admin November 24th, 2006
The Hohenschwangau castle, built between 1832-1836, was Ludwig’s parent’s castle. The young prince spent his entire youth in there. It’s very close; in fact, it’s practically attached to Neuschwanstein, the most famous castle! From the plot of land where the parking lot where all the buses stop is it’s already possible to catch a glimpse of it. It’s unique above all for its clear light brown color, and for the internal decorations that are strong reminders of German culture.
As you can see from the above photo (in which you can catch a glimpse of the enormous parking lot that I was talking about before), the position chosen is truly spectacular, on a hill between two lakes, surrounded by mountains… a place right out of a fairytale!
admin November 22nd, 2006
During our trip in Germany, a few years ago, we stopped in Oberammergau for a few days (look at this article) from which is it possible to reach the Ludwig castles easily.
The first that I want to talk about is the Linderhof castle, built between 1874-1878, that’s found in Ettal, a little over an hour’s distance from Oberammergau and the other two castles (the most famous being Neuschwanstein). In respect to the other two it’s the smallest, but according to some it is also the best preserved (and in fact, it is the only one that was fully completed). It utilizes a baroque style, and has an enormous park, with so many lakes with swans (his favorite animal). In the park you can find other architectural wonders among which is an artificial grotto, uniquely made for the representation of the lyrical works of Wagner that Ludwig would represent there, listening as if he were the only spectator.
admin November 20th, 2006
Oberammeragau is a charming town south of the border between Austria and Germany. In the heart of Bavaria, a few km from Monaco, it’s truly an ideal place to visit or to use as a primary place for excursions in the surrounding areas.
As you can see from the above photo, there’s no lack of flowers in the house as usual. But a characteristic that’s even more unique is the decorations present on the walls of the houses. Scenes from the Bible are represented in some, simple fairy tales like Hansel and Gretel in others, and so on.
Another event for which the small town is famous is the Passion of the Christ play, truly a unique experience and very popular among the inhabitants of the town. Another characteristic are the handmade wooden crafts: walking along the street you’ll find numerous shop windows with wooden objects that range from gigantic statues to very small souvenirs, for every taste (and budget!).
There is one for every liking… it’s obvious that it’s possible to ski in the winter, while in the summer there are many interesting places in the immediate vicinity: Monaco, Augusta, the Ludwig castles…
Take a look at the official site.