Small and Cozy - Hohenschwangau Castle

Previously written by me under "yankin" for Trivago community platform, which has been closed in May 2017.

My interest in the Hohenschwangau Castle was simply because of the famous neighbour castle Neuschwanstein. It would have been a shame not to visit being there! However, after viewing both castles I was more impressed with the Hohenschwangau.

H I S T O R Y
Schloß Hohenschwangau or Hohenschwangau Castle was the residence of King Ludwig II of Bavaria and was built by his father, Maximillian II of Bavaria. However, he was not the first to build it.

According to the history, it was first built by the Knights of Schwangau and dates back to the 12 century. In the 16 century, the family of Schwangau Knights became extinct. The building started gradually falling apart. Then during the war against Napoleon, the castle was badly damaged. Because of the beautiful countryside, in 19th century Maximillian II bought the ruins and restored the castle.

C A S T L E
The castle is situated really close to the ticket office. Hence, we visited it first! While waiting for the tour to begin, it is nice to walk around, take breathtaking images of the valley or visit the shop. The CASTLE itself is COZY with the SMALL ROOMS. It even feels like someone still lives there!

T O U R
There is a display with lit numbers in the courtyard of the castle. As soon as the number will correspond with the one on your ticket, you are allowed to go inside.

The tour begins with gathering in the hall, where you meet the guide. After climbing the spiral staircase, you get to see the first room - the BILLIARD ROOM - and the story of the castle begins. The exhibition showcases a rich collection of orders and decorations.

Next room was the HALL OF THE SWAN-KNIGHT. This used to be a former dining room, and it strikes with wall paintings. It is here, where you get to listen to the story/legend of the swan. That helps to notice and understand the meaning of so many swans decorating the room as well as the whole castle.

The QUEEN'S APARTMENTS, where the tour takes you next, consist of living room, Oriental room, Schyren room, room of The Lady of the castle and Berchta room.

SCHYREN ROOM used to serve as a dressing room. It holds family pictures, and you getting to know the story of the Maximillian's marriage to Prussian princess Marie.

ORIENTAL ROOM used to be the queen's bedroom. It reflects the trip of Maximilian II to Greece and Turkey in the first half of the 19th century. Vivid colours and oriental/romantic styles making this room very expressive.

LIVING ROOM preserves a 100 years old bread and salt. (If I haven't mixed up the rooms 😁 )

BERCHTA ROOM used to be the writing room. It is decorated with the wall paintings, dedicated to the saga of the first great European - Karl I.

The center of the ROOM OF THE LADY OF THE CASTLE adorns a big silver chandelier, decorated with swans. Wall paintings representing the life of the Medieval period. Here you will also find 2 busts of her sons.

The KING'S APARTMENTS consist of the Hohenstaufen room, Tasso room, Authari Room, Welf room and the study of King Maximilian II. Later it became an apartment to Ludwig II.

HOHENSTAUFEN ROOM used to be the dressing and music room of the King. The wall paintings are representing the dynasty of Hohenstaufen and the piano - is the one the composer Wagner played for the King.

TASSO ROOM used to be King's bedroom. The painted walls telling the tale of Rinaldo and Armida, the Torquato Tasso's epic poem "Jerusalem Delivered". The ceiling above his sleeping chamber is painted dark blue to reflect the night sky with lenses of glass and the shade of the moon, which could follow the real one. It also has a secret door to the staircase, so that the king could get into the Queen's apartment.

AUTHARI ROOM used to be the guest room. It was named after the ancient Bavarian saga of Authari. During the visits to the castle, Richard Wagner used to stay in this room.

THE HALL OF HEROES is the biggest room in the castle. The wall paintings here illustrate the Wilkina Saga. And it preserved many gold candlesticks.

On the way out our group passed the bright KITCHEN with two mannequins representing King's servants.

U S E F U L L
Guided tours are available in English and German. It is possible to get an Audio-guided tour as well.

The tickets for each castle can be purchased separately or as a combo-ticket, which will cost cheaper if you are visiting both.

This is a very popular destination among the tourists and the queue to the ticket office will be growing exponentially throughout the day! So best to come early!

There are plenty of restaurants and cafes. Kiosks sell souvenirs!

Two fountains in the courtyard and a beautiful lake to enjoy beside the castle. The water was super clean and inviting! And many actually went swimming as the weather was really nice that day!

We arrived by car. The parking space was a decent size, but expensive (we paid € 6)! There are bus routes from the nearest town as well, but I will leave it to you to plan the route!

References:

Hohenschwangau Castle
Hohenschwangau

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Time of visit - August 2009 as part of the European tour by car.