Neuschwanstein Castle
Image by Wolfgang Heubeck from Pixabay
In the 1900’s, there was a movement to create castle mansions that were more picturesque than their medieval counterparts. Many ancient castles that fell into ruin or disrepair were given a new, more magical face, while new castles were built where ruins could not be resurrected. A focus on creating a fairytale style castle and environment led to the construction of stunning, colorful, and mystifying palaces. The Romanesque Revival aimed at an otherworldly architecture, and was popular throughout Western Europe, especially in Germany.
In the 1860’s, King Ludwig II became entranced with two operas by Richard Wagner: Tannhäuser, and Lohengrin, whose fantasy themes inspired the king to create a castle of his own that was meant as a romantic interpretation of the Middle Ages. He paid for the castle with his personal fortune, rather than using public funds on the venture, because it was to be his personal palace. He decided to rebuild two broken castles that sat on a lookout point called Sylphenturm. In the end, the ruined castles were in no state to be restructured, and were instead torn down and a brand new castle was constructed on the scenic spot.
King Ludwig II was friends with Wagner, and built the castle in part to honor the composer. Ludwig wrote a letter to Wagner describing his intended castle:
It is my intention to rebuild the old castle ruin of Hohenschwangau near the Pöllat Gorge in the authentic style of the old German knights' castles, and I must confess to you that I am looking forward very much to living there one day [...]; you know the revered guest I would like to accommodate there; the location is one of the most beautiful to be found, holy and unapproachable, a worthy temple for the divine friend who has brought salvation and true blessing to the world. It will also remind you of "Tannhäuser" (Singers' Hall with a view of the castle in the background), "Lohengrin'" (castle courtyard, open corridor, path to the chapel) …
Sadly, King Ludwig II never saw the completion of the castle, though much of it was constructed by his death in 1886. Through the two decades that it took to build the palace, the king oversaw the minutest details of architecture, making it more his design than that of the architect he hired for the project. The king only spent a total of 172 day’s living in the castle.
In the 1860’s, King Ludwig II became entranced with two operas by Richard Wagner: Tannhäuser, and Lohengrin, whose fantasy themes inspired the king to create a castle of his own that was meant as a romantic interpretation of the Middle Ages. He paid for the castle with his personal fortune, rather than using public funds on the venture, because it was to be his personal palace. He decided to rebuild two broken castles that sat on a lookout point called Sylphenturm. In the end, the ruined castles were in no state to be restructured, and were instead torn down and a brand new castle was constructed on the scenic spot.
King Ludwig II was friends with Wagner, and built the castle in part to honor the composer. Ludwig wrote a letter to Wagner describing his intended castle:
It is my intention to rebuild the old castle ruin of Hohenschwangau near the Pöllat Gorge in the authentic style of the old German knights' castles, and I must confess to you that I am looking forward very much to living there one day [...]; you know the revered guest I would like to accommodate there; the location is one of the most beautiful to be found, holy and unapproachable, a worthy temple for the divine friend who has brought salvation and true blessing to the world. It will also remind you of "Tannhäuser" (Singers' Hall with a view of the castle in the background), "Lohengrin'" (castle courtyard, open corridor, path to the chapel) …
Sadly, King Ludwig II never saw the completion of the castle, though much of it was constructed by his death in 1886. Through the two decades that it took to build the palace, the king oversaw the minutest details of architecture, making it more his design than that of the architect he hired for the project. The king only spent a total of 172 day’s living in the castle.
