Day 67
Neuschwanstein castle!
This was Dad’s favorite castle. Neuschwanstein, is located near the boarder of Switzerland. It was begun by King Ludwig II of Bavaria, Germany but never completed. Neuschwanstein, is known as the inspiration for the fairy tail castle of Disney’s Cinderella’s castle, and, as it’s name indicates, Ludwig was especially fond of swans and the swan theme can be observed throughout the castle. The castle is way up on top of a mountain, and has a grand view all around. The castle is so popular that they welcome over 1.3 million visitors annually. Bavaria immediately stopped working on the castle after Ludwig’s early (inexplicable) death but soon opened the castle up for the pubic, hoping to be able to recoup the money spent on it’s extravagant construction.
Here is a little history about the castle and what happened.
Ludwig drew inspiration for Neuschwanstein Castle from Hohenschwangau Castle, his childhood home. The name Ludwig chose for his castle was New Hohenschwangau, and he selected a site upon the Jugend, a mountain ridge overlooking the Pollat Gorge, for its construction. Bavarian authorities renamed the castle Neuschwanstein after Ludwig's death. Ludwig hoped to have the project completed within three years, but its technical complexity and the difficulty of working on the precipice slowed construction down considerably. Builders laid the first foundation stone in 1869 and finished the castle's Gateway Building, Ludwig's home within the construction site, in 1873. The final completed portions of Neuschwanstein, its Bower and Square Tower, weren't finished until 1892. Some of Ludwig's more outlandish architectural ideas that failed to reach fruition included the Moorish Hall, a reception chamber that was to have an ornate fountain as its centerpiece, and the Knight's Bath, which was to feature bathing pools allowing Ludwig to emulate the cleansing rituals Crusaders would perform before seeking the Holy Grail.
When we arrived at the foot of the mountain we boarded a bus that took us most of the way up, we then had to walk the rest of the way. When walking we saw right across the valley another castle. That castle was Hohenschwangau Castle, the castle where he grew up. We did not have time to go see it. As we entered the gates people came from everywhere. It was drawing close to the tour time and many people were arriving.
The front of the castle was painted red, and the rest was white. Once inside the gate we waited for about 10 mins for our tour to start, while waiting we looked around. Off to the left when you enter you can see a bridge across the valley, Mary’s Bridge. That bridge is presently under repairs so it was not available to hike across. It is said that the best view of the castle is from that bridge. There are trails up in the mountains to hike and that bridge is one thing you can cross on the hike.
We were not allowed to take any pictures, so that is why we have no pictures of the inside. But, I can tell you a bit about the inside. The halls had carpet, and the pillars were carved with many little pictures. The windows were huge. Upon entering the main part every thing changed to bright reds, purples, and gold. Grand staircases, big doors, huge vaulted ceilings, fantastic marble inlay floors, and the carpets were red with many colored designs. The staircases were spiral, with carpet all the way up and down. The handrails of the stairs were made of white marble with gray stripes. The ceilings, were way different. Carved with pictures of fruit, people, horses, and many other designs. Everything was so intensely ornate and lavish! The tour began with a walk through the servants quarters and they were fabulous in themselves!
The tour guide went so fast. We wished he would slow down and let us take a look to really soak in the beauty. I guess one has to hustle to accommodate those 1.3 million visitors. Once the tour was over we headed to the souvenir shop. We enjoyed a lot of time looking around. Dad bought, a couple things, because he loved the castle so much.
I, would say that if any of you ever go to Germany you should go visit Neuschwanstein castle!