Neuschwanstein

I visited the Neuschwansten Castle with the Summer University on 7th September. The weather was ‘schlect’, as we put it in the German way, as it was drizzling continuously throughout the whole trip. What a weather to go visit the infamous palace commissioned by King Luwig II as a retreat and as a homage to Richard Wagner, the King’s inspiring muse. The palace was built on a hill, hence we had to climb for around 30mins, while battling the chilling wind and rain.

Fun? In that weather? Absolutely! (See my nose grow long like Pinocchio.)

Unpleasant was the ascending climb towards the palace, but when the palace came into view, looming magnificently in front of us, all tiredness and coldness were forgotten (at least for seconds). It was a beauty! It’s a pity that King Luwig II could only lived in the palace for a few times, before being found drowned on June 13, 1886, in shallow water in Lake Starnberg, with von Gudden, the psychiatrist who declared the King insane. The few times he lived in the palace, he was only accompanied by his servants. It must have been very lonely visits...

Since King Luwig II died before the completion of the palace, not all the rooms were furnished, hence our guided tour didn’t cover the whole palace, but only the completed 14 furnished rooms, which consisted of the throne room, the King’s master suite, dressing room, servants quarters, a study, a dining room, kitchen, and the Singer’s hall which was built for performances by musicians and playwrights. Of course, the primary purpose of building the Singer’s hall was to serve as a venue for Wagner to write and perform plays. However, King Luwig II died without seeing a performance in the Singer’s hall. What a pity…

The interior design of the rooms were centered around swans, hence giving the palace its name ‘Neuschwanstein’, where ‘schwan’ means swan. Many rooms also bear a border depicting the various operas written by Wagner. Photos aren’t allowed to be taken inside the palace, hence I’m sorry I can’t contribute anything for your visual enjoyment.

Photos of the exterior view of the palace will be uploaded soon...