Hohenschwangau Castle

The site had been fortified since the 12th century, when the Knights of Schwangau built the original Schwanstein Castle. The fortress passed through several hands and fell into ruin by the early 19th century, when Crown Prince Maximilian of Bavaria acquired the ruins in 1829 and commissioned the architect Dominic Quaglio to rebuild it in the Gothic Revival style then fashionable across Europe. Construction began in 1833 and was largely complete by 1837.

Maximilian II used Hohenschwangau as a summer residence, and it was here that his son Ludwig II spent much of his youth. The murals covering the walls were painted to Maximilian's programme: medieval legends, the Nibelung cycle, the legend of Lohengrin and the Swan Knight. These images became the formative imaginative landscape of Ludwig's mind.

When Ludwig became king in 1864, he continued to use Hohenschwangau as a base. He first received Richard Wagner here, famously embracing him on the steps and declaring: 'I have waited so long for you.' Their partnership — Ludwig's patronage funding Wagner's Ring Cycle and the Bayreuth Festspielhaus — would transform European music. After his mother Queen Marie moved back to Hohenschwangau, Ludwig increasingly retreated to Neuschwanstein on the opposite hill, which he had begun building in 1869.

Ludwig was declared insane and deposed in June 1886. He died at Lake Starnberg three days later under unexplained circumstances. Hohenschwangau remained in the possession of the House of Wittelsbach and was opened to the public in 1887, shortly after Ludwig's death. It remains one of the best-preserved 19th-century royal interiors in Germany.

Getting there: Hohenschwangau is in the village of Schwangau near Füssen. By train, take the regional service from Munich to Füssen (about 2 hours), then bus 73 or 78 to the Hohenschwangau ticket centre (10 minutes). By car, take the A7 motorway to the Füssen exit; paid parking is available in the P1–P5 lots near the ticket centre.

Tickets: All visits are on a timed guided tour. Book online well in advance — tickets sell out weeks ahead in summer. The ticket centre at the base of both castles sells on-the-day tickets, but availability is very limited from late spring through September. Adults €15, children under 18 free.

Combining with Neuschwanstein: The two castles are a 15-minute walk apart along a forest path, or accessible by horse-drawn carriage from the bottom. Most visitors book tickets to both on the same day, scheduling Hohenschwangau in the morning and Neuschwanstein in the afternoon. Allow a full day. The view of Neuschwanstein from Hohenschwangau's terrace is exceptional.

Mary's Bridge (Marienbrücke): A 30-minute walk above Neuschwanstein leads to the narrow bridge over a gorge that gives the classic Neuschwanstein photograph. This is a separate short hike and may be closed in winter due to ice.