Wiki source code of Neuschwanstein Castle

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  1: 1 Neuschwanstein Castle
  2: 
  3: Neuschwanstein Castle (German: Schloss Neuschwanstein) is a 19th-century
  4: Bavarian palace on a rugged hill near Hohenschwangau and Füssen in
  5: southwest Bavaria, Germany. The palace was commissioned by Ludwig II of
  6: Bavaria as a retreat and as a homage to Richard Wagner, the King's
  7: inspiring muse. Although public photography of the interior is not
  8: permitted, it is the most photographed building in Germany and is one
  9: of the country's most popular tourist destinations.
 10: 
 11: Ludwig did not allow visitors to his castles, but after his death in 1886
 12: the castle was opened to the public (in part due to the need to pay off
 13: the debts Ludwig incurred financing its construction).
 14: 
 15: Since that time over 50 million people have visited the Neuschwanstein
 16: Castle. About 1.3 million people visit annually, with up to 6,000 per
 17: day in the summer. The palace has appeared in several movies, and was
 18: the inspiration for Sleeping Beauty Castle at both Disneyland Park and
 19: Hong Kong Disneyland.
 20: 
 21: The palace is owned by the state of Bavaria, unlike nearby Hohenschwangau
 22: Castle, which is owned by the head of the house of Wittelsbach, currently
 23: Franz, Duke of Bavaria. The Free State of Bavaria has spent more than
 24: &euro;14.5 million on Neuschwanstein's maintenance, renovation and visitor
 25: services since 1990.
 26: 
 27: 1.1 History
 28: 
 29: The conception of the palace was outlined by Ludwig II in a letter to
 30: Richard Wagner, dated May 13, 1868;
 31: "It is my intention to rebuild the old castle ruin at Hohenschwangau
 32: near the Pollat Gorge in the authentic style of the old German knights'
 33: castles... the location is the most beautiful one could find, holy and
 34: unapproachable, a worthy temple for the divine friend who has brought
 35: salvation and true blessing to the world."
 36: 
 37: The foundation stone of the building was laid September 5, 1869.
 38: Neuschwanstein was designed by Christian Jank, a theatrical set designer,
 39: rather than an architect, which says much regarding Ludwig's intentions
 40: and explains much of the fantastical nature of the resulting building. The
 41: architectural expertise, vital to a building in such a perilous site, was
 42: provided first by the Munich court architect Eduard Riedel and later by
 43: Georg Dollmann, son-in-law of Leo von Klenze.
 44: 
 45: The palace was originally called New Hohenschwangau Castle until the
 46: king's death, when it was renamed Neuschwanstein, the castle of the Swan
 47: Knight Lohengrin, of Wagner's opera of the same name. In origin, the
 48: palace has been the Schwanstein, the seat of the knights of Schwangau,
 49: whose emblem had been the swan.
 50: 
 51: Neuschwanstein was near completion when, in 1886, the King was declared
 52: insane by a State Commission under Dr. von Gudden and arrested at the
 53: palace. The King could hardly control himself as he asked von Gudden, "How
 54: can you declare me insane? You have not yet examined me!" Taken to
 55: Castle Berg, he was found on June 13, 1886, in shallow water in Lake
 56: Starnberg, drowned, along with von Gudden, the psychiatrist who certified
 57: him. The exact circumstances of his and von Gudden's deaths remain
 58: unexplained. It is generally thought that Ludwig's deposition was
 59: brought about by the Wittelsbachs in response to his extravagance with the
 60: dynasty's private funds in projects such as Neuschwanstein.
 61: 
 62: 1.1 Architecture
 63: 
 64: The palace comprises a gatehouse, a Tower, the Knight's House with a
 65: square tower, and a Palas, or citadel, with two towers to the Western end.
 66: The effect of the whole is highly theatrical, both externally and
 67: internally. The king's influence is apparent throughout, and he took a
 68: keen personal interest in the design and decoration. An example can be
 69: seen in his comments, or commands, regarding a mural depicting Lohengrin
 70: in the Palas; "His Majesty wishes that ... the ship be placed further from
 71: the shore, that Lohengrin's neck be less tilted, that the chain from the
 72: ship to the swan be of gold and not of roses, and finally that the style
 73: of the castle shall be kept medieval."
 74: 
 75: The suite of rooms within the Palas contains the Throne Room, Ludwig's
 76: suite, the Singers' Hall, and the Grotto. Throughout, the design pays
 77: homage to the German legends of Lohengrin, the Swan Knight.
 78: 
 79: Hohenschwangau, where Ludwig spent much of his youth, had decorations of
 80: these sagas. These themes were taken up in the operas of Richard Wagner.
 81: Many rooms bear a border depicting the various operas written by Wagner,
 82: including a theater permanently featuring the set of one such play. Many
 83: of the interior rooms remain undecorated, with only 14 rooms finished
 84: before Ludwig's death. With the palace under construction at the King's
 85: death, one of the major features of the palace remained unbuilt. A massive
 86: keep was planned for the middle of the upper courtyard but was never
 87: built, at the decision of the King's family. The foundation for the keep
 88: is visible in the upper courtyard.
 89: 
 90: The finished rooms include the throne room, which features a glass
 91: gem-encrusted chandelier; all Twelve Apostles and six canonised kings are
 92: painted on the wall that surrounds the pedestal for the throne - the
 93: actual throne was never finished; and Jesus, behind the pedestal. This
 94: reflects Ludwig's view of himself as king, by the grace of God. The King's
 95: master suite includes a four-post bed hand carved of wood, the canopy of
 96: which is carved as the cathedral towers from every cathedral in Bavaria, a
 97: secret flushing toilet (which flushes with water collected from an
 98: aqueduct) and a running sink in the shape of a swan. The hand carved wood
 99: was very detailed and adorned the entire room, causing the master suite to
100: take 10 years to complete. The palace also includes an oratory, accessible
101: from the dressing room and the master suite, which features an ivory
102: crucifix, a room made to look like a cavern, a full kitchen equipped with
103: hot and cold running water and heated cupboards, servants' quarters, a
104: study, a dining room and the Singers' Hall. The Singers' Hall is a venue
105: for performances by musicians and playwrights. The King built it for
106: Wagner as a place to write and perform plays. The King died before
107: watching a performance in the Singers' Hall, but it has been used since
108: the King's death.
109: 
110: Despite its medieval look, the construction of Neuschwanstein required the
111: modern technology of the day, and the palace is a marvel of technological
112: structural achievements. Steam engines, electricity, modern venting, a
113: modern water system on all floors, and heating pipes are all part of the
114: structure.
115: 
116: It is now almost forgotten that Ludwig II was a patron of modern
117: inventions and that he pioneered the introduction of electricity into
118: public life in Bavaria. His new palaces were the first buildings to use
119: electricity (e.g. the Venus Grotto at Linderhof) and other modern
120: conveniences. Through his building activities, Ludwig kept many particular
121: crafts alive, the knowledge and expertise of which would have died out
122: otherwise, and he provided work and income to artisans, builders,
123: plasterers, and decorators.
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