THE MOST MAGICAL PLACE ON EARTHNeuschwanstien is the most magical place I have ever been in my life. The Neuschwanstien Castle, which is also known as the "Sleeping Beauty" Castle has inspired tons of Disney films including Sleeping Beauty, Cinderella, Bambi, Beauty and the Beast, Aladdin, and even rides in Disneyland such as Space Mountain! The castle is the single most beautiful architectural monument I have ever seen. The entire experience was simply.. magical. Also, sorry some of my photos are blurry, once again, cameras were not allowed in the castle but I just couldn't resist!
IN FRONT OF THE SECOND FLOOR CASTLE COURTYARDThe most striking structure of the upper court level is the so-called Rectangular Tower. Like most of the court buildings, it mostly serves a decorative purpose as part of the ensemble. Its viewing platform provides a vast view over the Alpine foothills to the north. The northern end of the upper courtyard is defined by the so-called Knights' House. The three-story building is connected to the Rectangular Tower and the Gatehouse by means of a continuous gallery fashioned with a blind arcade. From the point of view of castle romanticism the Knights' House was the abode of a stronghold's menfolk; at Neuschwanstein, estate and service rooms were envisioned here. The Bower, which complements the Knights' House as the "ladies' house" but was never used as such, defines the south side of the court yard. Both structures together form the motif of the Antwerp Castle featuring in the first act of Lohengrin. Embedded in the pavement is the floor plan of the planned palace chapel.
NEUSCHWANSTEIN CASTLE The palace complex is entered through the symmetrical Gatehouse flanked by two stair towers. The eastward-pointing gate building is the only structure of the palace whose wall area is fashioned in high-contrast colors; the exterior walls are cased with red bricks, the court fronts with yellow lime stone. The roof cornice is surrounded by pinnacles. The upper floor of the Gatehouse is surmounted by a crow-stepped gable and held Ludwig II's first lodging at Neuschwanstein, from which he occasionally observed the building work before the hall was completed. The ground floors of the Gatehouse were intended to accommodate the stables.
GORGEOUS HALLWAYS 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. Since then over 60 million people have visited Neuschwanstein Castle. More than 1.3 million people visit annually, with up to 6,000 per day in the summer.
Neuschwanstein Castle is a 19th-century neo-romanticist palace on a rugged hill above the village of Hohenschwangau near Füssen in southwest Bavaria, Germany. The palace was commissioned by Ludwig II of Bavaria as a retreat and as an homage to Richard Wagner.
ENTERING THE THRONE HALLThe suite of rooms within the Palace contains the Throne Room, Ludwig's suite, the Singers' Hall, and the Grotto. Throughout, the design pays homage to the German legends of Lohengrin, the Swan Knight. Hohenschwangau, where Ludwig spent much of his youth, had decorations of these sagas. These themes were taken up in the operas of Richard Wagner.
STUNNING EXOTIC DECOR OF THE THRONE HALL
HEAVEN LOOKING DOWN UPON THE CROWDThe mural paintings were created by Wilhelm Hauschild. The floor mosaic was completed after the king's death. The chandelier is fashioned after a Byzantine crown. The Throne Hall makes a sacral impression. Following the king's wish, it amalgamated the Grail Hall from Parzival with a symbol of the divine right of kings, an incorporation of unrestricted sovereign power, which Ludwig as the head of a constitutional monarchy no longer held.
COLORFUL ARCADE OF THE THRONE HALLThe Throne Hall is situated in the west wing of the Palas. Julius Hofmann modelled it after the Allerheiligen-Hofkirche in the Munich Residenz. On three sides it is surrounded by colorful arcades, ending in an apse that was intended to hold Ludwig's throne – which was never completed. The throne dais is surrounded by paintings of Jesus, the Twelve Apostles and six canonized kings.
ENTERING THE KING'S BEDROOM
The bedroom adjacent to the dining room and the subsequent house chapel are the only rooms of the palace that remain in neo-Gothic style. The king's bedroom is dominated by a huge bed adorned with carvings. Fourteen carvers worked more than four years on the bed canopy with its numerous pinnacles and on the oaken panelings. It was in this room that Ludwig was arrested in the night from 11th to 12th June 1886. The adjacent little house chapel is consecrated to Saint Louis, after whom the owner was named.
WANDERING THE PERFECTLY DECORATED ROOMSHad it been completed, the palace would have had more than 200 interior rooms, including premises for guests and servants as well as for service and logistics. Ultimately, no more than about 15 rooms and halls were finished. In its lower stories the Palace accommodates administrative and servants' rooms and the rooms of today's palace administration. The king's staterooms are situated in the upper stories: The anterior structure accommodates the lodgings in the third floor, above them the Hall of the Singers. The upper floors of the west-facing posterior structure are filled almost completely by the Throne Hall. The total floor space of all floors amounts to nearly 6000 square meters.
The king's wishes and demands expanded during the construction of Neuschwanstein, and so did the expenses. Drafts and estimated costs were revised repeatedly. Initially a modest study was planned instead of the great throne hall, and projected guest rooms were struck from the drafts to make place for a Moorish Hall, which could not be realised due to lack of resources. Completion was originally projected for 1872, but deferred repeatedly.
IN THE KING'S PRIVATE STUDYApart from the large ceremonial rooms several smaller rooms were created for use by Ludwig II. The royal lodging is on the third floor of the palace in the east wing of the Palace. It consists of eight rooms with living space and several smaller rooms. In spite of the gaudy décor, the living space with its moderate room size and its sofas and suites makes a relatively modern impression on today's visitors. Ludwig II did not attach importance on representative requirements of former times, in which the life of a monarch was mostly public. The interior decoration with mural paintings, tapestry, furniture and other handicraft generally refers to the king's favorite themes": the grail legend, the works of Wolfram von Eschenbach, and their interpretation by Richard Wagner.
ONE OF THE SWAN DOORS TO THE GROTTO
HIS FAVORITE ANIMAL, INSPIRED BY WAGNER TALES
At the time of Ludwig's death the palace was far from complete. The external structures of the Gatehouse and the Palas were mostly finished, but the Rectangular Tower was still scaffolded. Work on the Bower had not started but, was completed in simplified form by 1892, without the planned female saints figures. The Knights' House was also simplified. In Ludwig's plans the columns in the Knights' House gallery were held as tree trunks and the capitals as the corresponding crowns. Only the foundations existed for the core piece of the palace complex: a keep of 90 metres height planned in the upper courtyard, resting on a three-nave chapel. This was not realized, and a connection wing between the Gatehouse and the Bower saw the same fate. Plans for a castle garden with terraces and a fountain west of the Palas were also abandoned after the king's death.
VIEW OF THE GORGEOUS BAVARIAN COUNTRYSIDE
The interior of the royal living space in the palace was mostly completed in 1886; the lobbies and corridors were painted in a simpler style by 1888. The Moorish Hall desired by the king (and planned below the Throne Hall) was not realized any more than the so-called Knights' Bath, which, modeled after the Knights' Bath in the Wartburg, was intended to render homage to the knights' cult as a medieval baptism bath. A Bride Chamber in the Bower (after a location in Lohengrin), guest rooms in the first and second floor of the Palas and a great banquet hall were further abandoned projects. In fact, a complete development of Neuschwanstein had never even been planned, and at the time of the king's death there was not a utilization concept for numerous rooms .
Many rooms bear a border depicting the various operas written by Wagner, including a theater permanently featuring the set of one such play. Many of the interior rooms remain undecorated, with only 14 rooms finished before Ludwig's death. With the palace under construction at the King's death, one of the major features of the palace remained unbuilt. A massive keep was planned for the middle of the upper courtyard but was never built, at the decision of the King's family. The foundation for the keep is visible in the upper courtyard.
INSIDE THE HALL OF SINGERSThe largest room of the palace is the Hall of the Singers, followed by the Throne Hall. Hall of the Singers is located in the eastern, court-side wing of the Palace, in the fourth floor above the king's lodgings. It is designed as an amalgamation of two rooms of the Wartburg: The Hall of the Singers and the Ballroom. It was one of the king's favorite projects for his palace. The rectangular room was decorated with themes from Lohengrin and Parzival. Its longer side is terminated by a gallery which is crowned by a tribune, modelled after the Wartburg. The eastern narrow side is terminated by a stage which is structured by arcades and known as the sängerlaube. The Hall of the Singers was never designed for court festivities of the reclusive king. Rather, like the Throne Hall it served as a walkable monument in which the culture of knights and courtly love of the Middle Ages was represented. The first performance in this hall took place in 1933: A concert commemorating the 50th anniversary of Richard Wagner's death.
THE FRESCO THAT INSPIRED BAMBI
MODEL OF THE CASTLE IN THE MUSEUM GIFT SHOP
THROUGH THE FOREST BELOWDue to its secluded location, the palace survived the two world wars without destruction. Under the Einsatzstab Reichsleiter Rosenberg, a suborganization of the Nazi Party, it served until 1944 as a depot for Nazi plunder from France. The works of art were catalogued photographically. (After World War II 39 photo albums were found in the palace, documenting the dimension of the robbery. The albums are now stored in the American National Archives. At the end of the war the German Reichsbank deposited gold in the palace, which in the last days of the war was taken to an unknown place.
GERMAN CINNAMON SUGAR PRETZEL FOR LUNCH, DELICIOUS!
THE LAKE BELOW THE CASTLEToday, with 1.3 million visitors per year Neuschwanstein is one of the most popular tourist destinations in Europe. For security reasons the palace can only be visited during a 35-minute guided tour. There are also special guided tours that focus on specific topics. In the peak season from June until August, Neuschwanstein has up to 6000 visitors per day, and guests without advance reservation may have to wait several hours. Ticket sales are processed exclusively via the ticket center in Hohenschwangau. As of 2008 the total number of visitors was more than 60 million. In 2004 the revenues were booked as 6.5 million Euros.
THE MOST MAGICAL PLACE ON EARTH
IN FRONT OF THE SECOND FLOOR CASTLE COURTYARD
NEUSCHWANSTEIN CASTLE 
GORGEOUS HALLWAYS
Neuschwanstein Castle is a 19th-century neo-romanticist palace on a rugged hill above the village of Hohenschwangau near Füssen in southwest Bavaria, Germany. The palace was commissioned by Ludwig II of Bavaria as a retreat and as an homage to Richard Wagner.
ENTERING THE THRONE HALL
STUNNING EXOTIC DECOR OF THE THRONE HALL
HEAVEN LOOKING DOWN UPON THE CROWD
COLORFUL ARCADE OF THE THRONE HALL
ENTERING THE KING'S BEDROOM
The bedroom adjacent to the dining room and the subsequent house chapel are the only rooms of the palace that remain in neo-Gothic style. The king's bedroom is dominated by a huge bed adorned with carvings. Fourteen carvers worked more than four years on the bed canopy with its numerous pinnacles and on the oaken panelings. It was in this room that Ludwig was arrested in the night from 11th to 12th June 1886. The adjacent little house chapel is consecrated to Saint Louis, after whom the owner was named.
WANDERING THE PERFECTLY DECORATED ROOMS
The king's wishes and demands expanded during the construction of Neuschwanstein, and so did the expenses. Drafts and estimated costs were revised repeatedly. Initially a modest study was planned instead of the great throne hall, and projected guest rooms were struck from the drafts to make place for a Moorish Hall, which could not be realised due to lack of resources. Completion was originally projected for 1872, but deferred repeatedly.
IN THE KING'S PRIVATE STUDY
ONE OF THE SWAN DOORS TO THE GROTTO
HIS FAVORITE ANIMAL, INSPIRED BY WAGNER TALES
At the time of Ludwig's death the palace was far from complete. The external structures of the Gatehouse and the Palas were mostly finished, but the Rectangular Tower was still scaffolded. Work on the Bower had not started but, was completed in simplified form by 1892, without the planned female saints figures. The Knights' House was also simplified. In Ludwig's plans the columns in the Knights' House gallery were held as tree trunks and the capitals as the corresponding crowns. Only the foundations existed for the core piece of the palace complex: a keep of 90 metres height planned in the upper courtyard, resting on a three-nave chapel. This was not realized, and a connection wing between the Gatehouse and the Bower saw the same fate. Plans for a castle garden with terraces and a fountain west of the Palas were also abandoned after the king's death.
VIEW OF THE GORGEOUS BAVARIAN COUNTRYSIDE
The interior of the royal living space in the palace was mostly completed in 1886; the lobbies and corridors were painted in a simpler style by 1888. The Moorish Hall desired by the king (and planned below the Throne Hall) was not realized any more than the so-called Knights' Bath, which, modeled after the Knights' Bath in the Wartburg, was intended to render homage to the knights' cult as a medieval baptism bath. A Bride Chamber in the Bower (after a location in Lohengrin), guest rooms in the first and second floor of the Palas and a great banquet hall were further abandoned projects. In fact, a complete development of Neuschwanstein had never even been planned, and at the time of the king's death there was not a utilization concept for numerous rooms .
Many rooms bear a border depicting the various operas written by Wagner, including a theater permanently featuring the set of one such play. Many of the interior rooms remain undecorated, with only 14 rooms finished before Ludwig's death. With the palace under construction at the King's death, one of the major features of the palace remained unbuilt. A massive keep was planned for the middle of the upper courtyard but was never built, at the decision of the King's family. The foundation for the keep is visible in the upper courtyard.
INSIDE THE HALL OF SINGERS
THE FRESCO THAT INSPIRED BAMBI
MODEL OF THE CASTLE IN THE MUSEUM GIFT SHOP
THROUGH THE FOREST BELOW
GERMAN CINNAMON SUGAR PRETZEL FOR LUNCH, DELICIOUS!
THE LAKE BELOW THE CASTLE
Did you get a chance to view the castle from the bridge that was above it? I think it was one of the most magical scenes I have ever scene. Plus, there were people hang gliding when we were there. Glad to see you have visited one more great site in Europe!
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