| Willkommen auf Schloss Neuschwanstein! This beautiful palace is perched in the Alpine Foothills in the German state of Bavaria near the border of Austria. The castle was commissioned by King Ludwig II of Bavaria. Construction began September 5th, 1869 on the ruins of the Hohenschwangau Castle. The main part of the castle was finished in 1882, ready for the king. The palace came at a huge cost. It was paid for from his personal fortune and extensive borrowing, rather than the funds of Bavaria. Unfortunately, Ludwig II was only able to have his dream castle for about four years, before his mysterious death in 1886 (He only slept 11 nights in the castle). The castle has been open to the public ever since his death. Since then millions of people have come to visit the castle. The architecture of the castle is phenomenal as it is a Romanesque Revival castle. It is very complex as it had to fit on the relatively small amount of space given to build. You enter the Neuschwanstein through a symmetrical Gatehouse flanked with two stair towers. Continue, and you will enter the castles courtyard. The courtyard is mostly surrounded by towering castle walls. Plans were made to build a chapel in the yard, but it was never built. The golden-brown interior is properly decorated, with about 65,000 square feet in rooms. The castle was implemented with the latest technology of the time; with a battery powered bell, telephone lines, a heating system, running warm water, toilets, and more. The castle is a beautiful structure in a beautiful part of the world with it's detailed interior/exterior. Thanks to its rather isolated area, it was able to survive both world wars (though at the end of WWII the SS considered blowing it up in their desperate retreat so the allies could not have the building and the artwork inside). Though after the war, tourists flocked from all around to see the global symbol of the era of Romanticism. The palace served as a model for the Sleeping Beauty Castle of Disneyland, and has appeared in several movies too. Danke für Ihren Besuch! |
To find out more... http://www.germany.travel/en/towns-cities-culture/palaces-parks-gardens/neuschwanstein-castle.html