Neuschwanstein Castle..... Germany

October 13, 2016

midday  mist

On my trip to Germany, I decided to finally visit the famous Neuschwanstein Castle in the Bavarian Alps.  I had been to the Munich area twice before and both times regretted not going to visit the castle which had inspired Walt Disney's creation of Sleeping Beauty's castle in the Magic Kingdom.  But don't worry it goes far beyond the Disney connection, the story behind the exquisite, medieval castle on top of the hill is a noteworthy story in itself.

My tour guide, Nic Kershaw, a Brit, provided our tour group with a story of Ludwig II that truly helped me understand the man Ludwig II was.  If we didn't have this background, just the tour of the inside of the castle wouldn't have stuck with me.  It's a long story, where should I start? (this is my interpretation of the story of Ludwig II).

From the view of the Maria Bridge

Ludwig II was crowned King of Bavaria when he was only 18 years old, the same day his father (Maximillian II) died. Ludwig II spent a lot of time in the gardens of his home, Hohenschwangau Castle, (yellow castle) learning poetry, reading literature and loved operas.   Once crowned king, it was expected of him to marry and to bear children.  Since he didn't have many friends, he asked his cousin Sophia to marry him.  They were to have a summer (August) wedding and everyone thought they made a perfect couple as she also loved literature.  Once the wedding approached, Ludwig suggested it may be better to have a fall wedding... and then a winter wedding.  He was postponing as he really didn't want to marry, which in the end he never did.

The construction of the castle took longer than expected due to the location on-top of a mountain.  Work began in 1869 and wasn't completed until 1880 and the king didn't move in until 1884. He only lived there for 5 months.

Ludwig II was a man who loved to be alone.  His fascination with the opera composer Richard Wagner inspired the art and architecture of this castle.   He built this castle (1of 3) to withdraw from the public.  As he made 3 vital mistakes while being king - the most vital was the defeat in 1866 when he chose to side with Austria in a war against the state Prussia and Prussia conquered Austria and Bavaria.

Hohenschwangau Castle

Marienbrücke (Marie's Bridge)

Ludwig II started sleeping during the day and had breakfast at 5pm where he would stay up all night. He had a carriage and a sled with colourful electric lights pulled by horses and go through the woods at night.  In the castle the he had the first telephone, a butler bell system and colourful lights in his cave room.  

front of Neuschwanstein Castle

Due to his eccentric life style and named unfit to govern, people around him had 5 psychiatrists declare him insane in June 1886.  They took him to his childhood summer home on Lake Starnberg (same town I am staying in).  He asked to go to Mass the next Sunday which he was refused. He wanted to go to Mass to have a public audience which he would call out for help and let peasant people (whom loved him) know that he was being accused of being unfit/insane to rule.  However he was denied.  The next day he went for a walk near the lake with the psychiatrist who had also declared his brother Otto insane.  The psychiatrist told the two guards who were to accompany them not to come.  They went out at 4pm and were due back at 7pm.  At 9pm both of their bodies were found in the lake in waist deep water dead.  It is still an unsolved mystery about the sexuality preference of Ludwig II (though most think he was gay) and more importantly exactly how he died.

Family Emblem Animal - Swan