Fussen: The Castles

Today had to be one of the most interesting days we've had so far. We went up to the two castles nearby Fussen: Neuschwanstein and Hohenschwangau. Yeah, I know, try pronouncing that correctly. (Think of it as NOI-shvon-stein and HURN-shvon-gow. You can even add a little mini syllable between the R and the N of the HURN part, so tha it's almost HUR-en-shvon-gow.) Really, they're not castles but palaces, as they were not built for defense and were originally supposed to be temporary homes for the royal Bavarian family. Neuschwanstein is actually quite famous as the inspiration for the castle at Disneyworld. It's true, exchange the greys for pinks, purples, and blues, and you've got yourself the internationally known symbol for Disney. Unfortunately, it was really foggy so we didn't get the most spectacular view of Neuschwanstein, but the grounds around the palaces were magical, the way they were coated in snow. The trees looked like they had snow instead of leaves. 

So, a bit of the history of Neuschwanstein and Hohenschwangau. Hohenschwangau, in my opinion the less spectacular of the two, was opened in 1837 as a summer hunting lodge for King Maximillian II of Bavaria and his family. Both it and Neuschwanstein were modeled after a 19th century idea of Medieval palaces and castles, although are not completely accurate. Unfortunately we weren't allowed to take pictures of the inside, but most of the rooms had wall-to-wall frescoes and the king, queen, and two princes each had entire floor to themselves (the princes had to share, although having to share one floor of a palace with your brother is not NEARLY as bad as having to share a room with him). The second palace, Neuschwanstein, was built by the elder prince, Ludwig II (LOOD-vig), when he became king of Bavaria. It was far more impressive, despite having never been finished. Construction on the palace was stopped when Ludwig died a premature death at the age of 41 under, quote, "mysterious circumstances." He was labeled as having a mental illness and was found drowned in a lake three days later. It is uncertain what happened. But the castle was left without its main tower, chapel, and terrace. The main tower was even supposed to have an indoor swimming pool/bath. Ludwig was a very interesting character, at least in my opinion. In his lifetime he built three palaces, and was even planning to build a fourth while the construction of Neuschwanstein was still underway. It was never built. Ludwig was never married, a rarity for monarchs, having called off an engagement two months before the wedding. And he chose to live completely alone, without any family and with the help of only 30 servants. (Well, I guess "only 30 servants" is relative.) He was known for bemoaning his lack political power and built large palaces with lavish rooms, leaving him bankrupt. And on top of it, he was declared crazy right before his mysterios death. It's actually a rather sad life story. 

The guy did have style, though. Neuschwanstein is huge, with soaring towers, perched on a large mountain with a glorious view of the rocky, snowcapped Alps and a beautiful lake. His throne room is gigantic and so echoey that you can hardly understand someone who is talking. The walls are painted with colorful images of saints. His bed is carved on top to look like a Gothic cathedral and his sitting room was filled with gilded swans and other precious objects. Overall seeing even his unfinished home was amazing. 

Hohenschwangau 

Neuschwanstein 

Here's the bridge. I was smack in the middle and looking down 300 feet wen my mom said, "this bridge was built in the 1800s!" and I got really freaked out.