Day: April 16, 2019

Sleeping Beauty’s Castle

The morning sun kissed the Bavarian Alps as we looked out the window of our rental apartment in Hopfen am See, Germany. The night before we drove from Ulm to the quaint little resort village at the foot of the Alps. The charming apartment overlooked the Hopfensee and the mighty Alps beyond.

  • Dusk on Hopfensee
  • Same view from our balcony in the morning sunlight on the 16 of April

A hearty breakfast eaten and we drove 25 minutes into the Alps and to the site of the most famous castle in the world, Schloss Neuschwanstein. This iconic Romantic Period castle was built between 1869-1882 by King Ludwig II of Bavaria. The castle pays homage to his favorite composer, Richard Wagener, and it contains several murals and rooms decorated to honor the composer’s various operas. These include Tristan und Isolde, Parsifal, Siegfried, and Tannhäuser. Walt Disney was inspired by the architecture of Neuschwanstein and used the castle as a model for Sleeping Beauty’s Castle in Disneyland.

This portrait of King Ludwig II of Bavaria was in our apartment.

However, before visiting this iconic castle we toured the other lesser-known Scholss Hohenschwangau. Set across the valley from Neuschwanstein, Hohen schwangau is the castle where Ludwig grew up. It’s interior contains magnificent murals and architecture devoted to the romantic ideals of the Middle Ages. His father Maximillian II of Bavaria was also a daydreamer and romantic at heart.

Schloss Hohenschwangau
  • Swan fountain in the courtyard:
    “Schwan” is swan in German and used in the castle’s name.
  • Bavarian Coat of Arms
We met a lady from Pennsylvania who offered to take our family photo. We are sitting on the walls of Schloss Hohenschwangau.

I have visited both of these charming castles twice before and it was wonderful to get to share the experience and delicate beauty of the castles with my children. Sadly there were a lot of people, especially at Neuschwanstein, but the 30 minute walk up the path to the castle was lovely. Another walk uphill took us to the Marianbrucke, a metal bridge that expands over a gorge with two waterfalls and allows for breathtaking views of Schloss Neuschwanstein!

  • The pathway to Schloss Neuschwanstein
  • In the courtyard
Schloss Newuschwanstein:
It means Castle New Swan Rock in english. King Ludwig II used private funds to build this castle.
View from the front of the castle

Truthfully words cannot capture the beauty of these castles and the surrounding mountains and lakes, so I’m just going to post several photos. Unfortunately I couldn’t take photos inside the castles.

View from the back balcony of Neuschwanstein: That is the town of Füssen in the distance.
Another view from the back balcony looking over the lake. That is Schloss Hohenschwangau in the right of the photo.
Marianbrucke: This view was to the left of the back balcony.
  • At Marianbrucke we made friends with Mr. Kye a hurdy gurdy player.
  • Waterfall view from Marianbrucke
Amazing view of Schloss Neuschwanstein from the Marianbrucke!
Close up: The back balcony can clearly be seen on the left.

We spent the evening in the town of Füssen near the castles. It was a charming village and we enjoyed walking around in the shops and ate a traditional Bavarian supper!

  • Parking underground in Füssen was a bit tight!
  • Füssen, Germany