Neuschwanstein Castle

If you want to feel like you are walking through a real life fairy tale, there is no place quite like Schloss Neuschwanstein as the German’s call it or Sleeping Beauty’s castle as so many Americans think of it. Located in the Bavarian Alps it is one of the most visited castles in the world. I have been lucky enough to visit it twice and both times, I saw and learned something new.

Neuschwanstein Castle  was built by King Ludwig II of Bavaria the name translates to New Swan Castle; this castle was originally called New Hohenschwangau Castle. It was meant to be a grand recreation of Hohenschwangau Castle where King Ludwig II spent his childhood years.  The new name is in reference to Richard Wagner’s opera character the Swan Knight and was not used until after King Ludwig’s mysterious death.  King Ludwig was a great admirer of Wagner and Wagner’s characters inspired many of the rooms within the castle.

Hohenschwangau Castle

Neuschwanstein Castle was built on a site where the ruins of two small castles had stood, construction for the new castle began in the summer of 1868 with stones being removed to make way for the future castles foundations, the following year an access road was complete and the first foundation stone was laid in September 1869. King Ludwig expected the building of his new castle to take three years, but in reality, it was never completed.  In 1873 the Gateway building was inhabitable and a topping out ceremony was held on January 29 1880. The exterior of the  castle was built to look like a medieval castle while the inside was filled with state of the art technology for the time. The castle had automatic flushing toilets, running hot water and forced air heating.

King Ludwig built Neuschwanstein as a private refuge where he could escape people, however in the end he only spent 11 nights there.

After being declared insane by the government, King Ludwig was arrested On June 12 1886 at the castle and taken to Berg Palace.  The next day King Ludwig asked his psychiatrist Dr. Gudden to take a walk with him, when neither man returned by late that evening a search party was sent out. The King’s body was located lying face down in shallow water with Dr. Gudden’s body lying nearby. To this day, it remains a mystery how both men died.

Within days of Ludwig’s death, the government had opened Neuschwanstein Castle to the public and the castle that was meant to be a private retreat quickly became a tourist destination for people from all over the world.

Had the castle been completed there would have been over 200 rooms but as it is, there are only about 15 finished rooms and hallways that are now available to tour.  Among these rooms are the throne room where you will see a mural of Saint George slaying a dragon and an intricate mosaic floor that depicts various animals but there is no actual throne, one had been ordered but not delivered prior to Ludwig’s death.

The Hall of Singers is a grand concert hall and was Ludwig’s favorite room; it was designed for Wagner’s opera performances, although none were held here during the Kings lifetime. The first performance to take place in this room occurred on the 50^th anniversary of Wagers death in 1933.

My favorite room in this castle is the King’s bedroom. There is an ornate wooden carved bed that took fourteen artisans four years to complete; this is the room the King was arrested in. Standing here one must wonder what he was thinking as they came to take him away from the safety of his own bedchamber.

 Off the bedroom is a Grotto, a small room between the salon and the study. Walking into this small room is like walking into a cave complete with artificial stalactites, a waterfall and a sliding glass door that leads into a bright winter garden.

 Photos are not allowed inside the castle, but a quick internet search will produce various shots of these incredible rooms giving you an idea of how detailed each of these rooms is, though to really appreciate this work of history you really should travel there, taking time to stand in each room taking in the wonder of this amazing castle.