Schloss Neueschwanstein was a must see on our German voyage for my friends and me. After all, it is this very castle that inspired the creation of Sleeping Beauty's castle now visible through tv screens and amusement parks of Walt Disney's doing.
The town where castle is situated in is a fairytale town of Hohenschwangau. The mist from the mountains adds to the surreal valour that seems to wasp in and out of the atmosphere. A day trip here is sufficient, stopping in Fussen from Munich first, hitching a ride on a bus next to Hohenschwangau. All possible using a single Bavaria ticket, with even lower prices if travelling with company up to five people. The castle itself can only be visited with a tour guide, advisable to be booked in advance to get the preferred tour slots (here). Do allow sufficient time for lots of photos of the picturesque surroundings and of course the castle itself.
Schloss Neueschwanstein, as with many other things in Germany, is accompanied by a fascinating back story. It sits atop a beautiful mountain, with windows that frame picture perfect sceneries from the interior. The castle, built by the tragic King Ludwig II of whom we found out from our guide 2 days earlier had homosexual urges and was utterly adversed to war and violence. Instead, preferring the arts and literature spending much of his days studying them. The King prayed to the Lord to fight his tendencies to no avail and was accused by the public of being too spendthrift. His expenditure towards Schloss Neueschwanstein and Hohenschwangau totalled 34 million in the currency used in those times. King Ludwig II died alone of unknown causes.
Today, the mystic and beauty of his two works bring millions of visitors, not to mention an annual revenue equal to the amount he spent on their construction.
If you find yourself anywhere nearby, don't miss the chance to step into the pages of a story book and be amazed if nothing less by the architecture of the castle.
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