Fussen Things to Do

4 more images

Some of the chief features of the delightfully landscaped gardens are the Royal Cottage (Koenigshauschen), the old Royal Linden where the king sometimes took his breakfast, the Moorish Kiosk and Peacock Throne, the Moroccan House and the Hundingshutte (cottage).
An "Open sesame" rock leads to an artificial grotto with a waterfall and a lake.
Incredibly, the grotto was heated by electricity and artificial waves could be created on the lake. Is there nothing new in this world?
Unfortunately for me, none of these were open so I had to opt for an illegal walk in the woods (they were worried about icy paths) to get my shots of the Temple of Venus and I then returned on the main paths.
The fountains and water features that I had so wanted to see were all covered up to protect from frost. This is definitely a place to visit in spring or summer, not late winter as I had done.

4 more images

From my emails:
"The tours of the palace were only in German (they have to have a minimum of 15 for a specific guide) but they do have excellent and easy to read sheets and you just tack on to the back of a tour.
Of course, doing this tempts one to transgress even further. With cameras not allowed (though they used to be), mine somehow fell out of its bag and went off..............several times in fact! I must get that bag seen to.
The exterior's classical excellence is only exceeded by the baroque and rococo-gone-mad interior. It has been compared to the Palace of Versailles, and Ludwig was a huge admirer of Louis XV, but this is only about one hundredth the size.
In the quality stakes however, it certainly loses nothing. Not since the Palacio Real in Madrid have I been as impressed with a room as I was here.
The master bedroom and the dining room (with a still working lift that lowers the dining table beneath the floor so it's out of sight) are masterpieces of design and the effect when all the candles are lit and reflected in the massive mirrors of the dining room is something you can't begin to imagine.
There are only 8 rooms, the main four forming the points of a cross, while the corner rooms are called closets. Mind you, with walls of pure silk, stunningly framed portraits adorning them and the rococo rolls everywhere, they bore little resemblance to any closet I have ever seen."
In picture 5 you can glean some idea of the rococo-gone-mad interior. For mine, at times, it bordered on overkill but was nonetheless amazing for that.

4 more images

The first thing that I really noticed was Linderhof's size. It really isn't that large, palace-wise. This was obviously a place to go for the weekend as the gardens are as much of a feature as the palace itself.
It was completed in 1878 and its richly ornamented facade does not bely what's on the inside.
For mine, picture 5 best sums up just how much detail there is.

1 more image

In 1748 and 1749 there was constructed in Fussen a building that, in its own right, is reasonably attractive. However, what makes it one of Fussen's standout attractions is the lueftlmalerein on the front.
I defy anyone to walk down Spitelstrasse and not notice the dramatic confronting colours. From any angle it's a winner and, though I love the opening pic, pic 2 definitely shows you more detail of the frescoes.
The building is the Holy Ghost Hospital Church and its actual address is the cross street of Lechalde that takes you over the Lech River but the eyecatching facade is on Spitelstrasse.

3 more images

Night photography requires a few things - a tripod to hold the camera steady for slow shutter speeds; a camera that can handle slow shutter speeds, someone to operate said appliances and, last but not least, a bit of eccentricity.
After all, on winter's nights, you fairly quickly realise that there are a lot fewer snappers around than in the daytime. The advantage is you get all the good spots to yourself. The disadvantage is you get bloody cold hands!
Still, the rewards are worth it.

4 more images

In other places, Alpsee would be a standout attraction on its own. Here, it is largely ignored outside of summer by the tourists yet has so much to offer in terms of beauty and tranquility.
I was told of a walking trail by a local yet, unfortunately, time did not permit. I made a point of recording Alpsee on the different trails I walked up though and plan to loop it the next time I'm in Fussen or at least do the trail I now know about.
If you get the right conditions and, they just weren't quite there for me, you could get some classic photos.
Snowcapped mountains reflected in still waters have an attraction whatever part of the world you may be in.
This lake lies very near Hohenschwangau and can be rowed upon when weather permits. There's a hire place but it was closed when I was there.

3 more images

If there's one place that you'll be visiting while you're in Fussen it's the Reichenstrasse, a lovely cobbled mall that runs off the main traffic road to Austria, or Switzerland, or wherever you want to go south.
Reichenstrasse is supported by the bands of tourists that forage among the shops, giving a deservedly prosperous air to this delightful village.
You can see Lueftlmalerein (the frescoes on the outside of buildings, common in Bavaria) as shown in pic 2 on the chemist shop, or dive into one of the many cafes and sate one of your other senses.
I found myself attracted to this street time and again, such was its lure. It also has the advantage that all the other interesting streets either run off it or aren't far away, leading to other attractions that can be seen above the rooftops as shown in the opening pic.

4 more images

Hohenschwangau is actually more of a hunting lodge than true palace. Here the nobles would head out on the hunt or go for walks around places such as the nearby Alpsee.
This was a place to spend your leisure time without too much showing off though that side of it was taken care of as well.
Maxmillian the II was the man most responsible for this place as you see it today but it was also the nursery of Ludwig, as in the second, as in the man behind Neuschwanstein.
It dates from the 19th century and obviously had much to do with Ludwig being inspired to build Neuschwanstein. The ancient Schwangau castle of “Schwanstein”, which was already dilapidated and uninhabitable when the Schwangau aristocracy died out, was purchased in 1535 by the patrician and Imperial Counselor Johann von Paumgartner zu Paumgarten and completely rebuilt from 1538 to 1547. He gave it the new name “Hohenschwangau”. Almost 300 years later the Paumgarten building was again in ruins. In 1839 the Bavarian Crown Prince Max, the son of Ludwig I, came to the district of Füssen on the occasion of a “history excursion” with his teacher and acquired this crumbling building. He had it rebuilt according to ancient extant plans by the architecture and theater painter Domenico Quaglio, who, although he originally came from the area of Lake Como, had long since settled in Munich. The whole complex lives in the spirit of the romantic era. Such names as the Swan Knight’s Hall, Guelph Room and Hohenstaufen Room are indications of a living attachment to sagas and history. The Castle Courtyard, whose finest ornamentation is the Mary Fountain, is immediately adjacent to the Castle Garden, which is enclosed by a castellated outer wall. In the center of a circular flowerbed is a pool with a water-spouting swan