The most important of them is Neuschwanstein in Bavaria. It was this castle that, according to the plan, was to become the fortress of Lohengrin himself, and the symbols of the swan found here everywhere only reinforce this feeling.

Fabulous place

Neuschwanstein Swan Castle is located in the Alps of Bavaria, near the Schwansee Lake, Swan Lake. And the very name of the castle is translated as "Swan Stone". This area bears the roots of a noble bird on behalf of the family of the knights of Schwangau, whose residence was Schwanstein Castle. The king demolished the jet building and laid a new castle here - Neuschwanstein - the New Swan Stone.

Building in romanticism

Romanticism of the 19th century greatly affected the appearance of the castle; it looks like it was taken from the scenery of Wagner's operas. The king himself took part in the construction work, while Eduard Riedel became the architect of this castle. Christian Jank was responsible for the embodiment of artistic ideas. The king was so involved in the process of work that he even brought sketches of the Hall of Singers from the fairy-tale castle of the Wartburg, which is also one of the settings for Wagner's legendary operas. An exact copy of this hall was created in the castle.

Hall of Singers

Construction was carried out according to a well-thought-out plan. The main building material is brick. Externally, the German castle Neuschwanstein is lined with white limestone tiles. The technical equipment of the castle was made using the most modern devices of its time. Wherever needed, plumbing and sewerage were supplied. In the basement of the castle there was a boiler room, from which warm air reached all the rooms through pipes. Water was supplied immediately, both cold and hot. Many of these technical details were simply revolutionary for their era.

Famous castle premises

Many rooms of the castle are dedicated to the heroes of medieval legends. So the winter garden is dedicated to Tannhauser, the Hall of Singers - to Parsifal, the large living room - to the swan knight Lohengrin. The murals on the walls also create a fabulous atmosphere.

Only over the bedroom of the king, work was carried out for 4.5 years. Here you can see masterful wood carvings, especially on the personal bed of the monarch. On the tapestries in the same bedroom again fabulous motifs - moments from the poem "Tristan and Isolde"

Bedroom

There is also a throne room in the king's castle. Its construction was clearly influenced by the church of Hagia Sophia in Constantinople. It is surprising that the throne itself is not in this hall. Here there is only an elevated place for him, to which a staircase leads.

Throne room

Work on the castle was completed in 1883. Not long after that, in 1886, death overtook the king. But the work was nevertheless completed, and now the Bavarian Neuschwanstein castle amazes everyone with its appearance. This is a real fairy tale in stone on our planet.

In the most beautiful corner of the Bavarian Alps, on a high hill, overgrown with dark green firs, it rises majestically. Its slender silhouette with pointed, "toy" towers resembles a picture from a fairy tale.

Neuschwanstein Castle (Germany): facts

Its creator, Ludwig II, embodied his fantasies and dreams in the castle. Since childhood, the future king was fond of medieval legends about knights and ancient Germanic sagas, and from the age of 16 he became a passionate admirer of the work of Richard Wagner.

Having ascended the throne, Ludwig II made Wagner his favorite, put a luxurious country villa at the disposal of the composer, and, impressed by his operas, decided to build.

Neuschwanstein Castle: the legend of the swan

Neuschwanstein Castle (Germany) was erected in 1869-1886 in the style of a knight's fortress. It is no coincidence that the king appointed theater artist Christian Jank as the architect and head of the work. First of all, Ludwig II sought architectural picturesqueness. The name of Neuschwanstein Castle - "New Swan Stone" - is associated with the opera "Lohengrin" by Richard Wagner, written based on the legend of the Knight - Swan.

Tradition says that once in the Duchy of Brabant, the ruler died without an heir. The Duke's daughter Elsa is afraid that the kingdom will be lost, but suddenly a knight appears on a boat pulled by a swan. He marries Duchess Elsa, promises to protect and love her, and in return asks for only one thing - her beloved should never ask about his origin. For many years the Swan Knight rules Brabant, but one day the duchess asks a forbidden question. Then a swan immediately appears to the knight and takes him to unknown lands, from which he once appeared. The monarch decorated his entire castle with swans. They are everywhere - in the form of vases and wall paintings, embroidered with gold on curtains, carved on the facade and carved on wood paneling. The swan became a symbol of the castle also because it was depicted on the coat of arms of the family of the Counts of Schwangau, from which Ludwig II came.

Throne room

Neuschwanstein Castle consists of more than 360 halls, and each of them is dedicated to the heroes of Wagner. The most impressive room is, of course, the Throne Room, decorated in the Byzantine style. In it, the king wanted to embody the "Hall of the Holy Grail" from Wagner's drama "Parsifal". The huge room with high ceilings is supported by two rows of columns.

The lower row of purple columns is finished in porphyry, while the upper row is made of artificial lapis lazuli. The steps of the marble staircase, framed with images of 12 apostles, lead to a niche where the royal throne, decorated with a cross and the coat of arms of Bavaria, should have stood. But the throne was never made. The paintings on the walls illustrate early Christian stories. At the level of the gallery with the second tier of columns, a huge gilded chandelier in the shape of a Byzantine crown is suspended. The floor, paved with mosaics, depicts a stylized flora and fauna.

Singing Hall

The Singing Hall was intended for productions of Wagner's operas. During the life of Ludwig II, not a single concert was given in the Singing Hall, but today a classical music festival is held here every year. This is the largest and most luxuriously decorated room with numerous canvases and tapestries dedicated to the knight Parzival. Parzival is the hero of a medieval legend and one of Wagner's operas, who went from a naive young man who does not know life to the Grail King. The largest, central painting of the Song Hall captures the climax of the legend, when Parzival first enters the Grail.

Neuschwanstein Castle: royal quarters

Carved oak panels, massive wooden furniture and silk-embroidered curtains (curtains) are present in all the rooms that make up the royal chambers - in the bedroom, chapel, dining room, living room, study. The royal bedchamber, made in neo-Gothic style, is quite remarkable. It is replete with carved decorations and ornaments, which were made by 14 craftsmen for 4.5 years. Paintings hang on the walls, telling about the tragic love of Tristan and Isolde. The design of the living room permeates the swan motif, its interior is subject to a single plan - the legend of the Swan Knight.

On a high rock, where against the backdrop of heaven

A blackening forest has grown like a wild bowl,

Where in the midst of silence the waterfall only makes noise,

The white castle, like a swan, hovers over the forest.

Good afternoon friends!

Today I want to tell you about one of the most beautiful castles in the world - Neuschwanstein Castle. The history of its origin and the life story of its author and creator of the Bavarian king Ludwig II is already a reason to visit this place.

Neuschwanstein Castle (“New Swan Stone”) or “Swan Castle” are dreams, fantasies frozen in stone, love for medieval mythology and fantastic operas by Richard Wagner, refined and dreamy, in love with the beauty of King Ludwig II.

One of the passions of the "fairytale king" (at the end of his life recognized as insane) was the construction of new palaces. Among the luxurious and elegant castles he built (Linderhof, Herrenchiemsee, each of which can be attributed to world architectural masterpieces), Neuschwanstein Castle stands out for its unrealistic beauty of architecture and interior decoration. The impression that you find yourself in an amazing medieval world of noble knights and beautiful ladies is enhanced by the location of the castle.

In the Bavarian Alps, on a high hill (1000 m) above a deep gloomy gorge, an unusually light ephemeral structure rises, as if floating in the air, more like a mirage than a real castle.

Nearby are two mountain lakes Alpine (Alpensee) and Swan (Schwansee) . According to legend, it was in these places that the “swan knight” Lohengrin performed his exploits, rescuing the beautiful princess Odette, who was turned into a swan by an evil sorcerer. This medieval legend apparently possessed some kind of mythical and powerful energy force and inspired the poets and composers of that time to create outstanding works. An example of this is Richard Wagner's opera Lohengrin and the famous ballet Swan Lake by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky.

The magical charms of these places still fascinate everyone who has ever visited these places at least once. We recognize the familiar features and silhouette of the famous castle in the Sleeping Beauty Castle and in the emblem of the Walt Disney Studios.

A bit of the history of Neuschwanstein Castle

In these amazingly beautiful places in the north-east of Germany (Bavaria), in the castle of Hohenschwangau (which was restored in the first half of the 19th century by King Maximilian, father of Ludwig II), the childhood and youth of the future king of Bavaria passed.

Having become king at the age of 18, Ludwig II, longing for solitude and fascinated by the music of his friend, the composer Richard Wagner, begins the construction of the Neuschwanstein royal castle. He chose a place for it on a lonely rock near the castle of Hohenschwangau, the former summer residence of the royal family.

The castle was built from 1868 to 1886, until the death of King Ludwig II. After his tragic death, construction was stopped. The knight's room and the third floor were not completed, the construction of the cathedral in the Gothic style remained in the project, the interior decoration was not fully completed.

But even in its unfinished form, the castle, opened to the public shortly after the death of the king, has become an extremely popular place for tourists from all over the world.

Neuschwanstein Castle - the precious pearl of Germany

Official site: www.neuschwanstein.de

Panorama of Neuschwanstein Castle:

A five-story building, looking up, in the style of a romantic knight's fortress with luxurious interior decoration - the castle is the embodiment of the dream of Ludwig II, who identifies himself with the "Swan Knight" - the character of Wagner's opera, to build the incomparable beauty of the Swan Castle . And it is.

The rave reviews of visitors leave no doubt that the plan of Ludwig II was a success, and, in addition to his will and desire, the castle continues to delight and many people are forced to admire its beauty.

Representing in fact a medieval fortress in form, a white-stone castle, elegant and slender, decorated with numerous balconies with arches, loopholes, round and pointed turrets, patterned windows, combining various architectural styles and decoration techniques - in general, creates an image of an airy and floating in the air lacy fairy tale castle.

The best craftsmen and painters, wood carvers and sculptors worked on the interior decoration of the castle.

Unique in beauty and performance are the carved wooden bed in the bedroom, the folding altar in the chapel, decorated with wooden carvings, paintings and wall paintings of the halls dedicated to the characters from the operas of Wagner, the beloved composer and friend of the king.

The swan motif is everywhere in the design of the castle: swans on furniture, tapestries, wall paintings, ceilings, stairs and passages.

The marble Throne Room, the dining room, the royal bedroom, the living room, the king's study, the singers' hall - each of these rooms is unique and is distinguished by its original decoration, on which famous masters worked for a long time and carefully.

The windows of the castle offer a beautiful panorama of the picturesque surroundings. Not far from the castle there is another attraction - the suspension bridge Marienbrücke over the gorge. It offers a wonderful view of the castle, surroundings and a 45-meter waterfall.

When to visit Neuschwanstein Castle?

Neuschwanstein is interesting for both adults and children. In addition, many children are already familiar with the Swan Castle, because it is in such a castle that the Sleeping Beauty from the Walt Disney cartoons lives. Here you can see the original and briefly get into a wonderful fairy tale.

The castle is beautiful at any time of the year. And visiting it in winter has its advantages: fewer tourists and more time spent on excursions.

How to get to Neuschwanstein Castle?

Neuschwanstein Castle is located near the town of Fussen (Fussen) and 130 km from Munich.

From Munich, Neuschwanstein is easily accessible by car along the “Romantic German Road” or by train to Fussen with a change at Kaufbturen station. From Fussen, take a bus to the village of Hohenschwangau (7-10 minutes in time) or take a taxi.

Here in the gorge between two castles (Neuschwanstein and Hohenschwangau) there is a parking lot, a restaurant and a ticket center. Tickets are not sold in the castles, they can only be purchased here.

Tourists are delivered to the castle by horse-drawn carriage, mini-bus, or you can climb on foot (it takes about 20 minutes).

Neuschwanstein Castle opening hours

Neuschwanstein Castle is open daily (with the exception of Christmas holidays (December 24 and 25) and New Year (December 31 and January 1)).

Opening hours:

• 8.00 - 17.00 - in summer (until 15.10);
• 9.00 - 15.00 - in winter (16.10 - 27.03).

How much does a castle tour cost?

You can only visit the halls with guided tours, which are held in German and English and start every 5 minutes.

The cost of the tour of the castle (duration - 35 minutes):

• Adults - 12 euros;
• Children and students (under 18 years old) - free of charge;
• For persons over 65 years old, students and disabled people - 11 euros;
• For groups (from 15 people) - 11 euros.

The cost of the excursion from Munich is from 70 euros.

You can book your ticket online www.hohenschwangau.de at extra charge:

• 1.8 euros per person in 1 castle;
• for groups (from 15 people): 0.90 euros per person. And 1 lock.

When visiting both castles (Hohenschwangau and Neuschwanstein) on the same day, they usually buy a “King’s Ticket” (“Royal Ticket”):

• Adults - 23 euros;
• Children and students (under 18) accompanied by parents - free of charge;
• School groups - 11 euros;
• For persons over 65 years old, students and disabled people - 21 euros.

• In order not to waste time in the queue for a ticket or, even worse, not to buy tickets upon arrival due to their absence on the current day, use the ticket booking service on the official website of the castles. This is especially true at the height of the tourist season;
• If you want to visit both castles, expect that between visiting them you need to leave a margin of 1.5-2 hours. This will make it possible to calmly and without haste get from one castle to another;
• Tourists with large bags and strollers are not allowed into the castle. And if you are traveling with luggage, it is better to arrive at Füssen station early. The number of luggage storage at the station is limited, and all cells can be occupied after 9 am;
• Don't try to take pictures in the castle. It is forbidden;
• When purchasing a ticket, you can ask to give you a scheme (issued free of charge upon request), according to which you can determine and correctly calculate the approximate time it will take to get to the castle on time;
• Also, when buying a ticket, you can ask for an audio guide in Russian;
• Check the information about the Bayern ticket in advance if you plan to visit Bavaria. By purchasing such a ticket, you can travel by train throughout Bavaria easily and cheaply. How to buy such a ticket and all the necessary information can be found on the Internet at the Deutsche Bahn (Deutsche Bahn) website: www.bahn.com.

Neuschwanstein Castle is perhaps the most famous and spectacular in all of Europe. Many have already seen it in photographs or all kinds of German souvenirs. Let's get to know him better today.

Seven weeks after the death of King Ludwig II in 1886, Neuschwanstein Castle was opened to the public. The humble king built the castle in the hope of hiding from public life, and now crowds of people came to look at his refuge.

Today, Neuschwanstein is one of the most famous castles and palaces in Europe. Every year, about 1.2 million tourists come to see the "castle of the fairytale king." During the summer, about 6,000 visitors a day rush through halls that were once reserved for just one resident.

It would be difficult to think of a place more suitable for the location of the castle, however, you need to constantly monitor the movements in the area of ​​​​the castle foundation, and the sheer rocky walls need to be periodically strengthened. The harsh climate is also damaging the limestone façades, which need to be restored piece by piece over the next few years.

Neuschwanstein Castle (German) Schloss Neuschwanstein, literally: "New Swan Rock") is a 19th-century castle near the town of Füssen and Hohenschwangau Castle in southwestern Bavaria, near the Austrian border.

As we already know, Ludwig II began the construction of three palaces - Neuschwanstein, Herrenchiemsee and Linderhof, however, only Linderhof was completed during his lifetime. It is worth noting that Neuschwanstein is called a “castle” in vain, in fact it never was, since it never had a defensive value. Neuschwanstein is a whim of a king who was fascinated by the music of Wagner and built this castle-palace for his beloved composer in the spirit of his works, for which the castle serves as some kind of illustration or theater stage.

Clickable 5000 px, panorama

“I decided to rebuild the old castle. Its architectural style will reproduce the original German knightly castles. Its location is one of the most beautiful you can find. The castle will be sacred and impregnable. The singing hall, from where a general view of the castle opens, will remind you of the Tannhäuser saga, and the courtyard and the chapel will remind you of a song about Lohengrin. This building will be more majestic than the lower castle of Hohenschwangau. Here we will feel the divine breath of heaven, ”the King of Bavaria Ludwig II will write to Richard Wagner about the idea of ​​​​building Neuschwanstein.

Ludwig II decided to build his first castle in his native places since childhood, on top of a cliff in the neighborhood of Hohenschwangau. In total, there were four fortresses on this territory that protected the road to Tyrol. The best preserved castle is Schwanstein, which was rebuilt by Maximilian II in Hohenschwangau. Further west were the ruins of the Frauenstein, which Maximilian decided to keep intact as a monument. Two more castles - Vorderhohenschwangau and Hinderhohenschwangau - remained in ruins to the east of Hohenschwangau. Ludwig called this place "the rock of youth". Initially, Ludwig planned a typical 19th-century restoration of both castles in the style of the 12th-13th centuries, based on the experience of Hohenschwangau. The first sketches of New Schwangau differed significantly from the final version of the castle. The projects involved the unification of two castles into a single ensemble. Vorderschwangau in this case became the main tower of the castle, and Hinterschwangau was transformed into the main building. However, a number of circumstances changed the original idea.

To create a project for the future castle, Ludwig II invites an architect Eduard Riedel who had previously rebuilt Berg Castle for Ludwig's father. Also, a theater artist is involved in the development of the appearance of Neuschwanstein Christian Yank, which embodies Riedel's ideas in a pictorial and graphic form, in order to provide the customer with the most complete impression of the project. Janck was considered a specialist in medieval fortresses, after he created the scenery of the “fortress on the Rhine”, made in a romantic vein, for the ball of the Art Union “Jung-Munich”. To create the Neuschwanstein plan, Riedel and Jank, as well as Ludwig, went to the Wartburg for inspiration. Yank provided several sketches of the future castle. the first of them showed a desire for fanatical and Gothic forms, but after the king's revision, they acquired a calmer Romanesque outline.

Work on the future masterpiece of architecture began in the summer of 1868. In order to lay the foundation, it was necessary to blow up about eight meters of rock. In June 1869, the access road was completed. The first stone was laid on September 5, 1869, along with the building plan, portraits of King Ludwig II and coins from the era of his reign.

During the construction of the castle, the most modern technologies at that time were used. Advanced technology was involved in the construction. For example, in order to facilitate the transportation of materials to the construction site, a steam crane was built in the western part of it. For the same purposes, locomobiles were used - mobile steam engines, prototypes of cars. They were in charge of the "Bavarian Audit Commission for Steam Boilers". In addition, the latest achievements of technology were installed in the building itself, being invisible to the viewer. Among them are plumbing installed on each floor, central steam heating, electric telephone system, etc. All this functioned during the life of Ludwig II, and ensured a comfortable stay of the king in the castle.

It is difficult to imagine what problems one had to face then and how much building material was required. The cement manufacturer alone, Jakob Lang of Schongau, supplied no less than 9,000 quintals of cement in 1872. In the same year, Unhoh supplied 184,500 liters of lime. For 1879/80. there are statistics on the use of building material: 9,300 centners of marble from Salzburg, 91,000 centners of Nurthing sandstone, 400,000 bricks, 3,600 cubic meters of sand, 12,000 centners of cement, 1,000 centners of charcoal, 2,050 cubic meters of boards (for scaffolding). Sandstone for the portal and bay window was brought from Nürtingen, Württemberg. For windows, arches, columns and capitals, marble from Salzburg was used. A huge amount of building material was lifted from the west side of the building in trolleys using a steam-powered crane. They were delivered and installed in the right place using a special system of lifting blocks. Construction machines were already tested annually for safety and reliability by the "Bavarian Steam Boiler Audit Committee", from which today's Technical Supervisory Association (TUV) emerged. In 1880, 209 carpenters, masons and auxiliary workers were employed at the construction site.

After the death of the king (in 1886), all construction work was suspended. The third floor of the castle and the knight's quarters were not completed. The main tower of the castle with a church, 90 m high, which was supposed to rise above all the buildings, was not built at all. The western terrace, which was supposed to lead to the unfinished bath, was not finished either.

When the foundation stone of the castle was laid, the kingdom of Bavaria had already lost its sovereignty, and the fantasy of the young king found solace in insulted pride in visions of a fantastic new kingdom, where Ludwig was one hundred percent sovereign. The dream castle was built as the embodiment of the dreams of the monarch, so even the Munich theater artist Christian Jank was appointed the chief architect.

The king, with youthful passion, devoted himself entirely to construction. Despite this, the construction of the castle progressed far from as fast as the Bavarian dreamer saw it. The fact is that it was a very difficult task to build such an architecturally and communicationally complex structure in a mountainous alpine area. People worked day and night, but still did not keep up with the ruler's flight of fancy, who, moreover, constantly revised the project, in order to please the visions that visited him again. As a result, for example, a fairly modest reception room turned into a pompous Throne Room.

Completely immersed in the world of his sweet dreams, Ludwig increasingly lost touch with reality. The leadership of the Bavarian lands was left to chance, the king increasingly committed rash and inexplicable, from the point of view of common sense, actions, which resulted in natural and deplorable consequences for the sovereign. In 1886, after a psychiatric examination, the king was declared insane. Soon, under mysterious circumstances, while boating in Lake Starnberg, the deposed monarch, along with the psychiatrist who concluded his incapacity, drowned. As they say, ends in the water.

The construction of Neuschwanstein at that time was in full swing. The craftsmen began the construction of the donjon - the main castle tower. After the death of Ludwig, the construction of the century was hastily curtailed, and already seven weeks after his death, the castle was opened to the public. However, sluggish construction continued almost until the beginning of the 20th century. In 1891, the grandiose romantic project was finally declared completed and immediately acquired the status of a national treasure.

Clickable

Neuschwanstein Castle is a symbiosis of three different, in terms of use, parts: this is the central building of the castle - the Palace and the wings extending from it. The left one is called the Kemenate Building (the entrance to the castle), the right one is the House of the Knights. The interior decoration of the grandiose building is made in an incredible mixture and variety of styles belonging to different time periods. Moorish, Gothic and, at the same time, Baroque elements coexist in the rooms, but, oddly enough, there is no feeling of a tasteless eclectic hodgepodge. The stalactite columns of an artificial grotto, inscribed in the overall architecture of the structure, the decadent decor of the Byzantine style of the Throne Hall, in which the throne was never installed, the exquisite and at the same time quite powerful lighting of the singing hall - a kind of castle theater designed to stage Wagner's romantic works. In total, the castle has about 360 rooms and halls, but since the construction was not completed in full, the final decoration was carried out only in some of them.

The interior decoration of the already mentioned Hall of Singers is striking, the walls of which are decorated with frescoes based on the opera of the beloved composer Ludwig II - Wagner, "Tannhäuser". The central, largest fresco immortalized the knight of Parsifal at the moment when he first saw the Holy Grail. The luxurious patterned ceiling of the hall is decorated with wooden panels with images of the signs of the Zodiac on them. Both the ceiling, the walls, and the Singing Arcade of the building are also decorated with rich ornamental painting. Currently, the Hall of Singers hosts classical music concerts. This hall occupies the entire fourth floor of the five-story Palace.

Directly below it, on the third floor, is an artificial interspersing of man-made wildlife, which was supposed to surprise visitors - a cave with stalactites and stalagmites located inside the castle. Initially, to enliven the interior and make it more like nature, a real cascade of water beat here. Nowadays, the water supply system is either broken or turned off, there are no more fountains or waterfalls in the grotto.

Another, leaving a rich impression on tourists, the premises of the third floor are the bedroom and the personal chapel of the king. Both of them are made in the Gothic style, and perhaps the main attraction of the castle is located in the bedroom - the carved bed of the owner of the apartment. In order to imagine its luxury and magnificence of patterned painting, it is enough to say that 14 wood carvers worked non-stop on the manufacture of this structure for 4.5 years. The walls of the bedroom are hung with paintings on the theme of the life of Tristan and Isolde, the legendary lovers from medieval European legends. There is also an opera of the same name by Richard Wagner, which at one time made a great impression on the romantic soul of Ludwig.

The king's personal chapel adjoins his bedroom. It is dedicated to the owner's guardian angel - the canonized French King Louis the Saint, after whom the Bavarian monarch was named. Noteworthy is the richly decorated folding altar embedded in the painted lancet vault.

The Neuschwanstein throne room was designed by the architects Eduard Ille and Julius Hoffmann in the style of Byzantine satiated luxury. Long rows of columns run through the entire two-tiered hall with decorations made of imitation porphyry and lapis lazuli. The room ends with a semicircular gilded apse - the location of the royal throne. Nine marble steps lead to the foot of the platform, on which the throne, decorated with gold and ivory, was supposed to be located. History decreed otherwise - the monarch died before the symbol of power was made and installed in the place intended for him.

The dome of the apse is decorated with paintings on theological themes. Here Jesus Christ is depicted surrounded by the Mother of God Mary and the Apostle John, and below are the figures of kings canonized as saints, among which is the already mentioned heavenly patron of Ludwig - Louis of France. The interior is complemented by a majestic chandelier, made in the form of a Byzantine crown. The chandelier is made of gilded copper, designed for 96 candles and weighs almost 2 tons - 18 centners.

Another fully completed building of the castle was the royal kitchen located on the ground floor. Despite the stylization of the Middle Ages, the castle was engineered with the latest technology of the 19th century. Excellent water supply and drainage systems were installed here, and the air heating system was advanced for its time. Water for castle needs was delivered from a source located two hundred meters above, and entered the premises, as in the famous fountains of Petrodvorets, by gravity, using the principle of communicating vessels. Returning to the kitchen, it should be noted that water was not just supplied here, but was divided into cold and hot. The kitchen is equipped not only with stoves, ovens and braziers for cooking, but also with a specially designed mechanism, the function of which was to serve cooked dishes to the royal dining room, so as not to distract His Majesty with the flickering of servants from lofty thoughts. The dining room itself is decorated with oak panels, and the walls are hung with paintings by artists Ferdinand Riloti and Joseph Aigner, depicting scenes from the legendary Minnesinger song contest in the Wartburg in 1207.

Clickable 1600 px

The architects of Neuschwanstein superbly succeeded in fulfilling one of the cornerstone tasks of architecture - to tie the structure to the surrounding area, to fit a detached castle into the nature of upper Bavaria. Perched on a lonely rock with steep slopes, Neuschwanstein looks like what it should seem - an impregnable medieval defensive structure. The castle windows offer an incredibly picturesque view of the Hohenschwangau valley, which Ludwig planned to improve by building another pseudo-old castle higher in the mountains, the purpose of which was to make the view from Neuschwanstein even more picturesque. Unfortunately, these plans were not destined to come true.

The inner courtyard of the castle is a magnificent park of local vegetation, where even an artificial cave has been made to amuse the guests.

Neuschwanstein became a place of public visit and landmark in Bavaria as early as the 19th century. Since then, the flow of tourists to the building, which was intended by the customer for solitary dreams and escape from the realities of the world, has been increasing year by year. More than 1.3 million tourists visit the castle every year. According to this indicator, the Swan Stone is second only to the Eiffel Tower in Paris. The influx of visitors is especially high in the summer, when about 6,000 visitors a day pass through the bedroom of a single dreamer.

The inaccessibility and secluded location made Neuschwanstein attractive for its utilitarian use by Nazi Germany. Here, at the end of the Second World War, the gold reserves of the Reichsbank were located, which later disappeared in an unknown direction. A personal collection of jewelry, works of art and furniture, selected by Adolf Hitler from the general mass of valuables taken out by the invaders from Europe, was also kept here.

It is interesting that it was the appearance of Neuschwanstein that inspired Walt Disney to create the residence of Sleeping Beauty - the Fairy Kingdom from the cartoon of the same name. Therefore, the appearance of the most famous castle in Bavaria is well known even to the smallest Russians who have never been to the lands of Germany - the central image of the Disney Hour screensaver on our television is Neuschwanstein.

The German government is attentive to the current state of the national treasure. At the end of the 20th century, more than 11 million euros were spent from the state budget for a large-scale reconstruction. Restoration work, by the way, does not stop until now - tourists regularly survey one or another part of the castle in the scaffolding. But this, of course, cannot spoil the impression of visiting the most significant attraction of these places - Neuschwanstein Castle.

The castle is currently a museum. Visiting is possible only as part of a group (at the same time, automatic audio guides are issued in various languages, including Russian). To visit the castle, you need to buy a ticket at the ticket center (the desired time can be agreed on the website of the center) and go up to the castle by bus, as well as on foot or in a horse carriage. The only person who "lives" in the castle at the moment and is its keeper is the watchman.

"I want to remain in people's memory as an eternal mystery..." the king said, so it happened,
after his mysterious death, people made up legends. And now there is no complete information about death
king, it is known that they found two bodies on the banks of the river - the king and his attending physician.

Prince Ludwig was born on the same day that Louis IX, King of France, founder of the House of Bourbon, ascended the throne. The godfather of Ludwig II was Louis XVI, these friendly relations were maintained throughout the life of King Ludwig II of Bavaria. When the prince was 16 years old, an event occurred in his life that determined his fate, in 1861 he attended Wagner's opera Lohengrin. Wagner's music shocked him, since then he has become a passionate admirer of Wagner and a collector of his works. After his coronation, he arranged a meeting with Wagner. In Munich, Wagner was not loved for his revolutionary past, and under pressure from the people, Ludwig was forced to ask Wagner to leave Munich, but their friendship did not end there.

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In 1869, Ludwig laid the first stone on the site of an ancient fortress on the slopes of the Alps. The Bavarian Neuschwanstein Castle was built in the form of a medieval castle with a fortress wall, towers and passages and looked very beautiful against the backdrop of the park. Its construction took 17 years, but was never completed. By an evil twist of fate, Ludwig II experienced the greatest humiliation of his life in this romantic castle. In 1886, he suffered a huge disappointment in his life - the war with Prussia did not bring the desired results, but only huge losses and debts.

Rampant construction and the funds spent on it did not contribute to the popularity of the once adored monarch. He poured his own annual income of 5.5 million marks into his projects and dug deep into the public pocket. By the time of Ludwig's death, his debt to the state was 21 million marks. The wealth of the country, acquired over 800 years by many generations of Bavarian monarchs, was wasted in just 20 years.

As a result of the conspiracy, Ludwig was declared legally incompetent, power was transferred to the reins of his uncle Lutpold. The king himself refused to recognize his incapacity, based on the fact that the doctor who made such a conclusion was never his doctor. Ludwig II was taken to the Berg Palace, where the next day he was found dead on Lake Starnberg under mysterious circumstances, along with the attending physician, who concluded that he was incapacitated.

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Traditionally, we finish our tour with a virtual tour of the castle. Click on the picture and get straight to Germany!

Neuschwanstein is one of the most popular attractions in Bavaria. This building impresses with its beauty and incredible location. The idealistic castle, as if grown out of a rock, is visited annually by about 1.4 million people, of which a significant part is occupied by tourists from Russia, second only to the Chinese.

This region in the south of Bavaria is not only Neuschwanstein, but also excellent hiking trails in the foothills of the Alps. This is Füssen with its narrow streets and the turquoise river Lech. You should definitely come here for at least one day.

Neuschwanstein how to get from Munich

The castle is located in the foothills of the Alps in the southwest of the Bavaria region, near the town of Füssen. The nearest major tourist center with an airport to Neuschwanstein is Munich. The lion's share of tourists comes to the castle from this city.

Public transport

There is no direct rail or bus connection between Munich and Neuschwanstein. You can get to the castle only with a change in the town of Füssen, to which trains leave from Munich Central Station Hauptbahnhof.

You can get acquainted with the train schedule, as well as purchase tickets on the official website of the railways bahn.com. About which tickets to buy and how described below.

When planning a trip, be sure to check the schedule in advance. It differs depending on the day of the week. There are direct trains to Füssen, and the site also offers routes with one change. There is practically no difference in time. The fastest direct flight takes 1:47 minutes, and the longest with a transfer around 2:20.

Bayern ticket

Traveling in Germany by rail is a pleasure. For tourists, there are special travel cards that can be purchased for one day and ride unlimited in all directions in the region.

In this case, to get to Neuschwanstein, you need to buy a Bavarian ticket. It will allow you to travel by train to Füssen round-trip, and additionally there is a free bus ride to the commune of Schwangau.

Returning to the choice of a hotel, choose it closer to the historical part of Fussen, where restaurants are located and there is life. It is most convenient to look at the map of Booking hotels below.

Ticket office opening hours:

• from March 24 to October 15: 08:00 - 17:00
• from October 16 to March 23: 09:00 - 15:00

Opening hours of the castle (guided tours):

• from March 24 to October 15: 09:00 - 18:00
• from October 16 to March 23: 10:00 – 16:00

Should I go inside Neuschwanstein? It all depends on the personal preferences of the person. Someone likes to look at artsy furniture, tapestries and paintings, but someone does not find anything interesting in this. We did not enter the castle and preferred to spend the time we had on exploring the surroundings and trekking up the mountain.

From Schwangau to Neuschwanstein

The above is general information that should help with simple questions, how to get to the castle, where to buy a ticket and so on. Now I will move on to describing the surroundings and personal experience of visiting.

Immediately from the bus stop in Schwangau, you can see Neuschwanstein Castle, which seems to have grown in the rock. You have to climb to such a height on foot, well, or use a carriage.

From here you can also see the valley and the foothills of the Alps, in which Neuschwanstein is located.

Here it is, the best view of Neuschwanstein and the valley. The castle appears in all its glory. It is amazing how this structure grows out of the rock.

The bridge itself is located over a hundred-meter abyss, in which the Pöllat River flows and connects two rocks. A very beautiful and breathtaking sight.

It is believed that King Ludwig, walking along Marienbrücke, admired the view of the valley, the surrounding nature, and then he had the idea to build a snow-white castle in this place.

The route itself, in fact, does not have any definite end or logical conclusion. Since this is the foothills of the Alps, everything here is literally cut up by paths. This path, if you go to the end, leads to the Tegelbergbahn cable car. How high to climb everyone must decide for himself.

Immediately after 10 minutes of climbing, there is another very good observation deck on Neuschwanstein Castle. It seems to me that it is not much inferior to the view from the bridge, but there are almost no people here. Most likely there will be a couple of people or none at all.

In addition to Neuschwanstein, there is a very good view of the same lake of the Alps from here.

In total, the ascent to this lookout takes about 40 minutes. The height difference is 180 meters, not so much.

You have to be extremely careful on the trail. During our ascent, frost began, and then it started to rain. The stones and the road underfoot become slippery, it is dangerous to walk, and it was difficult to see anything behind the rain and fog. In bad weather, it will be quite enough to climb to the first lookout.

In total, it took us about 1.5 hours to and from the Best Wiew in Town lookout.

Even with trekking, a visit to Neuschwanstein and the surrounding area will take no more than 3-4 hours. In other words, by about 14:00 the question arises of what's next. Some tourists immediately go from Schwangau to Füssen, and then to Munich, the other goes to see the Hohenshwangau castle. After Neuschwanstein, he seemed completely nondescript to me, so it was decided to pay attention to Fussen. For some reason, this city is undeservedly deprived of attention and is considered only as a transit, but in vain.

We visited Neuschwanstein in November, when daylight is very short, at 16:30 it becomes dark and there is essentially nothing to do in this area. We returned to Füssen from Neuschwanstein by 14:00, then spent an hour and a half at lunch in a restaurant. Accordingly, there was about an hour left to inspect this small town before dark.

When planning a trip, I advise you to allocate at least 2 hours to Füssen. This time will be quite enough, an hour turned out to be not enough for us.

The map shows the route for walking around Füssen. Of interest here is the central area, located between the railway station and the Lech River.

The main street of this village is Reichenstrasse. It has all the boutiques and restaurants. I recommend on the way back from Neuschwanstein not to stop for lunch near the castle or in Schwangau, but to eat at one of the local establishments. Cozy restaurants, very hearty portions and the best mulled wine - this is about Füssen.

It is only 500 m from the beginning of the street to the Lech embankment. Perhaps the main attraction of the city is the river, namely its color. Even on a cloudy day, Leh shimmers with shades of blue and blue, and on a sunny day, the sight is most likely incredible.

But still, the embankment is not the coolest feature of Füssen. About five hundred meters upstream of the Lech there is one very interesting structure. The blue waters of the river break down the rapids created by man into a narrow gorge, forming a kind of waterfall.

Here a bridge passes through Leh, there are no tourists at all. Amazing place, the color of the water is mesmerizing.

If it were not a November chilly day, but a sunny summer, then we would definitely stop here for a couple of hours on the river bank.

When planning a trip to the castle from Munich, you need to leave as early as possible so that you have enough time to slowly explore not only Neuschwanstein itself, but also the surrounding area. The optimal time to leave Munich is before 09:00 am. In this situation, by 11:00 you can already be in Schwangau.

Most tourists who come to see the castle are limited only to going inside and viewing the Marienbrücke. I advise you not to be lazy and be sure to take a hike up the mountain. In clear weather, the impressions of what you see will be amazing.