Neuschwanstein - An inspiration to Disney

Yesterday R & I took off to visit one of Bavaria's most famous castle - Neuschwanstein in the town of Hohenschwangau with two of our friends. If you have not heard already Neuschwanstein was the inspiration for Disney for the Walt Disney castle (dont ask me if its the Cinderella castle or the Sleeping beauty castle, there seems to be some debate on that! :-)

Enroute we stopped at the Wiesskirche (which basically means the "White Church") an old barouque church and witnessed an authentic Bavarian wedding in progress. The church is surrounded by beautiful landscape and the interior has beauiful frescos and gilded walls.

Do you see the bride & the groom?

Off to the fairy tale castle, along the way I wondered if it would live up to its high expectations & personally it not only met but also exceeded those expectations. Perched on a cliff, the castle was an enticing sight. The fall colors just added to the beauty of the castle. The castle was commisioned by King Ludwig II and construction began in 1869. It was one of three castles commisioned by Ludwig II, the other two being Linderhof and Herrenchiemsee. The castle built in neo-Romanesque style was never completed following the mysterious death of the King who was found drowned in the Stanbergersee lake near Munich. It is a 20-30minute hike up to the entrance and at certain points you are offered scintiallating views to the castle.









A view from Marienbrucke (or Marien Bridge)

The interior has been well maintained to this day and so unfortunately we were not allowed to take pictures inside. The interior was decorated with frescos from Richard Wagner's operattic themes and you see a good repition of the swan motif through out the castle (from pipes that are hidden in the swan's mouth to door handles in the shape of the swan). By the way, "Schwan" means Swan in German and the nearby lake is also called Schwansee. While you have a beutiful view of Schwansee and the city of Hohenschwangau on one side, you see the mountains and a spectacular waterfall on the other. The Marienbrucke offers a splendid side view of the castle

Ludwig II was declared insane during his reign and was imprisoned in Castle Berg near Starnbergersee and 5 days later he was found dead in the lake. While he may or may not have been insane, he definitely knew how to live in style! If you are interested in learning more about the king click here.

Hohenschwangau Castle
The Hohenschwangau castle perched on top of another hill was restored by built by the father of Leopold II, Maxmillian II of Bavaria. Unfortunately we did not have the time to take the 35minute tour inside the castle but here are some of the pictures taken from the outside.

A view from Neuschwanstein




The outer gardens




A modern bath in the garden