From wikipedia:
Neuschwanstein Castle (German: Schloss Neuschwanstein, pronounced [nɔʏˈʃvaːnʃtaɪn]) is a 19th-century Romanesque Revival palaceon a rugged hill above the village of Hohenschwangau near Füssen in southwest Bavaria, Germany. The palace was commissioned byLudwig II of Bavaria as a retreat and as an homage to Richard Wagner.
The palace was intended as a personal refuge for the reclusive king, but it was opened to the paying public immediately after his death in 1886.[1] Since then over 60 million people have visited Neuschwanstein Castle.[2] More than 1.3 million people visit annually, with up to 6,000 per day in the summer.[3] The palace has appeared prominently in several movies and was the inspiration for Disneyland'sSleeping Beauty Castle.
It is perhaps the most famous castle in the world. It is the most photographed and visited. While it is striking in its appearance the interior of the castle was never finished. Out of over 240 rooms only 7 were completed those included: the kings bedroom, study, and dressing rooms, a grotto inspired aviary, servant quarters, a opera hall known as the singers hall, the throne room, and kitchen.
The king spent less then 9 months living in the castle before he was ruled mentally unfit to rule, he died a questionable death by drowning a few days later near Munich.
While some rooms were finished in the days immediately following King Ludwigs death, the majority of the work was halted. And many things that were commissioned but not yet started were canceled, such as the thrown comprised out of gold that never made it into the thrown room.
Entry into the castle is now only via group tours and no photos are allowed within the castle due to the fact that everything is original.
Carriage ride up the mountain
Entry to the castle area
Yes that is a face of terror, that was one of those overhang view points where you can look down and see a few hundred feet underneath you.
Castle tower
Side of the castle
View from one of the castle windows
Upper Courtyard
View from castle windows, gotta admit hes got impeccable taste.
Main gate
Check back tomorrow for part 2 where I will talk about what happened, the good and the bad and the lessons learned during our visit to Sleeping Beauties Castle.
2 comments:
Beautiful photos! Edwin and I want to take a road trip through germany and visit as many castles as we can..this will be one of our stops for sure!
We visited Neuschwanstein the first week of June and the weather was terribly lousy!! We got absolutely no views from the windows of the castle as it was surrounded by clouds. The best part is, my photograph of the castle in clouds is a finalist in a photo challenge contest this month!!!!! I admire the way you have explained all the details of the castle. And you are so right about King Ludwig's impeccable taste. It's a pity he didn't have anybody to share it along with..:(
Post a Comment