Neuschwanstein is one of the most beautiful castles in the world, the creation of the romantic and reclusive Bavarian King Ludwig II. It was built in the second half of the 19th century far from big cities and roads, 130 km from Munich on the border with Austria. Actually, there are two castles there. One is Neuschwanstein itself, which Ludwig II built and never managed to finish, and the other is Hohenschwangau, located on the neighboring mountain, where the king lived while waiting for the construction of his dream castle. The construction lasted 17 years – almost the entire reign of Ludwig.
Having become engrossed in the construction of the castle, the king completely forgot about state affairs, and in the end the patience of the Munich residents ran out. In 1886 they declared Ludwig incompetent and forcibly took him to Berg Castle. The next day the king died in the lake under unclear circumstances together with the psychiatrist who had made the diagnosis. And just two months later, the unfinished Neuschwanstein Castle was opened to tourists.
If the Bavarians had known what a gold mine Ludwig's creation would become for their descendants, they would surely have left the king alone and even asked him to build more such castles. However, even two have been enough to create one of Germany's most original tourist products.
Neuschwanstein is not a particularly large castle, but every room in it is a masterpiece. The walls are painted with pictures based on medieval legends, mainly those that became the basis for the operas of the king's friend, composer Richard Wagner: "Tristan and Isolde", "Lohengrin", "Parsifal" and others. The Throne Hall and the Hall of the Singers are simply impossible to describe – you have to see them.
Another room in the castle, the Grotto, perfectly reflects the king's wild imagination. It is seemingly an ordinary small room in an enfilade of others, but instead of the usual walls there are rocks stylized as a cave with a mini waterfall. When the doors to the room are closed, one gets the full impression of an underground cave, although the room is on the third floor. Specifically to delight the king's ear, a listening passage was made into the grotto from the Hall of the Singers.
Amazing inside, the castle is no less impressive outside – a fairytale palace among mountain forests. The neighboring Hohenschwangau Castle does not strike the imagination as much, but is also notable in its own way. Ludwig's father Maximilian built Hohenschwangau in the neo-Gothic style, and also decorated the walls with scenes from legends.
Every day up to 6,000 tourists visit the castles; this can be done independently, or with a tour from Munich, or from one of the Alpine resorts. A tour from Munich or Salzburg will take a full day (about eight hours) and cost 40-45 euros, not counting the price of entrance tickets. Traveling by train will cost about the same, unless you have a rail pass or another discounted ticket.
You can also come by car – parking costs four euros. But no matter how you travel, you first need to get to Füssen, a small Alpine town on the German-Austrian border. If you are traveling by train and with luggage, you should arrive as early as possible – there are only a couple of dozen storage locker cells at Füssen station, and after nine in the morning they will all be occupied – and they won't let you into the castles with backpacks. To make it in time, you need to take the 7 a.m. train from Munich. In general, trains from this city run once an hour. A few minutes after each train arrives, bus No. 9713 departs from Füssen station, which will take you in seven minutes to the village of Hohenschwangau in the gorge between the two castles. There you will find a ticket center, a parking lot, several hotels and restaurants.
An early arrival will allow you to save time when visiting the castles as well. The ticket system here is unique, and it is rather difficult to find an analogue. Tickets are only sold at the ticket center downstairs; you cannot buy them in the buildings. You also cannot wander through the castles on your own – you can only go with a guide. Tours start every five minutes, alternately in German and English. Those who wish can also take an audio guide in one of 11 languages, including Russian.
A ticket to either of the two castles costs 9 euros (for children, students, pensioners, disabled people and members of groups of more than 14 people – 8 euros), but usually people buy a combined ticket, the so-called royal ticket for both castles. It costs 17 euros (with a discount – 15). In fact, the royal ticket is two separate tickets for each of the two castles. The time of your visit is noted on the tickets.
The first in the royal program is Hohenschwangau Castle, and if you have arrived not too late and a queue has not yet formed, the time of your visit will be about 40 minutes after buying the ticket. In that time you need to get to the castle along a road going up the mountain. A brisk walk will take about twenty minutes. Lazy people can ride a horse-drawn carriage, which moves slightly faster and costs 3.5 euros to go up and 1.5 euros back down.
Once you reach the castle, you will see turnstiles at the entrance that will let you through only at the time indicated on your ticket. You wait until the number of your tour lights up on the display board – much like at airline ticket counters. While waiting, you can admire the panorama of the Alps and visit the souvenir shop.
The tour of Hohenschwangau Castle takes about half an hour. After that, you still have about an hour and a half before your visit to Neuschwanstein Castle. During this time you need to go back down to the ticket center and climb the opposite mountain. At a brisk pace, this distance is covered in about forty minutes, so you have about the same amount of time to spare. It won't be enough for a restaurant, but once you return to the bus stop, you can have a snack at a hamburger stand.
In summer, the time of the ascent to Neuschwanstein can be shortened by taking short paths through the forest. Again, you can ride along them on a horse-drawn carriage – 5 euros up and 2.5 euros down. Another option: take a minibus to another creation of Ludwig – the suspension bridge Marienbrücke (1.8 euros up, 1 euro down, and 2.6 euros round-trip), and then descend from the bridge to the castle.
Ludwig's stunning creation has one serious drawback – its immense popularity. To get everyone through the castle, guides squeeze the tour of Neuschwanstein into just 25 minutes. And when you leave the castle, you're left with a feeling that you haven't seen everything, notes a Gazeta.Ru journalist. Perhaps that's another reason you feel drawn to return to Neuschwanstein.