Neuschwanstein Castle (Schloss Neuschwanstein) description and photos - Germany: Bavaria (Topic)

Schloss Neuschwanstein castle description and photos - Germany: Bavaria. Detailed information about the attraction. Description, photographs and a map showing the nearest significant objects. The title in English is Schloss Neuschwanstein.

Photo and description

The King of Bavaria Ludwig II, unsociable and romantic, ordered to build for himself on a lonely rock, near the village of Schwangau, Neuschwanstein Castle (1868 - 1886). It was erected in the style of a knight's fortress and luxuriously furnished.

The legendary castle

The plans and drawings were developed by Eduard Riedel, decorator Christian Jank and Georg Dolman. Each hall of the castle is a hymn to Wagner's operas, heroes of German legends.

The marble throne room was conceived as the hall of Parsifal. The floor plans for the lavish Byzantine style were created by Eduard Ille and Julius Hoffmann. It is a two-tiered hall with long rows of columns, decorated with imitations of porphyry and lapis lazuli. It ends with a semicircle of a gilded apse. Nine Carrara marble steps lead to the platform where a throne of gold and ivory should have been. However, this was no longer destined to come true due to the untimely death of the king.

Under the shining blue sky of the dome sits Christ, surrounded by Mary and John, and below are the saint kings: Casimir, Stephen, Henry, Ferdinand, Edward and Louis. A precious candelabrum in the shape of a Byzantine crown, silt of gilded copper, carries 96 candles and weighs 18 centners.

The oak-paneled dining room is decorated with paintings by Ferdinand Ryloti and Joseph Aigner. They depict the minnesingers, as well as scenes from the legendary song contest in Wartburg in 1207.

The Singers' Hall occupies the entire eastern part of the fourth floor. Several years ago, great concerts began to be held in this magnificent hall.

The private chambers of the king

The neo-Gothic royal bedchamber dazzles with an abundance of carved decorations and ornaments. Fourteen carvers worked for four and a half years to make them. The picture decoration of the room is mainly devoted to the story of Tristan and Isolde, which deeply impressed the 20-year-old king. The opera of the same name by Richard Wagner was staged in 1865 during King Ludwig's stay in Munich.

Ludwig II's small chapel adjoins the bedroom. It is dedicated to the holy king Louis of France, after whom the monarch was named. A richly carved winged altar is cut into the ornamented lancet vault.

A lavishly decorated living room with a front bay window, the so-called "swan" corner, dedicated to the image of the swan knight Lohengrin. Large panels by artists Gauschild and von Haeckel depict scenes from the Lohengrin legend. In addition, the swan motif appears in carved wood paneling and in gold embroidery on silk upholstery and curtains.

The king's study is decorated in a Romanesque style. The tapestries created by Joseph Aigner, filigree inlaid in oak wall paneling, illustrate the legends of Tannhauser and the Wartburg singing competition.

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Topic: Neuschwanstein Castle (Schloss Neuschwanstein) description and photos - Germany: Bavaria.