Neuschwanstein in Winter

Neuschwanstein Castle is a nineteenth-century Romanesque Revival palace on a rugged hill above the village of Hohenschwangau near Füssen in southwest Bavaria, Germany. The palace was commissioned by Ludwig II of Bavaria as a retreat and as a homage to Richard Wagner. Ludwig has paid for the palace out of his personal fortune and by means of extensive borrowing, rather than Bavarian public funds. The palace was intended as a personal refuge for the reclusive king, but it was opened to the paying public immediately after his death in 1886. Since then more than 60 million people have visited Neuschwanstein Castle. More than 1.3 million people visit annually, with as many as 6,000 per day during the summer. The palace has appeared prominently in several movies and was the inspiration for Disneyland's Sleeping Beauty Castle and later, similar structures. Füssen im Allgäu is an enchanting town in Bavaria, Germany known for the Hohes Schloss and its Basilica and former Benedictine monastery of St Mang. The world-famous Neuschwanstein Castle is situated for a few kilometres in the east. Some visitors come to tour the castles and leave immediately afterwards leaving the beautiful little town unexplored. This is a great pity as there is much to see in Füssen and the surrounding area if you know what you are looking for! There are magnificent lakes with beautiful views and the "Kalvarienberg" which has the "Stations of the Cross" on it.

Paul Richardson (https://goo.gl/kmrTLv)

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