On a hill surrounded by a magnificent landscape, lies the Neuschwanstein Castle. In our fairytale fantasy, we dream about a secluded castle with lots of rooms, a garden full of varied flowers, a small river nearby and, a window on top of the castle where we would dream about a magical life with a beautiful prince or princess.
Thinking about living in a world separated from the humdrum of daily life with love and happiness along with the significant other? Oh, what a wonderful life it could be!
Well, if you wish to reach even a little closer to this fairytale fantasy, the Neuschwanstein Castle or Schloss Neuschwanstein, as known in German, is perfect for you. To know more about this actual castle, which looks like the one in your fantasy, read these amazing facts about it, and fall in love with the existence of Neuschwanstein Castle.
1) The Fairy Tale Location
The Neuschwanstein castle is located in a fairy tale location.
In the German State of Bavaria, at an elevation of around 800m, between the Alpine foothills to the south and a hilly landscape to the north, lies the Neuschwanstein Castle. The location and history of the castle surprise us.
Earlier, three castle ruins were purchased by King Maximilian 2, and in place of that, he built a palace called Hohenschwangau Castle. It has two twin castles, which overlooked two lakes called Alpsee and Schwansee.
These twin castles got ruined. But Ludwig, the King’s son who had spent a remarkable amount of his childhood here, constructed a new palace in place of two castles and named it New Hohenschwangau Castle, which was renamed to Neuschwanstein Castle.
2) The Reason of Its Existence
The Neuschwanstein Castle was built by the orders and inspiration of King Ludwig 2. Richard Wagner, the German composer, theater director, and composer who was widely known for his operas, was a close friend to the King. The King, inspired by the romantic Middle Ages interpretation in the castles that came upon his journey, wished to create such a Middle Age Life for himself.
The castle is also built as a dedication and in honor of Richard Wagner. He, by his operas Tannhauser and Lohengrin, had made an everlasting impression on the mind of King Ludwig 2. Isn’t it fascinating how the inspiration of someone’s work and a search to a Middle Age living can inspire people to create such a majestic beauty?
3) The Neo-Romanesque Style of Architecture
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If you visit the castle, you would directly be attracted by the internal and external ensemble, which is highly stylistic. The Neo-Romanesque Style is visible in many individual structures like towers, balconies, ornamental turrets, pinnacles, and sculptures. To follow the exact Romanesque architecture of the medieval castles, the window openings are designed as bi- and triforia.
The beauty of this castle lies in its magnificent interior and exterior detailing. To enjoy and relish the beauty of the castle, you must go through a guided tour of the Neuschwanstein castle.
4) The Typical 19th Century Built
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The initial design being drafted by a stage designer known as Christian Jank and actualized by an architecture called Eduard Riedel, could not stand as planned. However, after many trial and error, the Neuschwanstein Castle stands tall as a perfect example of the 19th Century architecture.
From the Romanesque shapes to the slim towers and delicate embellishments of Gothic Shapes to the Byzantine art, all are uniquely styled along with the 19th-century technical pieces of equipment.
5) The Incomplete Construction
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The Neuschwanstein Castle Construction or Renovation is ever going and never complete. This has been the case since the time it was built. The construction began on September 5, 1869.
The castle was to be lived in by King, but he did not live to see the outcome. When King Ludwig 2 died, the castle was still incomplete. Ludwig’s vision was to build 200 rooms in the castle, but today Neuschwanstein Castle has only 14 rooms.
To date, the construction or preservation work continues.
6) The Symbol of Romanticism
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The Neuschwanstein Castle being a global symbol of Romanticism, has appeared in many movies like Helmut Kautner’s Ludwig 2, a musical called Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, and a war drama known as The Great Escape. The well-known and loved Sleeping Beauty which lures us to escape the reality and dive in the nonsense fantasy of a beautiful castle and speaking things.
Well, the castle in the Disneyland for Sleeping Beauty was inspired by the Neuschwanstein Castle. The castle had also been a finalist in the selection of the New Seven Wonders of the World. There is an ongoing discussion for making it a UNESCO world heritage site under the palace of romantic historicism along with other such palaces.
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7) The Swan Night
Neuschwanstein Castle is also known by the modern name of The Swan Night. Made in honor of Richard Wagner, this name is considered to be a reference to one of his characters.
Even the name Neuschwanstein Castle translates to New Swan Stone Castle. Even King Ludwig 2 was known as the Swan King. All of these are together, making this castle a magical fairy tale sight.
Get insights into this beautiful castle along with Hohenschwangau Castle from this video.
8) The Special Singer’s Hall
The Neuschwanstein castle was made open to the public after the death of King Ludwig. This castle has a special Singer’s Hall, which comprises of the entire fourth floor. This is the largest room with reference to the area.
Above the King’s lodgings, this hall is amalgamated as two rooms of the Wartburg: The Ballroom and The Hall of the Singers. This had been King’s favorite part of the castle. This was because the room is specially dedicated to his friend Richard Wagner.
The room depicts many of his Opera characters and stories. The room is decorated in themes of Lohengrin and Parzival. The eastern side of the hall consists of a stage which is known as Sangerlaube.
This hall was designed as a walkable monument and not for courtly activities. It is built for representing the culture of knights and courtly love of the Middle Ages. This hall witnessed its first performance in 1933 in the memory of Richard Wagner. The concert was for commemorating his 50th death anniversary.
9) Around the Castle
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There is a beautiful bridge known as Marienbrucke. It is a magnificent suspension footbridge just behind the castle. If you have visited Neuschwanstein castle, just go over this bridge, and you can take memorable pictures with the castle in the background.
The bridge is attractive as it is older than even the castle. The bridge is used as a means to span the gap over a waterfall. This waterfall lies about 100 meters below the bridge.
The legend says that it is named after King Ludwig’s mother and not after the Virgin Mary. The Queen Mary’s Bridge (Marienbrucke) is named after the King’s Mother as, during his childhood, he used to spend the entire summer every year with his family in the old castle built.
You could even visit this old castle called Hohenschwangau Castle. The castle is not intact and is not much famous, but that’s where the King spent his childhood.
You could even walk down to a small river in the southern direction called Alpsee. The shore of the lake gives astounding views and tranquility. There are even a few trails up the hills. You can hike up these trails and take in the beauty of surrounding hills and landscape.
10) The Throne Hall
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In the throne room of Neuschwanstein Castle, the Romanesque, Gothic, and Byzantine art are seen well complemented with each other. There are figures which refer to the Allgau region traditions. These figures are of the Patrona Bavariae and St. George. This throne hall is two-story with a 13-foot chandelier, a painted cupola, and floor mosaic.
Designed by Christian Jank, who worked as a background artist and stage designer, the interior of the throne hall of Neuschwanstein Castle clearly indicates the world of Theatre. It indicates as if Christian Jank was inspired by his earlier work and gave the castle its artistic designs and drawings.
However, the throne hall is throneless as it was to be made for King Ludwig only. His death made sure that neither he nor anyone else would throne the Neuschwanstein Castle.
11) The Most Visited Castle
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Around 6000 people visit the castle every day during the summer season. The castle sees around 1.5 million visitors annually. Isn’t it ironic that the King for whom the castle was constructed couldn’t spend his real-life “fairytale” here and people from around the globe fly here to witness that fairytale?
You must get a ticket for a castle tour in order to get a proper outlook on it. Visiting Neuschwanstein Castle in fall will give you a view of the autumn foliage with mild temperature and clear skies. During autumn means in October and November.
You could plan the castle trip in alignment with the Munich’s Oktoberfest Celebration, which lasts for 16 days. Munich is the perfect base for the Neuschwanstein Castle tour and other castles in Germany.
Know about the interesting facts of Germany and explore more of it here.
12) The Castle Dining
Isn’t it too dreamy to dine in a Castle? Well, if it can be realized, it can’t be called dreamy. You can dine at Neuschwanstein’s Café and Bistro in the castle. And once you see it, dining would be tempting.
There is also another one at the eponymous Schlossrestaurant Neuschwanstein in the village. In this place, you could dine on the sweeping terrace and a beautiful garden that overlooks the majestic castle.
Don’t all these facts feel very tempting? Doesn’t it feel like booking a ticket at this very second to Fussen, Germany? Well, start planning your trip by knowing more about the tickets, timings, and don’t forget to click pictures in Neuschwanstein castle. To know about the best photography spots in the caste, click here.
Last Updated on by Laveleena Sharma
