Hohenschwangau Castle. Castle in Bavaria, Germany

The most popular country among tourists with a large number of fortresses and other historical monuments is Germany. The castles of Bavaria belong to the list of the most beautiful on the planet. One of the most interesting of them is the former residence of Ludwig the Second of Bavaria - Hohenschwangau. More details about it will be discussed later.

Brief background

The castle is built on the ruins of the Schwanstein fortress. The first documentary recollection of it dates back to the twelfth century. Then she acted as the family estate of the Knights of Schwangau. Germany for all its history has undergone a large number of internecine wars, so it is not surprising that the owners of the fortress changed many times. In 1535, it was owned by the adviser Paumgartner. For twelve years he rebuilt it and named it a new name - Hohenschwangau. A few years later, for an unknown reason, the owner left his estate. As a result, the castle was in decline. After the wave of Napoleonic wars swept across Europe, he, like many other castles and fortresses in Germany, turned into ruins. In this condition, the building stood for several centuries, remaining surrounded by picturesque mountain slopes and green hills.

Base

In the first half of the nineteenth century this place was chosen by King Maximilian II. Most of all he was attracted by local landscapes. As a result, it was for them that he acquired the ruins for seven thousand guilders in 1832. Almost immediately after that, the fortress was rebuilt. According to the idea of the new owner, it should have been built in the medieval style, in the spirit of the kind of Count Schwangau. The castle was built for five years. Reconstruction of its halls was performed by famous court artists. The author of the project was Domenico Qualho. Around the fortress there was a massive stone wall with pointed towers and decorative balconies. The real highlight of the castle was that it was painted in yellow. This makes the structure very noticeable on a bright green background.

Role for the royal family

The main building was intended for the residence of the owners - King Maximilian II and his wife, and an outbuilding - for their children. Castle Hohenschwangau almost instantly turned into a hunting and summer residence of the royal family. He was for her as a dacha, where both adults and children could enjoy solitude, tranquility and excellent nature. Maximilian II was an avid hunter, so he spent a lot of time here. After he died, his son Ludwig ascended to the throne. He moved to the main building, where he lived with his mother - Queen Maria of Prussia, a big fan of mountain walks and fishing.

Ludwig the Second

The castle had a significant impact on the future king of kings - Ludwig II. This is not surprising, since the future ruler spent here a significant part of his childhood and youth. Even then, the walls of his rooms were decorated with scenes from legends of the Middle Ages. Many of them were dedicated to a swan knight named Lohengrin. Under the influence of this, the young man began to think about how he would build his own fortresses in the future. Whatever it was, among historians there is an opinion that he himself did not like this castle. This is not surprising, because the boy was brought up hard and ascetic. The future ruler grew without any caress and love. The only thing his parents did not save on is education. The best teachers of those times were invited to the fortress.

Castle today

The castle of Hohenschwangau (Germany) has not changed to our days and is maintained in the same state in which it was reconstructed in 1837. In comparison with many other surviving fortresses in this country, it is very compact. The rooms amaze with their splendor. They can be called quite spacious. To decorate the premises, statues and a large amount of gold were used. In the exterior you can see different bas-reliefs. The courtyard is decorated with small fountains. In 1913 the fortress received the status of the National Museum. Since that time, like other attractions in Bavaria, it has become open to free tourists. Currently, the property is owned by the former royal family of Wittelsbach.

Driving directions

In order to get to the fortress, it is initially recommended to go to Munich or Nuremberg. Then take the train and drive to the Füssen railway station (in both cases it will take about two hours). The distance from it to the castle is about five kilometers, so you can even overcome it on foot. However, there is a good bus service. To reach the necessary destination point you need the route number 78. On the same bus you can reach another famous landmark of Bavaria - Neuschwanstein Castle. These two objects are not far from each other. The fare for one way is 1,8 euros, and there and back - 2,6 euro.

Rooms and halls

One of the most significant buildings in the building is the Hall of the Swan Knight. He received his name from a huge picture. It depicts the moment of arrival of Lohengrin to King Henry in order to protect the honor of the Duchess of Brabant. The knight swims to shore on the white swan led by the golden boat. The hall is relatively small, however, on the other hand, it seems very spacious. This effect was achieved due to the color of the ceiling in the sky color. From above it is covered with beautiful gilt stucco molding, as well as a huge number of asterisks. On the walls you can see paintings written by court artists based on the saga of the Vikings. Earlier this hall was used as a dining room.

The largest room that the Hohenschwangau Castle has is the Hall of Heroes and Knights. It stretched out over the length of the entire structure. Particularly impressive are the columns made in the Gothic style . The walls are decorated with large-scale murals, dedicated to various events from the life of knights. In the center is a chic table, on which gold tableware is neatly laid out.

The eastern room is the queen of Queen of Prussia. The room is decorated in Oriental style. In general, the room is very cozy. Next to the large bed there is a round table, which is covered with a tablecloth. The wall painting shows historical scenes from the life of the old fortress. It should be noted that here there are images of not only noble persons, but also ordinary people. Next door is the queen's study, which is usually called Bertha's room. It is decorated based on the legends of the birth of Charlemagne.

The Hohenstaufen Hall was originally used by Maximilian as a dressing room. However, after Ludwig became the owner of the castle, he converted the room into a room for music. It is in it today that one of the greatest pride that the Hohenschwangau Castle boasts - the grand piano made of a maple, on which Wagner himself played for the young king - stands today.

Tasso's room was first the bedroom of Maximilian II, and then Ludwig. Its main theme is "The History of Armida and Rinaldo", which in the sixteenth century was written by the Italian Torquatto Tasso. It tells of the events of the first crusade, as a result of which the city of Jerusalem was captured by the Crusaders. From the balcony of this room, Ludwig II observed through the telescope the process of erecting one of his most famous creations - the fortress of Neuschwanstein, still known as the "Swan Castle".

On the bay there is a home chapel. Ludwig II personally engaged in its design. One can not but note the fact that it is decorated with two Russian icons.

Tourist attraction

Excursion "Castles of Bavaria" is one of the most popular among tourists visiting Germany. In its mandatory program includes a visit to Hohenschwangau. This majestic fortress, which rises among the green hills between the Schwansee and Alpsee lakes, attracts more than three hundred thousand visitors from all over the world every year. In our time it is more like a manor from the medieval era, which is surrounded by formidable fir trees. No matter how surprising this may sound, Hohenschwangau Castle in general did not suffer in any way during the two world wars.