I was so excited we were going to Neuschwanstein Castle - I've wanted to go there since I was a little girl. This 19th century Romanesque palace was the inspiration for Disneyland's Sleeping Beauty Castle. It definitely didn't disappoint - it's now tied for my favorite castle with England's Windsor Castle, although I love them for very different reasons. We arrived here from Innsbruck, via Munich. Most people visit the castle as a day trip from Munich, but we decided to stay overnight in the small town of Füssen, where the train station is.
Füssen is a sleepy little town, with cute houses in the town centre and an old wall surrounding it.
Füssen town wall.
Füssen.
Bavarian countryside, on the train to Füssen from Munich.
From Füssen, it's a short bus ride to the village of Hohenschwangau, a picturesque little town on the shores of Lake Schwansee and with 2 castles watching over it from the hills above. Most of the houses were typical Bavarian houses, although most are used as hotels or restaurants now. There was a high school however. I think it would be hard to focus in class when you can see not one, but two beautiful castles out the window!
The village of Hohenschwangau, seen from Hohenschwangau Castle.
Hohenschwangau village.
Blue and white are the colours of Bavaria.
The first castle we visited was Hohenschwangau castle, which is older than Neuschwanstein. The medieval castle that used to stand here was destroyed during the 30 Years War, but a new one was built over the ruins by the King of Bavaria in the early 18th century. On the way up to the castle we passed by the Schwansee, which translates as "Swan Lake". You can see this spectacular lake from both castles. I have never seen that much snow dripping from even the smallest of twigs and branches, it truly felt like we were walking through a fairy tale, and everything had been covered in icing.
Schwansee.
Unfortunately we weren't allowed to take pictures inside the castle. It was used as the summer home of the Kings of Bavaria, and it was from the window of his room in the castle King Ludwig II would survey the construction of Neuschwanstein castle with his telescope. The walls are painted with scenes of the lives of the medieval knights who lived in the old castle. There are some incredible views of the flat Bavarian plains to one side, the lake and the mountains to the other, the village below, and Neuschwanstein on the opposite mountain.
Schloss ("Castle") Hohenschwangau, as seen from the village.
View of Schwansee from a castle window. I understand why the king wanted to build his castle here!
View of the Bavarian countryside.
We walked back down to Hohenschwangau village, then up another mountain to Neuschwanstein. I think we ended up taking a path that had been closed for the winter, judging by the amount of snow! I'm glad it was a frosty day, as we worked up a sweat hiking up. You can also take a horse and buggy up from the village, but I'm glad we did the hike because the forest was amazing, all coated in snow.
So. Much. Snow.
The horse and buggy that will drive you up to the castle from the village.
Once we got up the hill, we decided to stop for lunch at a cute little chalet. I had a glass of hot glühwein (mulled wine) and frankfurters (sausages) for lunch - delicious!
Frankfurters with mustard and bread.
Lovely building.
When I think of fairytale castles, I think of Neuschwanstein. It is absolutely stunning, and the design was actually inspired by fairytales and legends. King Ludwig II, who was eventually deposed after being declared insane, was good friends with Wagner, a German composer well known for his works such as The Ring cycle and operas such as Tristan and Iseult. Ludwig wanted his castle to be a fairy tale palace, and decorated it not with portraits of himself or his ancestors, but rather with paintings telling the story of Tristan and Iseult and other tales. The castle was never completed, only 1/3 of the main buildings were ever built, and the 3rd floor of the main building isn't finished. Construction stopped after 15 year of work, when Ludwig died under mysterious circumstances shortly after being deposed, by a lake with his psychiatrist, who was also found dead.
The side of the castle you can see from the village was covered in scaffolding, which was a bit disappointing. Repair works have been going on for about 10 years.
The throne room is absolutely stunning (no pictures unfortunately), and decorated to look like a byzantine palace, with mosaics all over so it glittered. My favorite room was "the grotto", a small room that connects the King's bedroom with his study. This man-made cave looks pretty much the same as the real thing, with stalagmites and stalactites. The most interesting piece of furniture was the King's bed, which he only slept in for about 100 days. The four poster is intricately carved, with the "roof" being covered in hundreds of carved spires. It took a whole team of carpenters 2 years to build. It was also interesting to explore the unfinished 3rd floor, just the bare bones of stones and wooden floors. It's a shame it was never finished however.
The views from the castle are incredible. To one side you see the adjacent mountain and a small waterfall that runs past the castle. To the other are the flat plains of Bavaria, that stretch all the way to Munich. I don't blame Ludwig for wanting to live up here, it's a perfect location for a fairytale castle. What surprised me was he had planned to use it as a summer palace, and not live there in the winter. This place is literally the definition of Winter Wonderland.
View form Neuschwanstein castle.
A village on the plains (not Hohenschwangau).
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