Notre Dame de Rouen. The façade of the Gothic Church in France. Photographer: Hippo1947. Licence: SHUTTERSTOCK.

07 August, 2026

Neuschwanstein Castle, Schwangau, Bavaria, Germany. King Ludwig II Of Bavaria’s Creation. (Part Three).



Photo: 31 July 2013.
Source: Own work.
This File is licensed under the
Attribution:
© Thomas Wolf, www.foto-tw.de
(Wikipedia)



The Throne Hall, Neuschwanstein Castle.
Photograph by Joseph Albert 1886.
Postcard published 1890 - 1900.
Detroit Publishing Co. Print No. 17479.
Date: 1886.
Source:
Photochrom from Photoglob AG Zürich (PZ, 17479); Views of Germany in the Photochrom Print Collection. This image is available from the United States Library of Congress's Prints and Photographs division under the digital ID ppmsca.00180.
Author: Josef Albert (1825–1886).
(Wikimedia Commons)


Text is from Wikipedia - the free encyclopædia,
unless stated otherwise.

In a letter to Richard Wagner in May 1868, Ludwig wrote:

“It is my intention to rebuild the old Castle ruin of Hohenschwangau, near the Pöllat Gorge, in the authentic style of the old German Knights’ Castles, and I must confess to you that I am looking forward  to living there one day (in three years) . . .


“You know the revered guest I would like to accommodate there; the location is one of the most beautiful to be found, holy and unapproachable, a worthy temple for the divine friend who has brought salvation and true Blessing to the World. 



The Gatehouse, Neuschwanstein Castle.
Photo: 23 August 2008.
Source: Own work.
This File is licensed under the 
Author: Hedwig Storch.
(Wikimedia Commons)

“It will also remind you of “Tannhäuser” (Singers’ Hall with a view of the Castle in the background), and “Lohengrin” ”[14]

The building design was drafted by the Stage Designer, Christian Jank, and realised by the architect, Eduard Riedel.[15] 

For technical reasons, the ruined Castles could not be integrated into the Plan. 

Initial ideas for the Palace drew stylistically on Nuremberg Castle and envisaged a simple building in place of the old Vorderhohenschwangau Castle, but they were rejected and replaced by increasingly extensive drafts, culminating in a bigger Palace modelled on the Wartburg.[16] 



Sängerhalle (Singer’s Hall, Music Room), Neuschwanstein Castle, Bavaria, Germany. Photograph by Joseph Albert 1886.
Postcard published circa 1890 — 1900. Detroit Publishing Co. Print No. 17484.
Source: Photochrom from Photoglob AG Zürich (PZ, 17484); Views of Germany in the Photochrom print collection, Library of Congress, Reproduction number LC-DIG-ppmsca-00185.
Author: Josef Albert (1825 — 1886).
(Wikimedia Commons)

The King insisted on a detailed Plan and on personal approval of each and every draft.[17] 

Ludwig’s control went so far that the Palace has been regarded as his own creation rather than that of the architects involved.[18] 

Whereas contemporary architecture critics derided Neuschwanstein, one of the last big Palace building projects of the 19th-Century, as kitsch, Neuschwanstein and Ludwig II’s other buildings are now counted among the major works of European historicism.[19][20] 

For financial reasons, a project similar to Neuschwanstein — Falkenstein Castle — never got past the Planning stages.[21]



Pictures of the Lohengrin saga. Drawing Room, Neuschwanstein Castle, Bavaria, Germany. Photograph by Joseph Albert 1886. Postcard published circa 1890 — 1900. Detroit Publishing Co. Print No. 17481.
Source: Photochrom from Photoglob AG Zürich (PZ, 17481); Views of Germany in the Photochrom print collection. Library of Congress. Reproduction number LC-DIG-ppmsca-00182.
Author: Josef Albert (1825 — 1886).
(Wikimedia Commons)

The Palace can be regarded as typical of 19th-Century architecture. The shapes of Romanesque (simple geometric figures such as Cuboids and Semi-Circular Arches), Gothic (upward-pointing lines, slim Towers, delicate embellishments), and Byzantine architecture and art (the Throne Hall décor) were mingled in an eclectic fashion and supplemented with 19th-Century technical achievements.

The Patrona Bavariæ and Saint George on the Court face of the Palace (main building) are depicted in the local Lüftlmalerei Style, a fresco technique typical for Allgäu farmers’ houses, while the unimplemented drafts for the Knights’ House gallery foreshadow elements of Art Nouveau.[22]

PART FOUR FOLLOWS.

No comments:

Post a Comment

Related Posts Plugin for WordPress, Blogger...