While the Palace of Versailles displays the luxury and splendor of France, Buckingham exudes the aristocracy of England, Neuschwanstein Castle embodies the fairy architecture and romantic innovation of Germany in the 19th century.

General information

Neuschwanstein Castle is located in the village of Schwangau, near the town of Füssen, Bavaria, southern Germany. It was built in 1869 at the request of the "crazy King" Ludwig II, a rare and strange character in the history of the Monarchy in Germany. This is the last castle that King Ludwig II built and lived in. Before that, there had been two castles for the king, but they were severely degraded, dilapidated, and then completely destroyed when King Ludwig II entered Neuschwanstein Castle.

Neuschwanstein Castle

Architecture

Neuschwanstein means New Swan Stone, derived from a knight character "Swan Knight" in the famous musical by the composer and conductor Richard Wagner. The castle is an artistic masterpiece, combining many architectures, with Roman-arched windows, Gothic pinnacles, and Byzantine-style gold and marble decoration. It evokes a poetic and splendid beauty that makes anyone once passed cannot forget.

Surrounding the castle is a granite wall, inside is a limestone brick wall. This creates a solid and sustainable position for the castle against time and erosion by nature. Inside the castle, the interior is sophisticatedly designed with unique paintings and elegant colors. Because the genius playwright Richard Wagner was also a close friend, King Ludwig had many scenes from his musicals painted on the tapestries and murals. The castle was equipped with the most advanced technology of the time, such as battery-operated servant bells, central heating, water heaters, and automatic flushing toilets.

Sightseeing

In the early morning, the thin mist surrounds the castle. If you look back from afar, you can only see the pointed watchtowers hidden in the clouds, a scene like a fairy world. This castle is the model for the castles in Disneyland and has appeared in many fairy tales. If you stand on the balcony of the castle, looking out into the distance, you will enjoy the panoramic view of the Schwangau steppe of the majestic Bavarian region; Alpsee and Schwansee lakes lie side by side; and far away are the Tyrolean Mountains that divide Germany and Austria.

The castle has a fairy view

Construction 

Built in 1869 but until King Lugwig II died in 1886, the castle was not completed yet. Only 14 rooms were built and each of them has a separate architectural style. After 17 years of construction, until the death of King Lugwig II, he only stayed in the castle for only 172 days. After the king's death, the square tower and knight's house were completed in a simpler way, and the chapel was not built as originally planned.

Inside the castle

King Ludwig II and his castle

King Ludwig II was known as a "crazy king", for he loved romance, enjoyed literature, painting and art, and did not care about politics. He would rather destroy the castle than let the common people visit because that would lose its legendary character. But only six weeks after his death, the castle opened to visitors. Today, tourists mainly visit 6 private rooms of the king and 2 main halls.

King Ludwig II

Suggestions for your trip 

Here are some suggestions for your trip to Neuschwanstein Castle at an economical cost: The closest train station to Neuschwanstein Castle is the Fussen Bahnhof station. If you use the German Rail Pass, the pass will cover train to Fussen station and bus from Fussen station to Hohenschwangau village. The village of Hohenschwangau is about 1.5km from Neuschwanstein Castle. 

After exploring every corner of Neuschwanstein Castle, if you want to visit other destinations or cities in Bavaria, then Munich is an ideal address for you. From Munich, you can easily travel to Austria and the Czech Republic by rail with the DB Bahn train pass.

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