Traveling around Germany

Once upon a time,  not so long ago actually,
There was a German king called the “fairy tale majesty.”
He loved music, beauty, arts, and gems
He built several castles, inspired by them
His life, however, was not a fairy tale,
And most likely the king was killed in the end,
But the legacy he left to this day shines –
his castles attract people from all sides.

King Ludwig II of Bavaria erected at least five castles, including the fairytale Neuschwanstein, Linderhof, Herenshimise, Falkenstein, the winter garden at the Munich residence, etc. The most picturesque and respectively the most visited of them are Neuschwanstein and Linderhof, which we visited in one fabulous day.

Sophisticated just like Lindt chocolates, Linderhof Castle is one of these places to which you would like to move in immediately. The picturesque yet lavish palace served as a royal hunting lodge built in the New Versailles style. Significantly small in size, but with great amenities, the palace reveals to visitors the cozy royal apartments with painted walls and exquisite furniture. Especially impressive is the king’s bedroom,  A real masterpiece, however, is its dining room, with the “magical” table that can descend downstairs, where the kitchen is located and then come back filled with dishes. In that way, the king could completely seclude himself and did not have to see and communicate with the servants.

No less impressive are the gardens of the castle. Besides the colorful flowers, lots of greenery and the wonderful panorama of the Alps, there are several golden fountains from which gold may not flow, but the glamorous statues of a goddess with angels and a deity with a horse sled are really impressive.  The water that flows from the first fountain is higher than the palace itself. Not far away there is an oriental gazebo with exotic furniture and arrangement. Especially cozy looks the oriental throne, which is in the form of a sofa surrounded by three peacocks.

Much simpler and cozy is the wooden hunting gazebo at the other side of the park. Walking through the forest trails is a unique opportunity to relax in the nature and enjoy the bird songs even in the winter. Inside the gazebo there are several stuffed bears, deer antlers and hunting tools. Very interesting is the tree that grows in the very center of the room and is part of it.

Even more fabulous is Neuweinstein Castle, which is the prototype of Disney’s Sleeping Beauty Castle and is less than an hour’s drive from Linderhof Castle. The famous Neuweinstein Castle is located next to the town of Füsen, but arriving there we were fascinated firstly by another castle – Schloss Hohenschwangau (or translated the palace of the High Swans area),  It was erected in the 19th century by Ludwig II’s father.  It is charming and sophisticated. Its rooms are beautifully painted, particularly impressive are the ballroom, named Heroes’ Hall, the Queen’s Oriental Bedroom and the King’s Star Bedroom, with the ceiling illuminated with stars and a moon resembling the night sky.

This castle, like Neuschwanstein, is entered only by organized groups and the hours marked on the tickets must be strictly observed. That is why we quickly headed to the famous and most photographed castle in the world – Neuschwanstein  walking along a beautiful forest promenade with a waterfall.

The fabulously painted rooms impressed me. Years later, my memories are still vivid and wonderful – each room retells a separate fairy tale and not only outside but also inside the palace, a person seems to fall into another, fairytale world. It is a pity that Ludwig II failed to complete the castle and died before it was finished. Today, the royal apartments and halls are on the third and fourth floors. The rooms on the second floor were never finished, and today they house a souvenir shop, a café and a screening room.

​Especially beautiful was the throne room, where unfortunately they never put a throne because of the earlier death of the king, but it was inspired by the Byzantine churches and has beautifully painted saints and numerous columns with a dome. With it, Ludwig II wanted to show what the position of the king was in the middle between the divine and the people.  I also liked his exquisite bedroom with many fine carvings and maps telling the legend of Tristan and Isolde.

The fairy tale would not be complete if there was no cave in the palace – the same one was artificially built with a small waterfall and soft colorful lighting. Pressing stone into the cave opens a glass door that leads to the conservatory, which is all glazed and offers an incredible panorama of the Alps.

A magnificent view of the castle is revealed by the Marienbrücke Bridge, which was once a wooden bridge but now has been replaced by a metal structure. It is quite high and at times overflowing with tourists, but people remain breathless not from all this, but from the incredible castle, which as a fairy-tale mirage appears in all its glory.

Undoubtedly, Neuschweinstein is one of the most fabulous places I have been and every memory evokes wonderful emotions, and at the same time romantic feelings and longings. As fabulous as it is real, this is one of the most visited places in Germany that any visitor would repeat…

GENERAL INFORMATION:

Here is a list of ten more wonderful castles in Bavaria that are worth visiting:

​Schloss Nymphenburg in Munich
http://www.schloss-nymphenburg.de 
Residenz Wuerzburg  http://www.residenz-wuerzburg.de