Thursday, November 30, 2006

Schloss Hohenschwangau, Fussen

Schoss Hohenschwangau (Castle of the High Swan Country) was the childhood residence of King Ludwig II of Bavaria and was built by his father, King Maximilian II of Bavaria. It is located near the town Fussen (in Germany but very close to the border with Austria).
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In 1829 Crown Prince Maximilian (the later King Maximilian II of Bavaria) discovered the historic site and reacted enthusiastically to the beauty of the surrounding area.
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He acquired the property in 1832 which had been ruins 700 years. Walking path up the hill leading to the castle.
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One year later the reconstruction of the Neo-Gothic castle began, continuing until 1837.
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Hohenschwangau was the official summer and hunting residence of Maximilian, his wife Marie of Prussia and their two sons Ludwig (the later King Ludwig II of Bavaria) and Otto (the later King Otto I of Bavaria). The young princes spent many years of their adolescence here.
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King Maximilian died in 1864 and his son Ludwig succeeded to the throne, moving into his father's room in the castle.
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The wall paintings (the abundance decoration of the interiors) that decorate the rooms of the castle date back from 1835 - 36. Ludwig, already living in a fantasy world as a child, was fascinated by the numerous frescoes illustrating various legends and stories.
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When Ludwig became King Ludwig II, he began the construction of his own famous fairytale castle - the Schloss Neuschwanstein. The new castle is just located a few hundred yards away from Schloss Hohenshwangau.
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A magnificent landscape view from the surroundings of the castle.
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Germany (or in fact most of the Central Europe and to the west) is now enjoying a warmer climate despite in the early winter. This phenomenon is due to the warming effects induced by the foehn winds. We were actually expecting snow in Fussen.
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Another view from the great castle. Not sure the name of the building down there.
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Grilled, finger-sized sausages, known as Nuremberg sausages, served with mashed potatoes and sauerkraut. Yummy delicious.

2 comments:

Eddie said...

cant imagine how big your belly now..heheh

zbjernak said...

wow tht meals look real goooooood