Schloss Neuschwanstein

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Mad King Ludwig set about constructing a castle who glory would succeed him in death. His idea for a medieval fairy tale castle was began with rebuilding the old castle ruins of Hohenschwangauin in 1868. While it was set to be a private refuge his �fantasy in stone� is now one of the largest German tourist attractions. Ludwig II of Bavaria planned to have constructed this castle in three years time, but his schedule was far to rigorous and was not completed 1892, six years after his death.

Difficult terrain and constantly changing designs slowed construction. This is a picture of the castle at the time of Ludwig�s death. Ludwig spent only 11 nights in his fantasy castle before his death but renovations to the castle lasted 23 years. After his death, Ludwig's private palace was opened to the public and was given the name Neuschwanstein. The great costs eventfully left the Swan King penniless. Having lost all sovereignty as a king Ludwig became insane and mysteriously died after having publicly humiliated.

The design process was fairly complex. Since it was built upon an older castle the

basic outlay was set but the ideal design was made by Christian Jank. The head architect at the beginning of construction was Eduard Riedel, then Georg Dollman took over, and upon his retirement Julius Hofmann. The king though, always has the final say, and as Ludwig had few other official tasks, he devoted much of his time to castle building. Due to the many designers and changing times Neuschwanstein is a wonderful mix of Neo-Gothic and Romanesque styles.

Neuschwanstein was enabled with the finest technology of the 1860�s. Originally designed to reflect medieval castles Ludwig had no problem incorporating a forced-air central heating system and uncharacteristically large sliding glass doors. There was an electric bell system to summon servants, running water was available on every floor and an automatic flushing system was installed as well.

The castle, while not impressive in overall size, is just as flamboyantly decorated as other castle of the day. This Hall, occupying the entire fourth floor of the castle, was copied from the Minstrels Hall of the Wartburg Castle. Early in his life Ludwig became fascinated with the works of the composer Richard Wagner, and based much of the art work in the castle from mythological character featured in his operatic works.

One of these such operas was �Parzival�, which chronicles the life of Parsifal-Grail King. Ludwig became to envision himself as this pure king and changed the purpose of his castle from an entertainment center to living a recluse holy life. This room, while designed as the Grail Hall, feature Religious murals and colorful Mosaics. Mural subjects range from

Archangel Michael to Louis IX, Ludwig�s patron saint. The most important feature of the room is lacking, for decoration was not completed until after the Mad King�s death, hence there is no throne.

Royal Bedroom

Key aspects of the bedroom include rich tapestries from the Wagner opera "Tristan and Isolde�. It is said that it took 14 woodcarvers 4� years to create the intricate woodcarvings of the room.

Dressing Room

Paintings in this room were based from the Wagner opera "Die Meistersinger von N�rnberg". The unique feature of this room is the wood paneled ceiling painted to reflect the sky view from a garden.

Salon

The opera �Lohengrin� by Wagner was the basis for the murals of this room. Also know as the swan knight, Lohengrin's story is played out in the decorations of this room. Ludwig made no attempt to hide his infatuation with this holy warrior. Swans were engraved into the woodworking in the doors and walls, and decorations include a life-size ceramic swan.

Between the Salon and Study Ludwig had an artificial stalactite cave constructed. Ludwig spent much time in this wonderful atmosphere. The entire cave was made from plaster-or-paris, and included a natural flowing stream.

The dining room is small for Ludwig preferred to dine alone. The paintings are from the legendary singing contest held at Wartburg Castle in 1207. The highlight of the room is the sculpture presented to Ludwig by the artists of Munich. The sculpture is of Siegfried slaying the dragon and stands over a meter high.