Traveling by motorcycle in Europe, we decided to go to the mountains to see some of the most famous castles in the world - Neuschwanstein and Hohenschwangau castles. They say it was Neuschwanstein Castle that became the prototype for the castle on the Disney logo.
Content:
- The history of Neuschwanstein Castle
- The history of Hohenschwangau Castle
- Where are the castles of Hohenschwangau and Neuschwanstein
- When is Neuschwanstein Castle open and the cost of visiting
- Our trip to the castles of Neuschwanstein and Hohenschwangau
The history of Neuschwanstein Castle
Neuschwanstein Castle stands on the site of two fortresses, the front and rear Schwangau. King Ludwig II ordered the plateau to be lowered by about 8 m by exploding rocks at this place and thereby create a place for the construction of a "fairy-tale palace". After the construction of the road and the laying of the pipeline, on September 5, 1869, the first stone was laid for the construction of a huge castle. It was commissioned by the court architect Eduard Riedel. And the Munich master Christian Jank embodied his plans in artistic views, the so-called "vedutes" (pictorial images).
In 1869-1873, the gates of Neuschwanstein Castle were built. The King's private chambers on the 3rd floor, as well as comfortable rooms on the 2nd floor, contributed to the convenience of the entire building. Since 1873, construction work has been carried out at a very intense pace. In 1883, the construction of the Neuschwanstein Palace was completed, and the finishing of the 1st, 2nd, 4th and 5th floors was also completed. In the spring of 1884, the king could already live in his chambers on the 4th floor, where Ludwig II spent a quarter of the entire time in the last two years before his death.
Following the signs, we make our way closer to the village of Hohenschwangau (it is even closer to the castles than Fussen). The tops of snow-capped mountains can be seen through the breaks in the clouds. But the not very warm weather somehow does not allow you to enjoy the snow.
Here is the square from which the routes to Hohenschwangau and Neuschwanstein Castle begin. If you want to stay at a campsite on the lake shore, then you need to follow the signs to Hohenschwangau, where two campsites are hiding. We stayed at Brunnen camping(http://www.camping-brunnen.de ). A night for two in a tent and a motorcycle cost 23.2 euros. The campsite has washing machines, hot showers, electricity - all this is included in the price. Plus, it is possible to take a discount card to buy discounted tickets to castles.
In the evening, the rain stopped pouring, and we were able to admire the castles in the dark.
Ludwig II spared no money to bring his fantasies to life, so the best craftsmen, painters, sculptors and wood carvers were hired to work in Neuschwanstein and elsewhere. Unfortunately, his construction projects devastated the state treasury and interfered with the fulfillment of his royal duties, which later became a determining factor in his fate.
Hohenschwangau Castle was built in order to allow members of the royal families to be closer to amazing nature, enjoy beautiful forests and a magnificent, crystal-clear lake located near two castles. Tourists are also particularly interested in the fact that the famous "fairy king" spent most of his, alas, short life in Hohenschwangau, on whose orders Neuschwanstein Castle was built. The "fairy-tale king" Ludwig II, despite his oddities and a special worldview, which was not to the liking of the rulers of Bavaria, to put it mildly, managed to leave behind a huge number of architectural masterpieces. Most of them, including Neuschwanstein, the construction of which the young monarch watched from the balcony of Hohenschwangau, were inspired by German fairy tales and the music of the great Richard Wagner. However, this story, the end of which modern police would call "dark", deserves special attention, however, as does the story of the construction of Hohenschwangau Castle, which is currently on the balance of the legendary Wittelsbach dynasty.
Salzburg marble was used for windows, arch projections, columns and capitals. A huge amount of building material was lifted from the western side of the castle in trolleys using a steam—powered crane - they were delivered and installed in the right place using a special lifting block system. In 1880, 209 carpenters, stonemasons and auxiliary workers were involved in the construction of Neuschwanstein.
In the end, the Bavarian government decided to get rid of the enormous construction costs for Neuschwanstein and the eccentric king, and, consequently, from himself. In accordance with a plan developed in high circles, on June 9, 1886, the most famous Munich psychiatrist Bernard von Gudden, having secured the signatures of three more doctors who had never seen the king, declared Ludwig mentally ill. Ludwig was well aware of the danger hanging over him, but, nevertheless, he chose to go towards his death. The king was escorted from Neuschwanstein to the small Berg Castle on the shore of Lake Starnberg. There, the “patient” behaved very meekly, and he was allowed to go for a boat ride accompanied by Dr. von Gudden, without protection. When the king and the doctor did not return for dinner, they rushed to look for them. The bodies were found a couple of hours later. No witnesses to the incident were found.
There are at least three versions of what happened that day at the lake:
1. The official version. Ludwig, who had repeatedly thought about suicide, believed that the best way to end his life was to drown himself, since the body was not crippled. That day, he decided to leave this world he hated, but the doctor tried to prevent the king, for which he paid with his life…
2. Ludwig, being an excellent swimmer, decided to escape, but the doctor actively objected and was killed in a fierce fight, and the king had a stroke from the cold water and the impressions he had experienced…
3. Both the doctor and the king were drowned by members of the cabinet conspiracy or Ludwig's relatives, wanting to bring Ludwig's uncle, Prince Luitpold, to power as regent for the feeble-minded heir to the throne, Prince Otto…
After the death of the king, all work on the construction and interior decoration of Neuschwanstein stopped, the castle was declared a national treasure and has been carefully preserved since then, being the special pride of the Bavarians, who once ruined the dreamer who built it…
The history of Hohenschwangau Castle
Hohenschwangau - the house of the "fairy king"
After Maximilian II passed away, one of his sons ascended the throne, who later received the nickname "fabulous" among the people. He loved this castle, because within its walls he could indulge in dreams of fairy-tale countries and the kind creatures who inhabited them. He did not marry, so his mother was always with him, who loved her son without memory, who, according to numerous documents compiled at that time, suffered from a mental disorder. Whether this is true or not, it is no longer possible to prove, but there is no evidence that Ludwig II was prone to aggression or despondency. All his strangeness lay only in the fact that he wanted to give himself and his people a fairy tale: on his orders, the construction of numerous castles was begun, the appearance of which was inspired to the monarch by legends about the exploits of the Bavarian knights and their victories over evil forces. As mentioned above, one of the castles built by order of Ludwig II stands opposite Hohenschwangau and is called Neuschwanstein.
It was from the amazing beauty of the Hohenschwangau balconies that the young Bavarian king spent almost all day watching the construction of the "new swan stone", which translates into German as Neuschwanstein.
Where are the castles of Hohenschwangau and Neuschwanstein
If you look at the photos of Hohenschwangau taken from a bird's-eye view, it may seem that the castle grew up in the middle of a dense forest, and there is not a single path that would lead to an architectural masterpiece. Naturally, this is not the case, Hohenschwangau, as well as Neuschwanstein, located directly opposite it, are considered one of the main points on tourist routes: numerous excursions are constantly organized to them, and some guests of Bavaria, using tourist avenues, get to architectural masterpieces on their own. Therefore, there are paths, and even roads with high-quality asphalt pavement, they are simply hidden by architects among the trees in such a way that visitors have the feeling that they are in a fabulous place.
So somewhere in Bavaria in the middle of the woods... So how do you get to the castles of Hohenschwangau and Neuschwanstein?
The most convenient option is a car. You can easily find many rental companies at every airport in Europe. The nearest major city is Munich, and for fans of low-cost airlines, Memmingham is suitable, which is even closer to the castles. First of all, you need to get to the village of Fussen, and already there are many signs in it. which will lead you to the castle.
If you prefer public transport, then you can take the train to Fussen, and then take the bus to the stop Hohenschwangau Neuschwanstein Castles, Schwangau. Information about buses can be found here www.rvo-bus.de .
After you have reached the parking lot, you can go for tickets.
When is Neuschwanstein Castle open and the cost of visiting
Tickets to the castles can be reserved online or purchased at the ticket offices. The ticket offices are located downstairs near the parking lot, so you need to think about the ticket at the very beginning of the journey. Also, during the summer months or holidays, tickets to the castle are often sold out in advance. If you have definitely decided for yourself that you want to explore the castle from the inside, then it is worth booking tickets in advance.
The ticket offices are open from 7:30 to 17:00 in the period from April 1 to October 15. From October 16 to the end of March, the ticket offices are open from 8:30 to 15:00. But this is the opening time of the ticket offices, the lock itself opens a little later and closes too.
Neuschwanstein Castle is open from 9:00 to 18:00 from April 1 to October 15, and from 10:00 to 16:00 from October 16 to the end of March. The castle is open every day of the year except January 1, December 24,25,31.
The entrance ticket to Neuschwanstein Castle in 2020 costs 13 euros. If you also want to visit Hohenschwangau Castle, then a ticket to both castles will cost 25 euros. If you are going on a big trip to Bavaria, then you should pay attention to the various combinations of tickets for visiting other castles. Current prices can always be checked on the official website www.neuschwanstein.de
By the way, it is worth noting that the ticket to the castle is valid for a specific time and if you are late, the ticket will simply disappear...
From the ticket offices to Neuschwanstein Castle, you need to walk about 1.5 kilometers uphill, so this journey can take 30-40 minutes. When buying tickets, you should count on it. You can also take a shuttle bus, its cost is about 2.5 euros.
Our trip to the castles of Neuschwanstein and Hohenschwangau
The morning of May 4th was greeted with pretty good weather. The dawn was not very expressive, but the castles in the clouds looked pretty. But bearing in mind that we are in the mountains and the weather can change at any moment, we are quickly going to the castles.
The motorcycle was left in the paid parking lot (2 euros) and went to conquer the ticket offices of the castles. There are queues at the ticket offices, but they are moving briskly. The ticket price is 13 euros.
Hohenschwangau Castle is located lower and closer to the ticket offices, there are lakes on both sides of the castle at different levels, and there is a bike trail from the castle to Tyrol, Austria.
Everywhere on the tracks there are stands with maps and information about how long it takes to travel along this route, it seems convenient, but it is not possible to estimate the real distance and time. For example, it is written from Hohenschwangau Castle to Neuschwanstein Castle that the journey takes 40 minutes. We overcame it in 20 minutes...
Near Neuschwanstein Castle, people are just teeming - someone is walking, everyone is taking pictures, someone is waiting for their tour, and everyone is moving... We go into the courtyard, where the number of people exceeds all imaginable boundaries - that's what a popular castle means.
The castle is bypassed by a road leading to a waterfall and a bridge that spans the river upstream. The bridge offers a beautiful view of Neuschwanstein Castle. And the path across the bridge goes to the lift, which, as the inscription says, is three hours away.
We do not need to go to the lift, especially since then it is not known how to return to the motorcycle, but it is worth taking a walk up the slope in search of beautiful views. At every step there is an inscription - "Do not leave the trail. It's dangerous." But with the next path to the side and the absence of this inscription in the visible space, we climb up. And it's not for nothing that the view of Hohenschwangau and Neuschwanstein castles is worth it.
Not far from Neuschwanstein Castle there is a bridge with a great view of the castle and the waterfall. Many people come to the waterfall to take pictures and go to the main road. And I advise you, go down the steps and the path and you will be able to see many stormy cascades, walk along the hanging path above the river itself and see the old chute for water drainage. If there is a chute, then downstream we will definitely come across a watermill - and so it happened, although the mill is in a completely non-working condition.
