(Castle of the High Swan County)
BY: JULIE M. FELCI

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The castle is located in the German village of Schwangau in southwestern Bavaria.

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November 28, 1811 - March 10, 1864.
King of Bavaria from 1848 – 1864.
He was son of Ludwig I of Bavaria and Therese of Saxe-
Hildburghausen
Maximilian II
Therese
Ludwig I

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Born on November 28, 1811 and died on March 10, 1864 at the age of 52.
His reign as King lasted 16 years and he was the King of Bavaria from 1848 until 1864.
“Maximilian was a man of amiable qualities and of intellectual attainments far above the average, but as a king he was hampered by constant ill health, which compelled him to be often abroad, and when at home to live much in the country.”

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The castle was constructed on the ruins of the fortress
Schwanstein.
A family of knights was responsible for the construction of the medieval fortress during the 12 th century.
Hohenschwangau was destroyed by Napoleon.
In 1829, Prince Maximilian discovered the site and he loved the area, he acquired the property in 1832.
The castle was built in 1837 under the architect, Domenico
Quaglio.
Hohenschwangau was the official residence of Maximilian
II, his wife Marie of Prussia and their two sons Ludwig (who later becomes King Ludwig II of Bavaria) and Otto (the later King Otto I of Bavaria).
King Maximilian died in 1864 and his first son Ludwig became king.

Before it was a chapel, it used to be a place to hold armory and it was also a drinking hall but was later rebuilt to a neogothic style chapel under the orders of King Maximilian II. The
Chapel is still used today for Holy Mass.

The Hall of the Swan-
Knight was the dining room which is very famous for it’s wall paintings. The chairs in the dining room are covered by pressed leather partly gilded.

According to Bavarian saga, Charlemagne was born at the
Reissmuhle of Gauting near Starnberg Lake. The wall paintings are dedicated to Charlemagne and his mother
Berchta.

The Living Room belonged to the Queen. This room is decorated with many beautiful fresco paintings and swans.
In the middle of the room hangs a big silver chandelier. This room was restored in 1849.

The Hall of Heroes was the festive hall. This hall has a large table with many chairs, gigantic chandeliers and many paintings depicting the legends of Dietrich of Berne.

The Hohenstaufen Room was the King’s dressing room and music room. The King’s son, Ludwig II would have Richard
Wagner play his original works of music just for his enjoyment.

This is a painting of Richard
Wagner and
Ludwig II at the piano in the
Hohenstaufen
Room.

The Tasso Room was the royal bedroom. The paintings illustrate the tale of Rinaldo and Armida by the Italian poet
Torquato Tasso hence the Tasso Room.

The Authari Room is named after the Bavarian saga of Authari who was the King of the Langobards. This is the room where
Richard Wagner would stay during his visits to the castle.

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Tickets are sold near the parking lot for both Hohenschwangau and
Neuschwanstein. The tours last about 35 minutes and are offered in
English.
Opening times:
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March 15 to October 15 – 8:30 am until 5:30 pm.
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October 16 to March 14 – 9:30 am until 4:00 pm.
Closed only on December 24.
Prices for tickets:
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Adults € 9,80
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Children under 6 are free.

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Ludwig II: Sensucht nach dem Paradies (Longing for Paradise).
Known as “the only musical in the world which is performed at its original setting.”
The musical tells the story of the life of “Mad King Ludwig,” who came to power at the age of 18 and spent most of his adult life fantasizing and building extravagant castles until he was taken from the throne, declared insane and drowned at the age of 41.
The musical has 29 different sets, 152 period costumes, real horses that drag a sleigh on treadmills while fog surrounds them on the revolving stage. However, the final scene has the best effect because Ludwig disappears under the surface of a lake and the water is real. Then it shows him ascending to the heavens riding on a rainbow.

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There are large super titles above the proscenium that translates the play into English, Italian, Japanese and on request into Spanish,
Dutch and French.
The musical last 3 hours and includes a 45 minute intermission.
The Festspielhaus

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Open nightly all year from Tuesdays until Sundays at 19:30 (7:30 pm).
No shows on Mondays
Matinee on Saturdays and Sundays at 14:30 (2:30 pm).
Tickets range from €20-100 per seat.
Royal Box PC1 PC2 PC3 PC4 PC5
100,- € 88,- € 68,- € 48,- € 38,- € 20,- €

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Mary’s bridge connects
Neuschwanstein to
Hohenschwangau.

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Pollät Gorge

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Pollät
Stream

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Schwansee
(Swan Lake)

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Furstenstrasse
(The Prince’s
Road)

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The Neuschwanstein Castle

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The Nymphenburg Palace and Garden

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The English Gardens

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The Olympic Park

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The Frauenkirche

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The Art Museums

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The Beer Garden

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The Food Halls of Munich

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The Marienplatz

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The Dachau Concentration Camp

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 http://gregoryferdinandsen.com/MUC2001/MUC_Image/
Hohenschwangau,%20Looking%20Down%20(2).jpg
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http://www.fortunecity.com/victorian/dadd/1258/Bios/fa m.jpg
http://www.hohenschwangau.de/ticketcenter.0.html

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 http://www.trigema.de/customer_public/statisch/ort/ima ges/bayern-map_schwangau.gif
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05_02.jpg
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jpg http://www.muenchen.de/cms/prod2/mde/_de/rubriken/
Rathaus/65_raw/Tourismusamt/img/img_bildarchiv_allg/ erlebnis/viktualienmarkt.jpg

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0439.02.jpg

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http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Schloss_Hohenschwangau

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