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NEUSCHWANSTEIN CASTLE (SCHLOSS NEUSCHWANSTEIN)
German King's Fantasy Castle in Bavaria

It is the fantasy castle of childhood dreams and possibly Germany's most famous royal palace. Walt Disney was inspired on a vacation trip to Germany by its spires reaching skyward and tenuous perch on the wooded Alps mountainside to create the centerpiece of his fantasy world of Disneyland, his version of the "Sleeping Beauty Castle" to best represent his entertainment empire. Neuschwanstein Castle (Schloss Neuschwanstein) has nothing to do with that particular story, but rather the fantasy in the mind of a "mad" Bavarian king. About an hour fromMunich at the foot of the Alps along the Romantic Road in southern Bavaria, near the town of Fussen and overlooking the village of Schwangau, the Neuschwanstein Castle is a monument to the idealized fairy tale dreams of knights and fair maidens of a lost medieval and chivalric past constructed during the romantic revival of the 1800's. This magnificent architectural dream was built by King Ludwig II, ruler of Bavaria from 1864 until 1886, nicknamed “Mad Ludwig” for his whimsical palaces (see Ludwig's Schloss Linderhof) and his eccentricities. His masterpiece palace was a recreation of an idealized vision of an old German knight’s castle intended as a personal retreat for the reclusive king. But this palace built as a royal private home has little in common with true Teutonic knights castles (see Castle Rheinstein Knight in the Rhine) and was not completed until after the Ludwig's death.

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The storybook castle was built on the hillside over-looking his father’s old palace Schloss Hohenschwangau where young Prince Ludvig spent much of his childhood and intended to overshadow it with a panoramic view of the Bavarian, Lechtal and Allgäu Alps. A fan of Wagner, the castle’s “Singers Hall” music room was intended to remind of Wagner’s “Tannhäuser” and “Lohengrin”, the “Swan Knight” who King Ludwig identified himself with as a young child, operatic odes to lofty gods and the romance of knights chivalry. Hitler as well was enthralled by the same fantasy idylls of Germany’s Teutonic ancestral heritage and held performances of Wagner’s operas here, but of course his dream had a whole new meaning (see Dachau Holocuast Museum).

Neuschwanstein is located near the Forggensee and the town of Fussen on the Austrian border, a stop on the Romantic Road in the Allgäu Alps (see Romantic Road Touring), and a short distance from Oberammergau and Garmish-Partenkirchen. Schloss Neuschwanstein can be reached off the A95 autobahn about an hour drive from Munich or about 30 minutes from Friedrichshafen (see Zeppelin Museum Freidrichshafen). It is also now possible to take a Dinner Train Ride to Hohenschwangau from Munich, (with a view of Neuschwanstein, but not a visit - see Hohenschwangau Luxury Dinner Train). The Schwangau region is a storybook landscape of castles, mountains and lakes with a variety of hiking trails and cycle paths that wind through lush meadows and dark woods. A beautiful drive with a rental car through thick wooded groves past gingerbread alpine houses and lodgings. To get to the entrance of Schloss Neuschanstein requires a bit of hiking. Car parking is at the bottom of the hill in the village of Hohenschwangau. It’s a 30 minute trek up the hill on foot so plan some time and comfortable shoes. For a few euros extra you can take a horse drawn cart ride to the top. The uphill ride is 5 Euros, downhill only 2.50. Now there's bargain! For a further hike treat take the path beyond the castle to the breathtaking Marienbrücke walking bridge over the Pöllat Gorge. And it is from this side that the best views of the castle can be had, though most of the spectactular photographs you see of the spired castle are from high up the mountains.

The tour of Neuschwanstein is guided in small groups and costs 8 euro for adults and 7 for children. If you don’t want to drive, there are daily bus tours from close by Munich (see Munich Sight-Seeing Tours) available for day trips to Neuschwanstein and Ludwig's other dream palaces nearby, often combined into one tour. © Bargain Travel Europe

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Schloss Neuschwanstein

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SEE ALSO:

CASTLE ART MUSEUM BAVARIA

WITTELSBACH MEDIEVAL CASTLE TRAUSNITZ

INGLOSTADT BAVARIAN MILTARY MUSEUM

ETTAL ABBEY BASILICA

SIGMARINGEN CASTLE

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