Kilchburg, Switzerland is the home of the Lindt Chocolate factory. We made a detour today to go see this famous chocolate Mecca. Sadly, all of today’s tours were full, but there was still plenty to see (and smell, and buy).
Roger Federer is one of the official sponsors of Lindt Chocolate.
We visited the showroom and the gift store where you can buy anything you want. I had fun watching the others shop (I’m not really that into chocolate).
We watched an interesting film about the history of the Lindt family and how this empire of chocolate came to be, then left with a few small bags of goodies to enjoy in the car as we went to our next destination: Luzern.
One of the “must see” things on Aaron’s list was a stop at the Zürichsee to see the building site of Roger Federer’s new home. We spent about an hour enjoying the views from the peninsula in the park there.
Abbey was thrilled to find that in Switzerland, there are public drinking water fountains with potable water. You don’t find those in Germany. All water must be purchased.
We stepped into the church here and enjoyed the beautiful surroundings.
After visiting Neuschwanstein and the Hohenschwangau castles, we went back to Füssen, got in our car and headed to Linderhof Castle, about an hour away. We figured we could get there just before closing. The drive took us through a corner of Austria. It was such a beautiful drive through woods on a narrow winding road along a river and the Plansee (lake). The world here is so beautiful. I kept thinking that I hope my place in heaven looks a lot like this. The leaves are turning gold with some rust here and there. We drove by lakes and through mountains and woods.
The kids were exhausted. We learned that King Ludwig spent a lot of time at this castle because it was finished before Neuschwanstein. He’d travel by train or carriage between the two castles.
This is what the property looks like–the visitor’s center is on the left.
Walking from the visitor’s center to the castle:
So I was thinking that this was going to be a mountain lodge type castle, but this one was not that. It was a French Maison Mansion Castle with beautiful symmetric gardens. We made it with 5 minutes to spare for the last tour of the day, and we were the only ones, so the guide did the tour in English for us, which was nice. We had the place to ourselves. We got to see one floor. Ludwig II built this castle in about 4 years, while also building the big Schloss. It was very extravagant, with some over-the-top rooms. One with mirrors and chandeliers.
He had a “magic table” that the servants could fill with food downstairs, then pull up into place upstairs so he didn’t have to deal with the servants. The lower (first floor) was where the servants worked. The kitchen was down there. There were porcelains from China and France, ivory from Africa. Look it up and see the opulence. Really, it was amazing.
Afterwards we had enough light to see the gardens and climb way up to the top of one of the gardens with a little gazebo temple on top. All symmetrical and beautiful. Everything here was original. It was really fun to see.
Again, it was hard (and a bit of a relief) not to be allowed to take photos inside. Here’s a look at the beautiful grounds:
Looking down into the kitchen on the main floor from an outside window. The entire ground floor was used by the servants and helpers. Ludwig stayed upstairs.
By the end of the day we were all pretty tired. Castles don’t have elevators, so we went up and down dozens of staircases today. I laughed when this meme popped up in my feed:
After visiting Neuschwanstein, castle, we came down the mountain and then walked over to the lake at the base. Then we walked up to the castle of Ludwig’s father, Maximilian, the castle Hohenschwangau. We had a set time for out tour there too, and we had about an hour to wait, so we walked around the grounds and garden.
The woods are lovely this time of year. Peaceful. Earthy. This is such a beautiful area.
The tour only took us into a small part of the castle and took about 30 min, with an English-speaking tour guide. It was interesting to see where Ludwig grew up. This castle was built on an old castle ruin, made over by Maximilian. Ludwig had one brother, Otto, also called mentally ill. He took over after Ludwig died, but because of his illness, a regent ruled for him. Luckily it was a time of peace.
We were not allowed to take photos in this castle either. The guide said it held things up if everyone was taking photos. They had told us it was because the castle is still privately owned. I believe the guide. There are plenty of photos in the gift shop and online. Go look at them!
The view from inside the castle:
After the tour, we walked back down the mountain, stopping at the castle’s church.
There were carriage rides for hire if you didn’t want to walk to the castle.
Last night we drove from Ulm to Füssen, where we’ll spend the next 2 nights. Füssen is one of the towns nearest to Neuschwanstein Castle. This morning we were up bright and early to catch a bus to take us to the castle. We bought our tickets several weeks ago and were glad we started early today. If you get an early start, you can see all 3 of King Ludwig’s castles in one day.
The bus ride takes you up the mountain and lets you out in the woods near the Marien Bridge that spans 2 cliffs with the waterfall below them. Walking on the wooden planks was a little scary. The view of the castle was spectacular. Wow. The view is across the wooded ravine to the castle perched up on a precipice hill with a grand valley below filled with fields and woods and lakes. It was absolutely breathtaking. Heavenly. So much beauty in one view. We just stood there soaking it all in.
This is the translation of that dialog I memorized 50 years ago: “King Ludwig II had the famous castle built in the 19th century.”
This is the view looking over to the Hohenschwangau Castle owned by King Ludwig’s father.
From the bridge, we hiked up to the castle.
Waiting in the outer courtyard for the tours to begin. Our ticket time was 10:30. We had about a 30 minute wait. They run the tours on a strict schedule. If you miss it, you’re out of luck. The tour is only 30 minutes long. They send hundreds of people through each day.
From my journal: At 10:30 we were ushered in and given Headsets with English commentary. The narrator was good and pleasant to understand. No photos were allowed inside the castle (that was a bit hard and a bit of a relief at the same time).
The tour took us through a wing of rooms on one of the upper floors. They were pretty spectacular. I had no idea what to expect. I often don’t read ahead, so I’ll be wowed at first meeting in a new place.
Looking back at the Marion Bridge.
We learned about King Ludwig. He became king at age 18. He was eccentric and loved architecture, French history, Wagner’s operas, Medieval tales with heroes and princesses, he had plenty of money and didn’t enjoy ruling, so he left that to others so he could build castles. He grew up in his father’s castle, Hohenschwangau on the next mountain over. There were murals of the knight’s tales in both castles on most of the walls. He had good taste, but it was all over the top. He wanted to be like the king of all kings. But he didn’t want anyone in his castle he didn’t know. He was a recluse. He never married. He broke off an engagement. He was gay in a day when a king needed to have an heir and homosexuality was a crime with a serious punishment. Ludwig obsessed over French culture and people from 200 years before his time, often eating in private, but talking to his “French friends.”
The murals in all the rooms and the artwork of medieval stories were so beautiful, painted in a way that made them look like tapestry (walls textured like woven fabric).
His death is a mystery. At age 42 he was taken away and locked up because he was “mentally ill.” The next day his doctor was found drowned in a lake and Ludwig was “drowned” too (he was a good enough swimmer to swim across the entire lake). Some say a lady had the coat he was wearing and there were 2 bullet holes in the back. The family then said it was suicide. No one knows. No autopsy. No one talks about it, even in these tours. They just say, “we don’t know.” We’ve been reading a lot of the theories about it. It’s rather tragic. He was a creative genius who made interesting things happen.
Views from up in the castle:
Since photos inside the castle were not allowed, I’d suggest you do a google search for Neuschwanstein interiors and click on images.
Here’s a little more information about what’s inside:
Parzival’s fight with the Red Knight,
August Spiess, 1883/1884 Photo: Riek, Diderot-Verlag, Rottenburg
Interior and modern technology
Neuschwanstein illustrates the ideals and longings of Ludwig II more vividly than any of his other buildings. The castle was not designed for royal representation, but as a place of retreat. Here Ludwig II escaped into a dream world – the poetic world of the Middle Ages.
The picture cycles of Neuschwanstein were inspired by the operas of Richard Wagner, to whom the king dedicated the castle. The pictures were not however directly modelled on Wagner’s works, but on the medieval legends that the composer had also taken as the basis for his works.
The pictures on the walls of the castle deal with love and guilt, repentance and salvation. Kings and knights, poets and lovers people the rooms. There are three main figures: the poet Tannhäuser, the swan knight Lohengrin and his father, the Grail King Parzival (Parsifal). These were Ludwig’s models and kindred spirits.
A further leitmotif of the interiors is the swan. The swan was the heraldic animal of the Counts of Schwangau, whose successor the king considered himself to be. It is also the Christian symbol of the “purity” for which Ludwig strived.
Religious and political ideas were involved in the planning of the castle. This can be seen in particular in the throne hall. The paintings here show how Ludwig saw kingship “by the Grace of God”: as a holy mission, with powers that the Bavarian king had never possessed.
In Neuschwanstein the Middle Ages were only an illusion: behind the medieval appearance of the castle the latest technology was in operation and every comfort was ensured.
The rooms of the Palas, the royal residence, were fitted with hot air central heating. Running water was available on every floor and the kitchen had both hot and cold water. The toilets had an automatic flushing system.
Electric bell system Photo: Bayerische Schlösserverwaltung / Rainer Herrmann
The king used an electric bell system to summon his servants and adjutants. On the third and fourth floors there were even telephones. Meals did not have to be laboriously carried upstairs: for this purpose there was a lift.
The latest technology was also used for the construction process itself. The cranes were driven by steam engines, and the Throne Room was incorporated by means of a steel construction. One of the special features of Neuschwanstein is the large window panes. Windows of this size were still unusual even in Ludwig II’s day.
You can see where the unfinished parts of the castle would’ve been built.
Visiting this castle (that I’ve known about for 50 years) did not disappoint. I found it really beautiful (often over-the-top, but beautiful). I felt sad for King Ludwig, who struggled with his own demons. He seemed to live in a world of his own construction, trying to find happiness in making that world beautiful.
Our next stop would be the castle Ludwig grew up in:
Ulm Minster is a Lutheran church located in the heart of Ulm. It is the tallest church in the world. The church is the fifth-tallest structure built before the 20th century, with a steeple measuring 161.53 meters.
We parked several blocks away at the Hauptbahnhof. As we approached, we could see that much of the cathedral was covered in scaffolding. I was surprised to find it was built of bricks, not stone. That’s a lot of bricks! We had to work to find a door that would let us in.
There was an evening service starting at 6:00, so we only had about 15 minutes inside. We were the only ones in the cathedral, except for the few people who came for the service–they had gathered in one of the smaller wings. The interior was huge. Enjoyed taking some photos. Then we headed back to the car.
You know it’s going to be good when you go into a place with a door like this!
Our Frankfurt Germany Mission 