2
Seven weeks after the death of King Ludwig II in 1886, Neuschwanstein was opened to the public. The shy king had built the castle in order to withdraw from public life – now vast numbers of people came to view his private refuge.
Today Neuschwanstein is one of the most popular of all the palaces and castles in Europe. Every year 1.4 million people visit "the castle of the fairy-tale king". In the summer around 6,000 visitors a day stream through rooms that were intended for a single inhabitant.
The setting of Neuschwanstein could not be more idyllic. However, movement in the foundation area has to be continuously monitored, and the sheer rock walls must be repeatedly secured. The harsh climate also has a detrimental effect on the limestone façades, which will have to be renovated section by section over the next few years.
Building history
Work on the future building site began in the summer of 1868 with up to 8 metres of stone outcrop removed to make way for the foundations. In June 1869 the new access road was completed. The foundation stone was laid on 5 September 1869 with the building plan, portraits of Ludwig II and coins from his reign incorporated in it in accordance with the tradition established by Ludwig I. The latest building techniques and materials were used in the construction of the castle. The foundations were cemented and the walls built of brick with light-coloured limestone used merely as cladding.
Neuschwanstein as it was on the death of King Ludwig II
The Gateway Building was completed first, which had its topping out ceremony on 11 June 1872 and was ready for occupation at the end of 1873; for years Ludwig II used the upper floor as provisional accommodation when he visited the site. Building of the Palas commenced in September 1872; for structural reasons the latest technology was required in order to incorporate the large Throne Hall subsequently requested by the king, which was built as an encased steel construction. The topping out ceremony was on 29 January 1880. The decoration and technical fittings of the interior were only completed in mid 1884, though without all the final details. Ludwig II only ever saw his new castle as a building site; the Bower and the Square Tower, simplified versions of the originally planned buildings, were not completed until 1892.
a Staircase Tower
b Knights' House
c Square Tower
d Connecting Building
e Hall
f Entrance Hall
g Palas
h Upper Courtyard
i Lower Courtyard
j Gateway Building
k Staircase Tower
l Bower
Interior and modern technology
Neuschwanstein illustrates the ideals and longings of Ludwig II more vividly than any of his other buildings. The castle was not designed for royal representation, but as a place of retreat. Here Ludwig II escaped into a dream world – the poetic world of the Middle Ages.
The picture cycles of Neuschwanstein were inspired by the operas of Richard Wagner, to whom the king dedicated the castle. The pictures were not however directly modelled on Wagner's works, but on the medieval internal link legends that the composer had also taken as the basis for his works.
The pictures on the walls of the castle deal with love and guilt, repentance and salvation. Kings and knights, poets and lovers people the rooms. There are three main figures: the poet Tannhäuser, the swan knight Lohengrin and his father, the Grail King Parzival (Parsifal). These were Ludwig's models and kindred spirits.
A further leitmotif of the interiors is the swan. The swan was the heraldic animal of the Counts of Schwangau, whose successor the king considered himself to be. It is also the Christian symbol of the "purity" for which Ludwig strived.
Religious and political ideas were involved in the planning of the castle. This can be seen in particular in the Throne Room. The paintings here show how Ludwig saw kingship "by the Grace of God": as a holy mission, with powers that the Bavarian king had never possessed.
Modern technology in medieval guise
In Neuschwanstein the Middle Ages were only an illusion: behind the medieval appearance of the castle the latest technology was in operation and every comfort was ensured.
The rooms of the Palas, the royal residence, were fitted with hot air central heating. Running water was available on every floor and the kitchen had both hot and cold water. The toilets had an automatic flushing system.
The king used an electric bell system to summon his servants and adjutants. On the third and fourth floors there were even telephones.
Meals did not have to be laboriously carried upstairs: for this purpose there was a lift.
The latest technology was also used for the construction process itself. The cranes were driven by steam engines, and the Throne Room was incorporated by means of a steel construction.
One of the special features of Neuschwanstein is the large window panes. Windows of this size were still unusual even in Ludwig II's day.
http://www.neuschwanstein.de/englisch/palace/index.htm
Modern panorama from Neuschwanstein (1,008 m or 3,307 ft) showing (left to right): palace access road; Alpsee with locality of Hohenschwangau in front; 19th century Hohenschwangau Castle on a hill with Schwansee behind it on the right (west); locality of Alterschrofen with town of Füssen behind it; core of Schwangau in front of large Forggensee reservoir (1952); Bannwaldsee (north)
Neuschwanstein Castle as seen from Marienbrücke (Marie's Bridge, or Pöllatbrücke). Marienbrücke is across the Pöllat directly behind and directly visible from Neuschwanstein Castle. The bridge was named by Ludwig II of Bavaria after his mother, Marie Friederike of Prussia.
Throne room
Drawing room
Study
Dining room
Bedroom
Singer's Hall
Bookmarks