My Holidays Photoblog

admin November 26th, 2006

Neuschwanstein, what you see in the above photo is taken from the famous Marienbrücke bridge, it’s surely one of the most beautiful castles in the world, if not the most beautiful, at least from the point of view of its spectacular exterior. But who was Ludwig II, the author of all of these marvelous castles? He lived between 1845 and 1846, great friend of the composer Richard Wagner (Ludwig acknowledged the fact that he was homosexual), he was more of a dreamer than a leader or a good ruler.

In fact, during the time period in which he lived he was harshly criticized because he spent all of his wealth on the construction of these imposing and marvelous works of architecture, instead of dedicating himself to politics (which he detested).

He was loved by his people, that probably (like the rest of us) appreciated his creations, but he was obviously unappreciated by politicians, the merchant gilds and by the nobility in general, so much so that near the end of his short life he was declared “crazy” by a commission of doctors in charge of the Bavarian government!!

We can’t do anything but appreciate his works, and in that time “tourism” probably didn’t exist, now the Bavarian rulers should thank him for the bulk of tourists that his works attract regularly every year!!!

Here is the castle seen from below, right “at its feet”. Immense!

Here it is seen from the fields of the surrounding plains, still lacking urbanization. In fact, when admiring the valley from a distance it seems like time has frozen in the nineteenth century, from the moment that the Bavarians had the good sense not to build thousands of tourists attractions all around…!

This photo, on the other hand, was taken along the route that leads up to the castle by foot.

This is the famous Marienbrücke bridge! As you can see there is a bit of a crowd… if you suffer from vertigo stay far away!

• castles photos , cultural photos , mountain photos
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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!

• castles photos , cultural photos , mountain photos , nature photos
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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.

• castles photos , cultural photos , flowers photos
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