In the castle courtyard the... by giocatto
In the castle courtyard the facades are adorned with illusionist paintings that delude the viewer into seeing oriels, window frames and molded corners. Below the Hohes Schloss is the magnificent baroque complex of the former Benedictine Monastery of St Mang, whose history goes back to the 8th century. In addition to the Basilica, the largest and most magnificent of the numerous baroque churches in Füssen?s medieval center, where the oldest preserved fresco in Bavaria (about 980, Teichenau School) can be viewed in the east crypt, it is in particular the Füssen Heritage Museum that is well worth seeing. The richly decorated baroque halls give an impression of the earlier prosperity of this Benedictine collegiate church. In the Anna Chapel, accessible through the museum, the Füssen Dance of Death is on view, Bavaria?s oldest Dance of Death cycle still preserved. The museum?s own collection of valuable historical lutes and violins recalls Füssen?s position as the cradle of European lute-making, where in the 16th century the first European lute-makers? guild was founded. Regular tours of the town, the museum and the churches as well as special tours for groups are available throughout the year.
Entertaining festivals against an historical backdrop, open-air culture on the market squares or in the courtyards and the Christkindles Städtle, or Christmas Market, in the pre-Christmas season invest Füssen?s medieval center with a magic of a very special kind. The town?s high-caliber program of events has had a new cultural highlight to offer since April 2000: the premiere of the musical ?Ludwig II ? Longing for Paradise? in the newly-built Neuschwanstein Musical Theater carries the spectators off into the dream world of the Bavarian fairy-tale king and is Bavaria?s first major musical.