Fantasy Land – Neuschwanstein Castle

Sleeping Beauty Castle in Disneyland Park? Or the real one? Schloss Neuschwanstein takes you to the real world of fantasy! It is a very good day-trip location and is probably the most visited iconic building in the whole of Europe.

It rained the morning we started for Neuschwanstein in Munich. The air was chilly! But by the time we reached the castle, the weather was clear and it was as crisp an afternoon in the spring as it can get.

Getting to Neuschwanstein itself was a trek! It seems that all the places on the Romantic Road are located such that the journey gives you enough glimpse of the beauty but keeps you guessing what the final stroke will be. And it doesn’t disappoint.

We took a train from Munich to Buchloe, from there another train to Kaufbeuren and from there a bus to Füssen. As we got down at Kaufbeuren, and walked to the underpass, there were two signs in opposite direction, one for the bus to Füssen and another to the Kaufbeuren city. So popular is this destination that of all the people who got down at Kaufbeuren, only one lady walked to the City. All others were immediately herded to the buses waiting outside Kaufbeuren bahnhof. Almost an hour ride through the Bavarian countryside later we arrived in another small, medieval town of Füssen. Except for the modern signage, electric lamp posts and traffic lights, Füssen can still easily be in the 17th century. After getting down at the bahnhof, we immediately walked towards the tourist center and asked for the directions to the castle. The lady at the counter said, a bus leaves every hour on top of the hour from the train station. Duh! We couldn’t check that earlier?! I glanced over her shoulder; looked at the wall clock and quipped we perhaps missed it, didn’t we? You perhaps did sir, she said looking at the clock strike 12 in the noon. But we hadn’t! The bus was still there and waiting to take more passengers, although we would have to stand till we reached the base of the castle. After another 20 minute bus ride through the countryside and tree lined avenues later we reached the base of the castle.

After a quick meal of sausage and fried chicken, we started our hike to the castle. The castle offers only guided tours. You are not allowed to explore things at your will, unless accompanied by a guide. Even photography inside the castle is not permitted. We chose an English tour, which was to begin about one-and-a-half hour later. This gave us enough time to take the hike. The road is a well-paved carriage way right up to the top and doesn’t need any mountaineering skills. But more people were walking, few took the horse-cart and even lesser had cars. The place was pleasantly crowded with families and even older people preferring to hike than take the horse-cart. The area is nicely wooded with a stray waterfall or two and with stunning views of the valley overlooking a river and a few small villages.

The castle itself is more of surprise. König Ludwig II of the then independent country of Bavaria built it. History debates whether Ludwig was a mad king or whether the report of incapacitation is to be attributed to his frustrated council of ministers. But you sure need an element of eccentricity to be as creative as Ludwig was. Who else would choose an artist to build such a grandiose castle and not an architect! Having grown up in the beautiful surroundings of Hohenschwangau, Ludwig wanted to create an even more stunning retreat, holy and unapproachable (sic) and hence the reason to build Neuschwanstein. Most of his inspiration comes from Richard Wagner’s operas. The castle itself was never completed and it stands incomplete even today. But the frescoes, the elaborate carvings and the canopies are remarkable. The floor patterns are stunning. Ludwig’s bedroom and his bed have elaborate carvings. The music hall is painted with frescoes from Wagner’s operas. The view outside the windows is beautiful. One does not need more convincing why someone would want to live there! According to our guide, the castle was pretty high tech for its time. The castle had running tap water, double insulation windows to keep the cold out, a telephone connection etc. To entertain himself, Ludwig had a winter garden and an artificial snow cave created in the castle. The concert hall was built keeping in mind the acoustic needs of the music!

But what drove Ludwig to build such a castle? It appears that his upbringing was very strict, in order to prepare him for the rigors of being a king. Ludwig ascended to the throne almost immediately after attaining majority not leaving him enough time to prepare. The crisis with Prussia surfaced very soon putting the king and his council of ministers under duress. The eccentric elements of the king were evident right from the beginning though. He was never interested in the worldly and day-to-day matters. His only love-interest was married off to become the empress of Austria and he broke his own engagement after multiple postponements of the wedding. He increasingly started taking solace in the fantasy world of Wagner’s operas and wanted to build a castle that was a fantasy! Under such circumstances, it is not surprising that the council of ministers was frustrated. After annexation to Prussia, Ludwig became a mere figurehead leaving most of the matters to the council. They had him labeled “mentally unfit” and deposed him off the throne. The four psychiatrists, who wrote the report, had never met Ludwig personally. The king was found dead, along with his psychiatrist the next day after this incidence. Conspiracy theories are still debating whether it was a suicide, murder or death because of some natural cause.

The debt that Ludwig incurred because of various construction projects was partially recovered by opening the castle for public. This happened merely within three weeks of his death. Till date, the castle welcomes tourists and offers some insight into its eccentric patron. The monies made by the castle perhaps have paid itself many times over…but for a tourist, it is money well spent.