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The royal castles of Hohenschwangau
and Neuschwanstein in the South of Bavaria, in the mountains
on the border with Austria, are absolute masterpieces. The romantic
Neuschwanstein castle was built by Ludwig II, the "fairytale
king", in 1869-1886. Hohenschwangau castle was rebuilt by
Maximilian II, Ludwig's father, in 1832-1838. In the latter Ludwig
II spent most of his youth. Both castles were built in complete
harmony with the surrounding countryside. Like an unset jewel,
framed by the magnificent mountain countryside, they stand high
on the rocks and can be seen from afar. Disney's fairytale castle
of Sleeping Beauty was drawn after Neuschwanstein. All themes
in both castles refer to the opera works of Wagner (Tristan
and Isolde, the swan knight Lohengrin, Tannhäuser and the
singers' contest, the Ring of the Nibelungen, the Meistersingers
of Nuremberg, Parsifal), of whom Ludwig II was a big admirer
and financial sponsor. Visit the site of Schwangau
for more information. This page contains more information on the life of
King Ludwig II of Bavaria. |
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Visit the sites of Garmisch-Partenkirchen
and the Bayerische Zugspitzbahn
to discover more of this splendid German Alpine region on the
border with Austria. |
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This village in Bavaria is famous
because of the "Passion Play" which is performed
once every ten years. Visit the town's internet
pages. |
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The old town of Wetzlar
in Hessen, on the Dille and Lahn rivers, is typical for its lovely
houses, streets and the cathedral. It is worldwide known as the
birthplace of the LEICA (LEI-tz CA-mera). The production of contemporary
Leica systems is now done in Solms, a small place next to Wetzlar,
since 1988. |
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