Marty lived in Fussen for four months when he was 19. He’d often shared stories about the beauty of the area and proximity to two castles—the castles of Ludwig II and his father Max. It was fun to visit and reminisce about Marty’s time there many years ago. Fussen is a lovely bustling town, very pedestrian-friendly. Everything refers to Swans here. We stayed in Schwangau, just outside Fussen, and had a view of Neuschwanstein (New Swan Rock).
Our tour of the castles was on a lovely fall day, crisp and clear. The autumn colors brought the foothills to life. We first toured dad’s castle, where Ludwig grew up. Schloss (Castle) Hohenschwangau (High swan --). The umber colored exterior with burnt orange trim juxtaposed perfectly with the season. The rooms struck me as higher than broad—ceilings easily 12 feet high but the rooms themselves not that big. The queen's rooms were decorated before she was on the scene so she lived with her husband’s taste—a Moorish-style bedroom. My favorite was a tea room, set with a lovely cream and green china echoed in the table linens as well, The rooms were heated with free standing tile fireplaces fed discreetly by the servants using hidden tunnel systems.
Her rooms were on the second floor while her husband’s were on the third—connected by a hidden stairway…dad’s bedroom had lots of Romantic voluptuous women in paintings on the walls. Hmmm, wondered what his fantasies were.
Ludwig’s bedroom showed the roots of his idiosyncrasies. He had little stars over his bed and some way of simulating the phases of the moon. He also had a huge telescope through which he watched the 17 years of construction of Neuschwanstein.
We took a bus up to Neuschwanstein, set quite high on the mountain. The white exterior is actually a plaster-type finish over red brick, both mined from nearby. Still about half unfinished, the tour allowed us to see both the vision and construction. We walked up over 100 steps to get to the 2nd floor and then 4th floor, the two finished interior areas of the castle. The servants quarters were nicer than mom and dad’s place so you can imagine Ludwig’s digs. While dad seemed to be a womanizer, his son was a bit weird—and his room certainly one-upped his father’s. Connecting his bedroom to his living quarters was a cave, complete with stalactites. Perhaps the psychologists among us could comment on that.
The throne room was truly out of this world. Gold and lapis lazuli adorned the walls—just unbelievable! Mosaic floors, statues, paintings, you name it. Martin reminded us that Ludwig nearly broke the treasury building this place. He only lived there 6 months, then died mysteriously after being declared mentally ill, either murdered or suicide, they are not sure. Interestingly, 6 weeks after his death, the castle opened for tours—and has been a bustling business ever since. Perhaps that was Ludwig’s genius for the ages.
Our tour of the castles was on a lovely fall day, crisp and clear. The autumn colors brought the foothills to life. We first toured dad’s castle, where Ludwig grew up. Schloss (Castle) Hohenschwangau (High swan --). The umber colored exterior with burnt orange trim juxtaposed perfectly with the season. The rooms struck me as higher than broad—ceilings easily 12 feet high but the rooms themselves not that big. The queen's rooms were decorated before she was on the scene so she lived with her husband’s taste—a Moorish-style bedroom. My favorite was a tea room, set with a lovely cream and green china echoed in the table linens as well, The rooms were heated with free standing tile fireplaces fed discreetly by the servants using hidden tunnel systems.
Her rooms were on the second floor while her husband’s were on the third—connected by a hidden stairway…dad’s bedroom had lots of Romantic voluptuous women in paintings on the walls. Hmmm, wondered what his fantasies were.
Ludwig’s bedroom showed the roots of his idiosyncrasies. He had little stars over his bed and some way of simulating the phases of the moon. He also had a huge telescope through which he watched the 17 years of construction of Neuschwanstein.
We took a bus up to Neuschwanstein, set quite high on the mountain. The white exterior is actually a plaster-type finish over red brick, both mined from nearby. Still about half unfinished, the tour allowed us to see both the vision and construction. We walked up over 100 steps to get to the 2nd floor and then 4th floor, the two finished interior areas of the castle. The servants quarters were nicer than mom and dad’s place so you can imagine Ludwig’s digs. While dad seemed to be a womanizer, his son was a bit weird—and his room certainly one-upped his father’s. Connecting his bedroom to his living quarters was a cave, complete with stalactites. Perhaps the psychologists among us could comment on that.
The throne room was truly out of this world. Gold and lapis lazuli adorned the walls—just unbelievable! Mosaic floors, statues, paintings, you name it. Martin reminded us that Ludwig nearly broke the treasury building this place. He only lived there 6 months, then died mysteriously after being declared mentally ill, either murdered or suicide, they are not sure. Interestingly, 6 weeks after his death, the castle opened for tours—and has been a bustling business ever since. Perhaps that was Ludwig’s genius for the ages.
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