Friday 21 January 2011
Stuttgart, Badem-Württemberg. It had snowed all day and all night so I departed Eschenlohe into a snow-covered landscape for a very pretty drive across the foothills of the alps, putting me into the right fairy-tale mood for the castle Neuschwanstein at Hoheschwangau. After Bavaria lost to the Prussians in the 19th century, King Luwig II had little to do with his time but build this castle to satisfy his fantasies of mediaeval kingship and the adventures of the knights. His favourite composer was Wagner and he hired theatrical set designers to decorate the interior of the palace to illustrate the legends dramatised by Wagner. Sadly he never saw it finished. After working on it for 17 years then Prussian government had him declared insane. Were they right? Don't know; but the next day Ludwig and his psychiatrist were found dead under mysterious circumstances. The castle was immediately made into a tourist attraction. What we are left with is a Byzantine castle atop a mountain in Germany, built to the best 19th century technology - and still brand new. To view it you have to book a timed tour in advance. They run one every 5-10 minutes with about 30 people in each - and they are pretty full even in January. In winter the only way to get to the caste from the village is on foot or by horse-drawn carriage. In summer there is also a minibus. It's a completely over-the-top tourist experience - but you have to do it! Time to hit the autobahn out of Bavaria and to the capital of the free state of Badem-Württemberg - Stuttgart.
Stuttgart, Badem-Württemberg. It had snowed all day and all night so I departed Eschenlohe into a snow-covered landscape for a very pretty drive across the foothills of the alps, putting me into the right fairy-tale mood for the castle Neuschwanstein at Hoheschwangau. After Bavaria lost to the Prussians in the 19th century, King Luwig II had little to do with his time but build this castle to satisfy his fantasies of mediaeval kingship and the adventures of the knights. His favourite composer was Wagner and he hired theatrical set designers to decorate the interior of the palace to illustrate the legends dramatised by Wagner. Sadly he never saw it finished. After working on it for 17 years then Prussian government had him declared insane. Were they right? Don't know; but the next day Ludwig and his psychiatrist were found dead under mysterious circumstances. The castle was immediately made into a tourist attraction. What we are left with is a Byzantine castle atop a mountain in Germany, built to the best 19th century technology - and still brand new. To view it you have to book a timed tour in advance. They run one every 5-10 minutes with about 30 people in each - and they are pretty full even in January. In winter the only way to get to the caste from the village is on foot or by horse-drawn carriage. In summer there is also a minibus. It's a completely over-the-top tourist experience - but you have to do it! Time to hit the autobahn out of Bavaria and to the capital of the free state of Badem-Württemberg - Stuttgart.
Eschenlohe
Eschenlohe
Eschenlohe - Der Alte Wirt
Hochschangau - Schloβ
Hochschangau
Hochschangau
Hochschangau
Hochschangau
Hochschangau
Hochschangau
Hochschangau
Hochschangau
Schloβ Neuschwanstein
Schloβ Neuschwanstein
Schloβ Neuschwanstein
Schloβ Neuschwanstein
Schloβ Neuschwanstein
Schloβ Neuschwanstein
Schloβ Neuschwanstein
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