The dream castle of Neuschwanstein was Ludwig II’s main piece of work. When the king was dragged away from the castle, its construction was still ongoing. But the costs were already over 6 million imperial marks. The castle of Hohenschwangau towers over romantic little shooting lodge. The ancient nest of the Wittelsbachs lies in a picturesque setting at the foot of 1700m high pine covered hill in the valleys of rapid streams next to alpine lakes. The members of the family include Maximilan II, Ludwig of Bavaria, the Greek king Otto, and queen Elizabeth who was also known as Sissi. The royal family rebuilt the ruins of the medieval castle of the Schwangau knights in neogothic style. But Ludwig wasn’t satisfied with this castle. He wanted to create the fairytale castle of the Graul knights. He wanted to unite everything that had captured him in Wartburg castle and the castles of the knights along the Rhone.
Interestingly, he didn’t hire an architect to do the planning but a theatrical set designer from Munich, Christian Yank who had designed several of the sets used in Wagner’s operas. The ingenious designs were implemented by three royal architects, Reidle, Dolman and Hoffman. From the foot of Hohenschwangau, we can travel up to the Marien Bruke or Marien Bridge with a horse drawn cart or a bus. Legend has it that Ludwig often used to stop on the bridge spanning the Purlat Gorge and looking down, he dreamt up the castle that is still the most beautiful when seen from there. After sightseeing and taking pictures, visitors can make their way up on foot to the main entrance that is almost 1km high.
Neuschwanstein was associated with romance and fairytales on such a large scale that the Disney studio modeled the castle of Sleeping Beauty after it. It was built in Disneyland and the logo of the company is also this. Ludwig became king at the age of 18 following his father’s death. He sent for Wagner almost immediately. He loved his operas because he saw his own dream world come alive in them. He was especially caught by the story of the swan knight, Lohengrin as he felt this character the closest to himself. He travelled to the places of German legends on foot and horseback collecting ideas for his dream castle. The corner stone of Neuschwanstein was laid down in September 1869. Each tower, bastion, gate, balcony, hallway, small or large room represents a legend or Wagner’s adaptation of it.
Dozens of fresco painters, mosaic artists, woodcarvers, sculptors, interior designers and craftsmen worked on the lavish inner spaces. The chandeliers, inlays, windows, gold plating, tapestries and frescoes are reminiscent of the romance of old times but the technical facilities were of the highest standards of the era. The Emperor didn’t neglect to install modern kitchen appliances, bathrooms, central heating and elevators. The castle wasn’t even built when the ministers conspired against the over spending king and had him declared insane. He was taken from his dream castle and locked up in the small castle of Berg. His body was found two days later in Lake Starnberg along with that of Doctor Gudden, the psychiatrist who certified him. Did the doctor want to stop the king from committing suicide? Or did the king kill the doctor first and then himself or was it all just an accident? Or perhaps the ministers weren’t satisfied with simply removing Ludwig, they wanted a more permanent solution. We’ll never know. Ludwig’s cousin Sissi said that the king wasn’t insane. He was just an eccentric man living in a dream world. Luchino Visconti made a large scale film from the life of Ludwig II in 1973.