Hotel Schwanstein

Hohenschwangau Castle

by Kuznetsov_Sergey

Crown Prince Maximilian II of Bavaria, Ludwig II's father, had the ruined castle of Schwanstein rebuilt from 1832 in the "Gothic style".

Young Ludwig was influenced by the romantic mountain scenery and the summer castle became one of his favorite places to stay.

Schwangau Tip

by JuliWarfel

THE DAY OF 3 KITTIES- John & I decided to take a trip to see Neu Schwanstein. The remarkable part of that day occoured though after we left the castle. We were standing around outside the castle gift shop when a striped cat hopped in a little boy's stroller and went to sleep. The little boy was pushing this kitty around- The cat just purred at the attention. We were sad to say goodbye to her but we had to head down the mountain. At the bottom, we saw a tabby cat pouncing on invisible prey in a field. He spotted us, trotted over, and began to play with us. He pounced on our hands and feet - though he had claws, he never used them once. We played with him for about a half an hour.
That same evening, John & I stopped to fill our car with gas. The gas station had a resident cat who greeted us and purred affectionately too...
It was a really neat day for cat lovers like us.

Bavaria and Lake Konstanz

by TravelPhotos

"Royal Castles"

Neuschwanstein Castle is a 19th-century Bavarian palace on a rugged hill near Hohenschwangau and Füssen in southwest Bavaria, Germany. The palace was commissioned by Ludwig II of Bavaria as a retreat and as a homage to Richard Wagner, the King's inspiring muse. Although public photography of the interior is not permitted, it is the most photographed building in Germany and is one of the country's most popular tourist destinations. Ludwig did not allow visitors to his castles, but since its opening in 1886, over 50 million people have visited the Neuschwanstein Castle. About 1.3 million people visit annually, with up to 6,000 per day in the summer. The palace has appeared in several movies, and was the inspiration for the Sleeping Beauty Castle in Disneyland. The palace is owned by the state of Bavaria, unlike Hohenschwangau Castle, which is owned by Franz, Duke of Bavaria. The Free State of Bavaria has spent over €14.5 million on Neuschwanstein's maintenance, renovation, and visitor services since 1990.

Hohenschwangau Castle was built on the remains of the fortress Schwanstein, which was first mentioned in historical records dating from the 12th century. A family of knights was responsible for the construction of the medieval fortress. After the demise of the knights in the 16th century the fortress changed hands several times. The decay of the fortress continued until it finally fell into ruins at the beginning of the 19th century. In 1829 Crown Prince Maximilian (the later King Maximilian II of Bavaria) discovered the historic site and reacted enthusiastically to the beauty of the surrounding area. He acquired the property in 1832. One year later the reconstruction of the Castle began, continuing until 1837. The architect in charge, Domenico Quaglio, was responsible for the neogothic style of the exterior design. Hohenschwangau was the official summer and hunting residence of Maximilian, his wife Marie of Prussia and their two sons Ludwig (the later King Ludwig II of Bavaria) and Otto (the later King Otto I of Bavaria). The young princes spent many years of their adolescence here. The King and the Queen lived in the main building, the boys in the annex.

Tertius's new Germany page

by Tertius

"Germans are either good or bad"

St Goar and other areas of Rhine valley is well worth a visit.
Frankfurt is just another city, allthough full marks to the Germans who seem to make everything appear world class.

Must go to a beer hall ... even if you don't drink

Don't miss Neu Schwanstein castle ... it is everything a fairytale should be

Copper62's new Germany Page

by Copper62

I was stationed in Germany from 1987-1989. Unfortunately for me, I left shortly before the wall came down. While there, I traveled over the country as much as possible. Some of the best times I have had were visiting castles and ruins between Binghsm and Koblenz. A sunny Saturday, some Italian Ice, and maybe later a meal at a small local place made for great times. While I saw the big tourist attractions, like Neu Schwanstein, the Berlin Wall, and the Rhine, I preferred the drives to the offbeat and unknown. Perhaps my favorite German city though, is Trier. With its Porta Negra and local flavor, it was unbeatable. If you get a chance go, just don't blame me for my misspellings!