Acclaimed as one of the most beautiful castles in the world, Neuschwanstein Castle has served as the inspiration for multiple Disney princess castles, most notably the castle in the 1959 movie Sleeping Beauty. The castle began its construction in 1869 by Ludwig II of Bavaria as a personal refuge. The reclusive king paid for my castle with his own fortune, opposed to using the Bavarian government’s money. After the king’s death in 1886, the castle was opened to the public and more than 61 million people have visited to date. The castle has appeared in movies such as Chitty Chitty Bang Bang and The Great Escape as well.
The inspiration for Neuschwanstein Castle came from both the architectural fashion known as “castle romanticism” and the current king’s adoration for Richard Wagner’s operas. Castle romanticism called for the remodeling of many castles to be more picturesque and aesthetically pleasing rather than functional. While visiting these remodeled castles, king Ludwig II took a liking to the reconstructed Wartburg in Eisenach and the Château de Pierrefonds. These two castles, which the king considered beautiful homages to the Middle Ages and a architectural dedication to Richard Wagner, modeled Neuschwanstein Castle in its primary stages of development.
The design for the palace was done by Christian Jank, a stage designer, and the construction was supervised by Eduard Riedel, an architect. Unlike Ludwig II’s original plans, the reconstructed Medieval castles were not considered in the castle’s production. Rather, the castle’s ideas incorporated contemporary nineteenth-century architecture and employed techniques advanced for its time. In the end, the castle was built in a Romanesque style with its operatic theme moving towards Wagner’s opera Parsifal.
The construction for the castle began on September 5, 1869 and by 1882 the castle was fully furnished. By 1884, the king moved into the castle. Nevertheless, the interior of the castle was never completed; while the castle originally planned for around 200 interior rooms, only 15 were completed.
Although the castle took inspiration from many different buildings, there are two main perverse themes throughout the castle, from its conception to completion: being a real-life fairy tale castle and paying homage to its Medieval roots.
Throughout planning, Ludwig II was adamant on the castle representing the Wartburg in Eisenach and the Château de Pierrefonds. Although the designers attempted a more Romanesque style opposed to neo-Gothic, they still incorporated the romantic Medieval architectural styles the king preferred. Such was seen in the delicate embellishments in the 15 constructed rooms, the upward pointing lines along the sides of the building and the slim towers.
Ludwig II, although unknowingly, set the precedent for the stereotypical fairy tale castle with the Neuschwanstein Castle. The castle incorporated Romanesque, Gothic, and Byzantine architecture and art to create such a regal appearance. Although simple, the palace displays refined characteristics with few yet detailed embellishments about the roof and towers.
Unique to the Neuschwanstein Castle that allowed for the enchanting fairy tale aesthetic were the theatre allusions. As the designer, Christian Jank, was a stage designer, he utilized his abilities and drafts from his time as a scenic painter to inspire the building’s appearance. Thus, as Ludwig II was great friends with playwright Richard Wagner, much of the inspiration came from his musicals. Incorporating music into the design of the palace was a difficult feat, but was generally accomplished via the delicate details and the elegant demeanor of the castle.
Despite knowing next to nothing about architecture, the beauty of this building is evident. Although I am unable to connect with the building on an emotional level or admire it on an architectural, structure-based standpoint, I do appreciate it aesthetically.
The physical beauty of the building is accessible to all. With dainty elegance, the castle stands above shrouds of trees and pierces through the sky’s horizon. Throughout the seasons, through sunny summer water to snow adorning the caps of the towers, the palace retains its gentle beauty. Although the castle lacks gaudy extravagance, the simplicity of the structure in conjunction with simple detail and dainty embellishments are enough to properly accentuate the beauty of the castle.
Neuschwanstein Castle is truly the epitome of a fairy tale castle, which is most likely why the castle is so appealing to me. As I have adored princess movies, tales, and the like since childhood, I especially enjoy the structure of the palace at its aesthetic value. It is a beautiful place quite literally fit for a princess (although it barely had a king). It is suitably one of the most popular castles in Europe for this reason. I wish to possibly visit this castle in the future to truly experience its beauty in the future; it’s a shame the castle was never completed, as the king died before its completion and it was left with 400+ rooms left for construction. Nevertheless, it retains the physical and aesthetic beauty of its exterior and acts as the model for fairy tale castles nevertheless.Sign up here with your email
1 comments:
Write commentsYES KAYLA!!!!!!! I literally fan-girled during this blog post. As you very well know I am German, so I freaked out when I saw this posting and I just had to read it. I have had the pleasure of going to this castle in 2007. I was 9 years old at the time so since I was young, I do not remember all the details. However, I do remember running under a huge archway and standing in the center of the courtyard staring in awe because I was memorized by how magnificent it was. I really enjoyed reading your blog post. My favorite part was when you linked the beauty of the castle to the fact that it is a pivotal point for castles in some of Disney's princess stories. I have know this ever since I knew what Disney' princesses were because my mother told me this so I am glad that you added this factor into your post. Good job on your blog posts :)
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