Neuschwanstein Castle (New Swan on the Rock Castle) is a dramatic 19th-century Romanesque castle with fairy-tale towers on a rocky hill near Füssen in Bavaria, Germany. The palace was built by King Ludwig II of Bavaria as a retreat and as a homage to his friend and musician, Richard Wagner.
History
The construction of the Neuschwanstein Castle started at the site where ruins of two small medieval castles stood. In 1868 AD, the ruins were brought down, the keep was blown up and ground cleared to start the construction. The foundation stone was laid on 5 th September 1869. The castle was completed by 1882 and in 1884, the King was able to move in. However the King could live here for a total of only 172 days, before he was deposed and died under mysterious circumstances.
Overview
The Neuschwanstein Castle is a Romanesque fortress with Byzantine, Roman and Gothic features. It is a mixture of the architectural style known as castle romanticism and the musical mythology of Richard Wagner’s operas, intended to bring back the beauty of the mystical middle ages in the countryside of Bavaria. The initial design was drafted by Christian Jank and executed by Eduard Riedel, inspired from the Castle of Nuremberg. The effect of the Neuschwanstein ensemble is highly theatrical, and the influence of the King’s own ideas is very apparent. It was designed as the romantic ideal of a knight’s castle and never intended to be a real one. From its inception, it was planned as an intentionally asymmetric building, and erected in consecutive stages, to give the feel of a real castle. Though its has all the looks of a traditional castle found in fairy-tales, the real fortification was dispensed with.
Information
| Days | Everyday except 1 Jan, 24/25/31 Dec | ||
| Timing | Apr to 15 Oct | 9:00 AM to 6:00 PM | |
| 16 Oct to Mar | 10:00 am to 4:00 PM | ||
| Entrance Fee(2013) | Adult | 12 € | |
| Concession | 11 € | ||
| Ticket Counter | Ticketcenter Hohenschwangau in the village of Hohenschwangau below the castle | ||
| Other Ticket Types | Königsticket | Neuschwanstein Castle and Hohenschwangau Castle | |
| Adults | 23 € | ||
| Concession | 21 € | ||
| Kombiticket | Linderhof, Herrenchiemsee and Neuschwanstein | ||
| Adults | 24 € | ||
Reach
You can reach Hohenschwangau by train to Fussen and then by bus (RVA/OVG 73 or RVA/OVG 78) or by car.
There are many ways to reach Neuschwanstein Castle from Hohenschwangau:
| Walking | ~ 30 Mins | |
| Horse Carriage from Hotel Müller, Alpseestraße in Hohenschwangau | ||
| Fare | Uphill | 6 € |
| Downhill | 3 € | |
| Bus from Schlosshotel Lis | ||
| Fare | Uphill | 1.80 € |
| Downhill | 1 € | |
| Return | 2.80 € | |
Photo Courtesy –
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