Perched on a cliff in the Bavarian Alps near FĂŒssen, Germany, the Neuschwanstein Castle is the epitome of the idyllic. Its spires soar to the heavens, while the surrounding landscapes are an invitation to daydreaming. Itâs the stuff of fairytales, so much so that the man who had it built is dubbed the âfairytale kingâ â Ludwig II of Bavaria, who was born in 1845.
âNeuschwanstein is nestled in this Alpine landscape. Reminiscent of a theatrical setting, Ludwig II aimed to unite architecture, art and landscapes into a Gesamtkunstwerk â a complete artwork,â Alexander Wiesneth, of the Bavarian Palace Administration, told DW.
Just weeks after the mysterious death of Ludwig II in 1886, Neuschwanstein was opened to the public. It was an ironic twist of fate, as the king had it built as a private refuge for himself, desperately seeking solitude
Modeled as a medieval knightâs castle, inspiration for Neuschwanstein came during Ludwig IIâs travels in 1867 to Wartburg Castle near Eisenach, Germany and to Chateau de Pierrefonds in France.
As the eccentric Ludwig II himself wrote to his revered friend, opera composer Richard Wagner, in May 1868:
âIt is my intention to rebuild the old castle ruin [âŠ] near the Pöllat Gorge in the authentic style of the old German knightsâ castles, and I must confess to you that I am looking forward very much to living there one day,â as the Bavarian Palace Administration
Construction of the ânew castleâ that was to include 200 rooms began in September 1869 and continued over decades, but was never fully completed.
The building melded various styles that included towers, chapels and arches, but also featured modern innovations like central heating, flushing toilets and a bell system to summon servants.
Neuschwansteinâs design was also dedicated to Wagner, whose operas âTannhĂ€user,â âLohengrinâ and âParsifalâ profoundly influenced Ludwig.
The Singersâ Hall boasts gilded frameworks and frescoes depicting knights, courtly love and other legends of medieval times, like the Holy Grail. The ceiling features zodiac signs, while wall images show Parsifalâs son, the âSwan Knightâ Lohengrin. Ludwig II himself had identified with such figures since his youth
Yet these majestic rooms, like the Throne Hall and the Ballroom â begging to be filled with illustrious guests and lavish parties â remained empty. In the end, the king simply wanted his peace.
With the construction of Neuschwanstein dragging on over many years, Ludwig himself only lived there briefly before his mysterious death at the age of 40 â officially ruled to be a suicide by drowning, a theory that has, however, been disputed.
Ludwig IIâs lifeless body was discovered floating in Lake Starnberg, near Munich, along with the corpse of his physician, after the two had set out on an evening stroll in June 1886.
But itâs not just Neuschwansteinâs lavish, fairy-tale design that has made the castle famous.
Its role as a depot for Nazi-looted artworks during World War II has also made it rather infamous, as featured in George Clooneyâs 2014 film âThe Monuments Men.â
Not exactly world news relatedâŠ
My favorite part of the story of Ludwig II was that he basically bankrupted the region building these castles. He was found dead floating in the moat surrounding the castle, and there was basically no investigation. Everyone was like âmeh, case closedâ and moved on with life hahaha.
Erm, sorry, but I fail to see the news here? Itâs a nice information about neuschwanstein, but what exactly happened now?
I visited this castle recently and itâs pretty gorgeous - a lot smaller on the inside than youâd think, and the tour basically is designed to get you in and out as fast as possible. But the view from the back windows after the tour is complete is a stunning vista worthy of a lot of photos. The walk up to the base of the castle is very picturesque, and thereâs options to take a horse & carriage ride up, if youâre in a rush.
If you ever visit Munich, I highly recommend visiting as a day-trip!
Also used as the cover photo for Blurâs Country House. Although as a mirror image.
This is the best summary I could come up with:
Reminiscent of a theatrical setting, Ludwig II aimed to unite architecture, art and landscapes into a Gesamtkunstwerk â a complete artwork,"Â Alexander Wiesneth, of the Bavarian Palace Administration, told DW.
The building melded various styles that included towers, chapels and arches, but also featured modern innovations like central heating, flushing toilets and a bell system to summon servants.
After German troops invaded neighboring France in 1940, Adolf Hitler authorized the taskforce led by Alfred Rosenberg to âsearch libraries, archives, lodges and other philosophical and cultural institutions of all kinds for appropriate material and to seize such material,â which included cultural holdings by Jews, as noted on the Smithsonian Institutionâs American Archives of Art and at the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum sites.
Ultimately, when Allied forces stormed Neuschwanstein in 1945, they unearthed catalogues, photo slides and lists documenting more than 20,000 artworks and other pieces that had been stolen by the Nazis, including Rothschild jewelry and furniture, as well as the âGhent Altarpieceâ masterpiece by the Van Eyck brothers.
Whether the dream of a king, the site of a former Nazi-looted art depot or as the inspiration for Walt Disneyâs Cinderella and Sleeping Beauty castles, Neuschwanstein remains in the imaginations of many.
As the Bavarian Palace Administrationâs Alexander Wiesneth notes, the similarity between King Ludwig II and Walt Disney is clear: Their vision of architecture was about âtelling a story.â
The original article contains 1,022 words, the summary contains 227 words. Saved 78%. Iâm a bot and Iâm open source!