Hohenschwangau

Tuesday 1 April. We left the resort in thick fog to drive to the village of Hohenschwangau, a drive of around 75 km give or take a few to allow for wrong turns. Obviously the small towns were built long before people travelled any distance because often the road appeared to be taking you right up to a front door or into a barn and at the last minutes veering around the building whose wall was right on the edge of the road. Rather scary when you meet a truck coming the other way which meant one driver had to drive partly onto the narrow footpath.

We arrived at Hohenschwangau and parked below the Castle, the private retreat of the Bavarian Royal Family. The family spent much time in the castle and seldom entertained, using it as “get away”. The Castle is still owned by descendants of the Bavarian Kings, but is now just a museum which provides a substantial income for the current Duke. The building and the lavish decorations and furnishings, must have taken a large portion of the Bavarian State’s income. It was in this building that the young Prince, later to become King Ludwig II spent a lot of his early days and probably where he planned his world famous Neuschwanstein Castle.

Which contrary to the belief of some tourists who visit, was not copied from Disneyland.

The structure of the building is outstanding, given that it is at the top a very steep hill and the builder would have had to construct a road to the summit before building could commence. I won’t even attempt to describe the splendour of the rooms in the Castle, but we have been in many palaces and stately homes over the years and this outdoes them all.

Because the money Ludwig was spending on the construction was draining the State purse, the Government of the day declared him insane and replaced him with his uncle. As a result of Ludwig being removed a large part of the planned construction never took place and the fitting out of the second floor of the Castle was never started, so only the first, third and fourth floors were completed and the throne for the throne room was not built. The moment Ludwig was removed all work ceased and the family cancelled many orders for furnishings and fittings and it took them forty years to pay off the outstanding debts. The Castle is now owned by the Bavarian State.

Ludwig was taken from Hohenschwangau to a Palace some 60 km away, and two days after he was deposed, he and his doctor went for a walk and didn’t return. They were later found drowned in the nearby lake – accident or murder, no-one knows.

Even though the clouds hung around all day we were able to take some photos and two of the attached “works of art” are included at the request of our three year old granddaughter, Erica.