Neuschwanstein Castle

Neuschwanstein Castle, which King Ludwig II built on a rugged hill against a backdrop of picturesque mountain scenery, was prompted by the idea of rebuilding an existing ruin "in the authentic style of the old German knights' castles", as he wrote in a letter to Richard Wagner.

　　The castle was built by Eduard Riedel and Georg Dollmann from idealized sketches by the scene painter Christian Jank. While the building itself imitates the 13th-century Romanesque style, the paintings inside predominantly depict scenes from Wagner's operas such as "Tannh？user" and "Lohengrin".

　　The Singers' Hall is modelled on the banqueting hall of the Wartburg near Eisenach； the decoration includes wall paintings illustrating the Parzival saga.

　　The church-like Throne Hall was modelled on Byzantine domed architecture and the Allerheiligenhofkirche （All-Saints Church） in the Munich Residence and symbolizes Ludwig II's idea of a monarchy by God's grace. Neuschwanstein is not a copy of a medieval castle but a typical Historicist creation.

　　Note:

　　新天鹅堡是巴伐利亚国王:享有"疯狂国王"之称的Ludwig二世于1869-1886年间建造的,目的是想按照古代德国骑士城堡的式样建造,它如同所有的皇家城堡:装饰得富丽堂皇,收藏许多珍品,考究气派的墙上挂满精美的绘画作品:大多是宗教题材、圣经故事以及城堡历代主人的肖像画。这些作品无不色彩细微、笔法精妙。最辉煌的是帝王大厅:巨大的天花板上,蓝色苍穹点缀着灿烂的星辰、象征无穷无际、浩瀚无边的天宇,而地板上是各色马赛克铺就的植物、动物,象征博大无比的大地,高耸的大厅中悬挂着金灿灿巨大的皇冠,上有96根蜡烛；据说它们象征着至高无上的皇权。

　　进古堡的大门后,只见入口,窗户,列柱廊等全都是半圆头拱,这是罗马式的建筑的特征之一。后面有一堵墙壁上的拱门,叫作盲拱,在其屋檐下及窗下,设有串连的小圆头拱的盲拱带,紧接着数间的国王起居室,都是哥德式的建筑,并以瓦格纳的歌剧作品中世纪的传说作为题材人物所绘制的壁画作为主题装饰。

　　和各个欧洲王宫城堡一样,新天鹅堡的内部还藏着一个密室。这个密室在城堡的中心位置,是个内室岩洞。它全部保持原来山体,没有进行内部装修。在里面放有一桌一椅,桌子上放了红色的蜡烛。据说,当年的路德维希二世特别喜欢手拿一杯红酒坐在这里。岩洞和后面的大阳台是连着的,通过阳台可以看见广阔的冬季花园。

　　远眺新天鹅堡令人有一种梦境般的感觉——高低错落的塔尖在风动的树林中时掩时现,仿佛有人声在浮动。新天鹅堡坐落在群山环抱之中,矗立在石山高原上,背一面清澈透明的湖水,鸟瞰四周缓缓起伏的树林,幽静的自然景色与新天鹅堡梦境般的外貌相互辉映。