Bavaria Germany - Neuschwanstein Castle

The pictures ENLARGE if you click on them.

Me with the Neuschwanstein Castle castle in the background.

Catherine and I took a day trip from Munich to visit the Neuschwanstein castle. Below is a little background on King Ludwig that built the castle.

"Mad King" Ludwig Friedrich Wilhelm II, King of Bavaria was king of Bavaria from 1864 until shortly before his death 1886. Ludwig's sanity or lack thereof, was a hotly disputed issue near the end of his life. Ludwig ascended to the Bavarian throne at 18, following his father's early death.

Due to the loss of Bavarian independence, Ludwig became increasingly withdrawn from the royal court and government. In the 1880s, Ludwig spent much of his time in seclusion in the Bavarian Alps. There he built several expensive fairytale castles including Neuschwanstein Castle.

Mystery surrounds Ludwig's death on Lake Starnberg. Some people believe that Ludwig was murdered by his political enemies while attempting to escape from Berg. Ludwig asked to take a walk with Professor Gudden. The two men never returned. King Ludwig and Professor Gudden were found dead floating in the water near the shore of Lake Starnberg. Ludwig's death was officially ruled a suicide by drowning but there have always been doubts about the circumstances of his death. Ludwig was known to be a strong swimmer, the water was less than waist-deep where his body was found, and the official autopsy report indicated that no water was found in his lungs.

Catherine with the Neuschwanstein Castle.

The yellow Hohenschwangau Castle stands below Neuschwanstein Castle. It was "Mad" King Ludwig's boyhood home. Hohenschwangau was originally built in the 1100's. It was later ruined by Napoleon. Ludwig's father, King Maximilian II then later acquired the castle when he was crown prince and had it rebuilt in the romantic, neo-Gothic style.

Neuschwanstein Castle

The Grswang valley.

Linderhof Castle, located in the Grswang valley, was built in the style of the time of King Louis XIV of France. It is the only one of Ludwig's three castles that was ever completed. His father, King Maximillian II, had earlier built a hunting lodge in the vicinity.

Inside Linderhof Castle.

Ludwig Friedrich Wilhelm II, King of Bavaria - His bed in Linderhof Castle.

Chandelier in Linderhof Castle.

Chandelier in Linderhof Castle.

The pictures ENLARGE if you click on them.

The grounds at Chandelier in Linderhof Castle.

The grounds at Chandelier in Linderhof Castle.

Fountain on the grounds at Chandelier in Linderhof Castle.

Linderhof Castle.

Use the search box at the bottom of this page to find previous postings on London, Amsterdam, Japan, Germany, Austria, Yellowstone, New York, Boston, Switzerland, Alps, Plymouth Mass., Washington DC, San Francisco, Manila, San Diego or Quebec.

Staufen, Germany - Bavaria Part IV

The pictures ENLARGE if you click on them.

All of the pictures on this page are of the small German town of Staufen.

Catherine and I drove from Freiberg to Staufen and spent the night. Staufen lies at the foot of the Black Forest. The most famous inhabitant of Staufen was Johann Georg Faust, the legendary alchemist and magician whose character was depicted in Goethe’s piece “Faustus”. Faust was employed as a “goldmaker” by the lord of the castle Anton von Staufen. In 1539 Faust was found dead in his room in the hotel “Lion”, allegedly killed by a chemical explosion.
Faust (c1480 - 1539), an actual historical figure who sparked urban legends in his own day, was reputed to have sold his soul to the devil for 24 years of prosperity and magical power. He died in the town of Staufen and fuelled speculation that the devil had claimed him, body and soul, in fulfilment of his pact.










There was a castle in ruins at the top of a hill in Staufen that you could see from our room.
The courtyard of the Staufen castle could shelter 1,000 people. The Staufen castle stems from the 11th century and was supposedly built to protect the silver mines in the adjacent Muenster valley that provided the main income for the Counts of Staufen.
Today, the land around the Staufen castle is cultivated by winegrowers who produce one of Germany’s great wines.

The castle of the Lords of Staufen.

Use the search box at the bottom of this page to find previous postings on London, Amsterdam, Japan, Germany, Austria, Yellowstone, New York, Boston, Switzerland, Alps, Plymouth Mass., Washington DC, San Francisco, Manila, San Diego or Quebec.

Freiburg and Staufen, Germany - Bavaria Part II

Pictures ENLARGE if you click on them. It was lightly raining when we arrived in Freiburg Germany, but we still had a great time walking around.

This metal alligator was in a stream that ran through the middle of the town.

We always liked seeing the "Smart" cars in Europe, much smaller than the typical cars in the States.
When we leftFreiburg, we drove to Staufen, Germany and stayed at the Hotel Die Gasthaus Krone. This was the nicest hotel we stayed at in Germany. Above is a photo of our room.
The most famous inhabitant of Staufen was Johann Georg Faust, the legendary alchemist and magician whose character was depicted in Goethe’s piece “Faustus”. Faust was employed as a “goldmaker” by the lord of the castle Anton von Staufen. In 1539 Faust was found dead in his room in the hotel “Lion”, allegedly killed by a chemical explosion.
Faust (c1480 - 1539), an actual historical figure who sparked urban legends in his own day, was reputed to have sold his soul to the devil for 24 years of prosperity and magical power. He died in the town of Staufen and fuelled speculation that the devil had claimed him, body and soul, in fulfilment of his pact.

This is the view from our room.

There was a castle in ruins at the top of a hill in Staufen that you could see from our room.
The courtyard of the Staufen castle could shelter 1,000 people. The Staufen castle stems from the 11th century and was supposedly built to protect the silver mines in the adjacent Muenster valley that provided the main income for the Counts of Staufen.
Today, the land around the Staufen castle is cultivated by winegrowers who produce one of Germany’s great wines.
Use the search box at the bottom of this page to find previous postings on London, Amsterdam, Japan, Germany, Austria, Yellowstone, New York, Boston, Switzerland, Alps, Plymouth Mass., Washington DC, San Francisco, Manila, San Diego or Quebec.