The Hohenschwangau Castle in Schwangau near Füssen, which served as the home of the royal family around Ludwig II for a long time, is one of the most interesting and beautiful sights in the Allgäu. Especially in winter, when the Allgäu mountain nature presents itself romantically covered in snow, a trip to Hohenschwangau Castle is always a good idea.
Hohenschwangau Castle is located in the municipality of Schwangau in the middle of a picturesque rocky landscape, which is covered in a fascinating white color in winter. In the castle, visitors can expect artfully and beautifully furnished rooms and halls that provide a variety of interesting impressions from the life of the royal family. After Crown Prince Maximilian had the castle built between 1832 and 1837 in its current form and he married Princess Marie of Prussia in 1842 , the two of them lived there for large parts of the year together with their children Ludwig II and Otto, who were born a little later. A visit to the castle is only possible as part of a guided tour. Entrance tickets for castle Hohenschwangau are available at the ticket center Hohenschwangau. From there it's about a 20 minute walk to the castle. The leisurely walk leads through a wonderful winter landscape and delights with wonderful views of the snow-covered mountains and the fairytale castle Neuschwanstein, which is in the immediate vicinity.
Before Hohenschwangau Castle became a romantic residential castle in the neo-Gothic style in the 30 years of the 19 century, it was Schwanstein Castle, whose history dates back to the 11. century. After completion and after the children of Maximilian II and Queen Marie were born, the royal family spent large parts of the year at Hohenschwangau Castle. Fairy Tale King Ludwig II basically grew up here and even after his father's death and when his castle Neuschwanstein was built, he often stayed in the castle Hohenschwangau. After his sudden death in 1886 , it served as Queen Marie's home for a few years before it came into the possession of the Wittelsbach Compensation Fund. In addition to the pretty architecture with the main building and the three round towers, Hohenschwangau Castle impresses with its interior design from the Biedermeier period, which has been preserved unchanged. Numerous rooms and halls designed with great attention to detail provide unique insights into the life of the Bavarian royal family.
The largest room in Hohenschwangau Castle is the Festival Hall, also known as the Heroes' Hall, which is decorated by numerous murals with motifs from the Wikina legend. Also worth seeing are the Oriental Room, furnished in oriental style, which Queen Marie used as a bedroom, and the Hohenstaufen Room, which served as a dressing room for Maximilian and Ludwig II. The Tasso room with its beautiful illuminated starry sky, which is integrated into the ceiling, elicits awe from many visitors. The Berchta room with its artistic tendril ornaments, which Queen Marie used as a writing room, is also worth a look. In addition to the rooms, visitors to the Hohenschwangau castle can look forward to 90 wall paintings that show motifs from the world of legends and fairy tales as well as the history of the castle and which come together to form a harmonious whole.
A winter trip to Hohenschwangau Castle guarantees a variety of interesting impressions from the life of the Bavarian kings. Of course, after the tour you can also take a look at the even more famous fairytale castle Neuschwanstein, which is considered the most famous attraction in Germany and a symbol of romanticism all over the world.
