Hohenschwangau Castle in the Allgäu Alps with the Schwansee (in English: "Swan Lake") on the right, photographed from a scenic outpost above Neuschwanstein Castle, Hohenschwangau, Swabia, Bavaria, Germany
Some background information:
This image section and perspective from above makes Hohenschwangau Castle look like an isolated palace in beautiful mountain scenery. In fact, it isn’t, as Hohenschwangau and neighbouring Neuschwanstein Castle are definitely one of the highest attended visitor attractions throughout Germany. The tourist infrastructure around both castles leaves no touristic wishes to be desired and hence is well-prepared for the rush of visitors that arrives here every day. Well, compulsory visit made, but I for one definitely prefer the hidden gems.
Hohenschwangau Castle is a 19th-century palace in southern Germany. It is located in the village of Hohenschwangau near the town of Fuessen. Hence, it is situated in the Ostallgäu area in the Bavarian region of southern Swabia, directly bordering the Austrian state of Tyrol. The term Allgäu is applied to the northern part of the Alps and their foothills located in southwestern Bavaria.
Hohenschwangau Castle was the childhood residence of King Ludwig II of Bavaria (the so-called "Fairy Tale King"). It was designed by his father, King Maximilian II of Bavaria, in the first half of the 19th century. However, the castle is much older. It was first mentioned in 1397, though under the name of "Schwanstein", while the neighbouring castle on the spot of its successor building Neuschwanstein Castle, was named "Schwangau". Only in the 19th century, the names of both castles switched.
Hohenschwangau Castle (then Schwanstein Castle) was built on a hill above Lake Alpsee. Although its then owners, the Counts of Schwangau, had to sell their fief to the Dukes of Bavaria from the Wittelsbach dynasty at the beginning of the 16th century, they continued to occupy the stronghold. In 1521, they became owners of both Schwanstein and Schwangau Castle again. After the noble house of Schwangau had died out in 1536, the new owner Johann Paumgartner, a wealthy merchant from the city of Augsburg, had the castle reconstructed by the Italian architect Lucio di Spazzi. After Paumgartner had been ennobled, he even became Baron of Hohenschwangau.
In 1604, Hohenschwangau Castle entered into possession of Maximilian I, Elector of Bavaria. The prince-electors from the House of Wittelsbach mainly used the residence for bear hunting and as a retreat for agnatic princes. In 1743, the castle was plundered by Austrian troops. In 1803, in the course of the German mediatization the county of Schwangau became officially a part of the Electorate of Bavaria.
King Maximilian I Joseph of Bavaria sold the castle in 1820, but only in 1832, his grandson Maximilian II of Bavaria, then crown prince, bought it back. In 1829, he had discovered the historic site during a walking tour and reacted enthusiastically to the beauty of the surrounding area. In February 1833, the reconstruction of the castle began, continuing until 1837, with additions up to 1855.
The architect in charge, Domenico Quaglio, was responsible for the neogothic style of the exterior design. More than 90 wall paintings represent the history of Schwangau, as well as medieval German romances such as Parzival and the story of Lohengrin, the Knight of the Swan, on which Richard Wagner later based his operas Lohengrin and Parsifal, sponsored by Ludwig II who had grown up with these stories at Hohenschwangau.
Hohenschwangau Castle 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. Queen Marie who loved to hike in the mountains created an alpine garden with plants gathered from all over the alps. While the King and the Queen occupied the main building, the boys lived in the annex.
King Maximilian died in 1864 and his son Ludwig succeeded to the throne, moving into his father's room in the castle. As Ludwig never married, his mother Marie was able to continue living on her floor during the summer months. King Ludwig enjoyed living in Hohenschwangau, however mostly in the absence of his disliked mother, especially after 1869 when the building of his own castle, Neuschwanstein, began on the site of the ruinous Schwangau stronghold, high above his parent's castle.
After Ludwig's death in 1886, Queen Marie was the castle's only resident until she in turn died in 1889. Her brother-in-law, Prince Regent Luitpold of Bavaria, lived on the 3rd floor of the main building. He was responsible for the electrification in 1905 and the installation of an electric elevator. Luitpold died in 1912 and in the following year, the palace was opened to the public.
During World War I and World War II, the castle suffered no damage. In 1923, the Bavarian State Parliament recognised the right of the former royal family to reside in the castle. From 1933 to 1939, Crown Prince Rupprecht of Bavaria and his family used the castle as their summer residence, and it continues to be a favourite residence of his successors. In May 1941, Prince Adalbert of Bavaria was purged from the military and withdrew to Hohenschwangau Castle, where he lived until the end of the war. Today, the palace is visited by more than 300,000 visitors from all over the world each year. Both Neuschwanstein and Hohenschwangau Castle have really become a big business.
The Schwansee is a natural mountain lake with a surface area of 1.7 km (42 acres). It is situated at an elevation of 789 metres (2,589 feet). A huger lake, the Alpsee, is located just 400 metres to the south of it. In the 19th century, the lake became a part of the park landscape that belonged to Hohenschwangau Castle. On behalf of the Wittelsbach dynasty, the so called Schwanseepark (in English: : "Swan Lake Park") was laid out according to plans of the Prussian landscape artist Peter Joseph Lenné. Today, nature has regained most of the park and the Schwansee is used by locals and tourists alike as a bathing lake.