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The royal castles of Hohenschwangau
and Neuschwanstein in the South of Bavaria, in the mountains
on the border with Austria, are absolute masterpieces. The romantic
Neuschwanstein castle was built by Ludwig II, the "fairytale
king", in 1869-1886. Hohenschwangau castle was rebuilt by
Maximilian II, Ludwig's father, in 1832-1838. In the latter Ludwig
II spent most of his youth. Both castles were built in complete
harmony with the surrounding countryside. Like an unset jewel,
framed by the magnificent mountain countryside, they stand high
on the rocks and can be seen from afar. Disney's fairytale castle
of Sleeping Beauty was drawn after Neuschwanstein. All themes
in both castles refer to the opera works of Wagner (Tristan
and Isolde, the swan knight Lohengrin, Tannhäuser and the
singers' contest, the Ring of the Nibelungen, the Meistersingers
of Nuremberg, Parsifal), of whom Ludwig II was a big admirer
and financial sponsor. Visit the site of Schwangau
for more information. This page contains more information on the life of
King Ludwig II of Bavaria. |
Germany 
