Situated above the village of Hohenschwangau near Füssen in southwest Bavaria of Germany is this beautiful castle. Originally twin in ruins though, the new palace was built as a commission for Richard Wagner by Ludwig II of Bavaria. Ludwig used to call the new palace he built as New Hohenschwangau Castle but after his death it was named as Neuschwanstein. Inspiration for the construction of this castle was found from Wartburg near Eisenach and Château de Pierrefonds. However the design of the building was by the stage designer Christian Jank and realized by the architect Eduard Riedel. As typical the palace may seem for the 19th century architecture, shapes of Romanesque, Gothic and the Throne Hall décor were mingled with 19th century technical achievements.
In 1868, the ruins were demolished and the foundation stone for the Palace was laid in 1869 while the Gatehouse was the first to finish. By the end of 1873, Ludwig took provisional lodgings there to oversee the further construction going on. There are records saying about the rocks used to built the castle. The white limestones in fronts were from a nearby quarry while the sandstone bricks of portals and bay windows were from Schlaitdorf in Württemberg. Marblefrom Untersberg near Salzburg was used for the windows, the arch ribs, the columns and the capitals. The Throne Hall was a later addition to the plans and required a steel framework. By 1880, 200 craftsmen were occupied at the site working to meet the king’s deadlines.
Even though still unfinished by the year 1884, the eager king moved in along with his mother Marie and by 1886, the exterior was almost done. The funny fact is that despite being large, the castle did not contain a royal court although court buildings served decorative, rather than residential purposes. The king was personally involved in the designing process because of his keen enthusiasm. Within the Palas are the Throne Room, Ludwig's suite, the Singers' Hall, and the Grotto. Building is also quite elongated with many towers, ornamental turrets, gables, balconies, pinnacles and sculptures. It’s rather fairy tale looking than real actually.
If you are planning to pay visit to this beautiful castle, what you must know is that it is open daily in Apr - Sept: 9am - 6pm, Oct - Mar: 10am - 4pm. and closed in Jan 1, Dec 24-25 and Dec 31. You can locate the castle near Schangau and Fussen in the Allgau, short ways from Munich. Day trips via train are plenty. The rooms are only open to viewing through guided tours, either in German or English.
Also, Villa near Neuschwanstein Castle is great if you are planning to stay. Other hotels in the area includes,
Hotel MuellerHotel Alpenstuben
Alpenhotel Allgaeu
Schlosshotel Lisl
Hotel Garni Schlossblick
Schlossrestaurant Neuschwanstein
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