HOHENSCHWANGAU, Germany (Jan. 23, 2014) -- Europe is a continent replete with wonders. Visitors do not have to travel far in any direction to come across an important location in world history, a treasure trove of masterfully constructed pieces of art, beautiful architecture, or a beautiful landscape.
Members of the Franconia Military Community -- which include members of U.S. Army Garrison Ansbach, USAG Bamberg and USAG Schweinfurt -- need only drive a few hours south to find a location that combines history, art, architecture and landscape into one amazing experience.
Hohenschwangau, a tourist town on the southern border the German state of Bavaria shares with Austria, hosts two impressive castles. The physical stature and beauty of these castles -- Schloss Hohenschwangau and Schloss Neuschwanstein -- is enough to match and even dominate the alpine scenery they occupy.
Both castles are relics of when Bavaria was a kingdom and were both summer retreats for the Bavarian royal family. Crown Prince Maximilian II of Bavaria had Schloss Hohenschwangau built upon a hillside overlooking the town to the south and the Alpensee to the west. The castle was built in the Gothic Revival style, and is a bright splash of yellow nestled in a green, mountainous landscape.
The castle is an impressive blend of architecture, art and artifacts. Many gifts to the royal family are prominently displayed as centerpieces to the different rooms. The royal family's beautiful, ornate furniture elevates the normal activities of the family -- eating, sleeping, reading -- to the level of high art. Murals on the wall depict scenes from German legend and form their own illustrated course in Germanic historical mythology.
When Ludwig II stayed at the castle as a young king, he had a room with a telescope in it. This telescope, today encased in glass, points out the window to Schloss Neuschwanstein, which sits atop an even higher foothill of the Bavarian Alps. The castle was under construction during Ludwig II's lifetime.
As impressive as Schloss Hohenschwangau is, Ludwig II's castle was built to dwarf his parents' castle. Neuschwanstein sits higher than Hohenschwangau. Neuschwanstein is taller than Hohenschwangau. The furniture is far more ornate than the furniture of Hohenschwangau. The art more detailed and more fanciful. Everything about the castle is done to outdo its parental neighbor.
Neuschwanstein, however, was never finished. The scope of the project was enormous and technically difficult because of its location. When Ludwig II died in 1886, the exterior of the castle and a couple of floors had been completed. Despite its unfinished nature, the castle is a wonder to behold within and without.
Neuschwanstein was built to resemble an idealized version of a Medieval German castle. Gargoyles, murals of saints, clocks, spires and arches tower over the visitor within the castle courtyard. When not craning their necks upward, visitors can look out from the castle to see the Bavarian agricultural lands spreading out to the north or see the Alps rising up to the south.
Within the castle, Ludwig II's obsession with German Romantic opera composer Richard Wagner springs to life. Wagner's operas, including the swan-centric "Lohengrin," dominate the castle interior. "Schloss Neuschwanstein" means "New Swanstone Castle."
During Neuschwanstein's construction, Ludwig II intended the castle to be a private retreat, a seat of power half within an idyllic, idealized golden age fantasy. The castle, still incomplete, opened to the public seven weeks after Ludwig's death, and what was conceived in its finished state as a private retreat became one of the most visited landmarks in Europe.
Most visitors arrive during the summer, visiting the castles by the thousands each day. Finding a day during the middle of the week can help visitors avoid the crowds, but even then the flow of tourism does not relent.
The castle interiors can only be seen by taking a guided tour. Tickets for the guided tours are available in the town of Hohenschwangau and must be purchased before visiting the actual castles. Guided tours last only 30 minutes, but tourists will want to take time to explore the castles' exteriors and photograph the stunning scenery that surrounds the castles. If not taking the shuttle bus from the town to the castle, visitors will have a steep hike to undertake.
Seeing Hohenschwangau and then Neuschwanstein is probably the better order to see the two castles. Although Hohenschwangau is suitably impressive, it is better to see it first so Neuschwanstein will not dwarf the experience.
To learn more about hours and ticket prices, visit www.neuschwanstein.de/englisch/tourist/index.htm.
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