About an hour from Oberammergau is Neuschwanstein Castle; it is one of Germany's most popular tourist destinations. We made the mistake of not reserving tickets in advance. Luckily, we arrived early and were able to buy tickets for a time in the afternoon. The number of people who enter the castle at one time is limited and you have to take a tour.
The castle in Disney's Sleeping Beauty is based on Neuschwanstein.
spent summers in Hohenschwangau Castle, which is still standing at the bottom of the mountain near where Neuschwanstein Castle is perched.
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| We spent some of our waiting time walking up to the castle and exploring the area around the castle. |
In 1866 Ludwig II suffered the biggest
defeat of his life: in1866, the expanding state of Prussia conquered
Austria and Bavaria in the "German War". From then on, Bavaria's foreign
policy was dictated by Prussia and the king was only a "vassal" of his
Prussian uncle.
King Ludwig II built several castles, Neuschwanstein was the last. The King was obsessed by legends and fairytales and decorated the castle with scenes from his favorites. He decorated many rooms after Wagner operas and Wagner became a friend. Unfortunately, we were not allowed to take photos inside the castle.
The King was an unusual character, for the last several years of his life, he slept during the day was was up at night. He spent a lot of time watching private performances of elaborate plays and dressing in historical costumes and driving around the countryside in elaborate carriages.
The "ideal monarchical poetic solitude" which the king chose for
himself was not in the long run compatible with his duties as a head of
state. The new settings he was constantly devising for himself were
equally beyond the private means of a king. Ludwig failed through his
desire to anchor his illusions and dreams in reality.
From 1885 on foreign banks threatened to seize his property. The
king's refusal to react rationally led the government to declare him
insane and depose him in 1886 – a procedure not provided for in the
Bavarian constitution. Ludwig II was
interned in Berg Palace. The next day he died in mysterious
circumstances in Lake Starnberg, together with the psychiatrist who had
certified him as insane.
The King spent only about half a year at the castle. It was opened to the public seven weeks after his death.
This bridge provides a great photo of the castle. There were so many people on it that I got off as quickly as I could!
Inside the courtyard
A view from the path walking up to the castle.
There is a small lake right at the bottom of the mountain and a bigger lake that you can see in the distance.
In this photo, I have just rescued Sylvia from a bathroom cubicle. Sylvia couldn't get out and was panicking and there was not space under the door. I climbed onto a radiator, hoisted myself over the door and dropped about 10 feet. No joke. I survived and was able to get us both out of the bathroom. We received a round of applause when we left the restroom.
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