Reutte, Austria

Castle Day!

King Maximillian of Bavaria built a lovely summer home called Hohenschwahgau Castle on a mountain ridge near the town of Fussen. Construction began in 1833. He spent his summers in the castle with his wife Mary and sons Ludwig and Otto. Maximillian occupied the third floor; Mary lived on the second floor and the boys in the annex.

The whole place is painted with scenes inspired by Wagner’s operas. The billiard balls are made of ivory. A 200-pound chandelier made up of silver swans hangs in a drawing room. A spiral staircase behind a hidden door in Max’s bedroom leads to Mary’s bedroom. Mary had an ornate reading room and a writing room, equally ornate, but she preferred to be outdoors hiking in the mountains. She gathered plants from all over the Alps for her alpine garden. Maximillian had a special bridge built for her, which spans a deep ravine so she would have a shorter route into the mountains. Their castle is still owned by their descendants and is visited by 300,000 people a year, (they gave up on the guest book years ago).

Hohenschwahgau Castle

Their older son, Ludwig, was a dreamer and he dreamed up his own castle upon becoming king in 1864 at the age of 18.  Neuschwanstein Castle is perfectly perched in the foothills of the Alps with commanding views of Alpsee and Schwansee Lakes, his father’s castle, and the verdant countryside. He used swans throughout the castle as a tribute to Wagner’s works and because the swan was his heraldic animal. There are swan faucets, swan doorknobs, swans carved into the woodwork and embroidered into the draperies. So many swans he is sometimes referred to as the Swan King. In his throne room hangs a 2000-pound chandelier in the shape of a royal crown. There is no throne, however, because when he died under mysterious circumstances construction stopped and many rooms were never completed. The floor in the throne room consists of over a million ¼ inch tiles pieced together in a mosaic depicting the animals and birds of the region. He built a theater room, which was also never used. It is the size of a ballroom. Ludwig was a recluse and planned to stage operas in his castle so he wouldn’t have to attend public performances. The room has 92 acoustic panels, which create a perfect environment for solo recitals.

 

Neuschwanstein Castle

Ludwig died in 1886 after having been declared insane. He was found in the shallow water of Lake Starnberg, dead but not drowned. There are lots of theories as to how he died, but we’ll just never know.

Ludwig was pretty much broke when he died. His castle is now owned by the state of Bavaria and because of the more than 1.3 million paying visitors per year, (sometimes 6000 a day); it helps make Bavaria the richest state in Germany.

We reserved timed tickets to both castles on-line before we left Spokane. We got to skip the long lines at the ticket booth and walked right up to the reservation desk. The entrance system is very efficient. A digital clock at the castle entrance shows the time of day, a second display shows ticket numbers. At your appointed time your ticket number is displayed and you have 10 minutes to enter. Your ticket is inserted into a slot in a turnstile much like getting on the Metro. Once inside you are grouped with the language specific guide you requested. Off you go. Slick.

After the castle tours we rented a paddleboat and floated around Alpsee Lake for a while. We looked up at both castles in their alpine settings and watched primary colored hang gliders lift and drop against the cobalt sky. A day fit for a king and queen.

Alpsee Lake

Paddling

In 1738 a statue of the scourged Christ was seen weeping, real tears. The event brought pilgrims from far and wide. The statue was originally housed in a farmer’s barn because the church at the time felt the carving too evocative. It was moved to a small chapel after the weeping miracle; but the massive numbers of pilgrims who continued to come resulted in a more permanent home. The Wieskirche is a rococo masterpiece. Think gold and curlicues. Many, many golden curlicues.  In glass cases on either side of the altar are the handkerchiefs of the people who came, prayed and were cured. They no longer needed their hankies so they left them in the church. Now there are many pleas and gratitudes placed in the aisles beside the altar.

My camera battery died. Pictures are available at the church website:
http://www.wieskirche.de/eframset.htm

Apple strudel again tonight!