Castles of Munich: review, description, excursions

2024 Author: Harold Hamphrey | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 10:06

Germany is one of the most fabulous lands in all of Europe. Dozens of ancient estates, magnificent castles and palaces are the subject of admiration for travelers from all over the world. A visit to at least one of them leaves an indelible impression for life, especially since flights from Moscow to Munich are direct and are made with regularity.

Neuschwanstein Castle

The most famous castle in the world - Neuschwanstein - is located about a hundred kilometers from Munich. Its name is translated from German as "swan rock". Every year, hundreds of thousands of people from all over the world come to admire the grandeur of the castle and its luxurious interiors. To get to the castle, you need to keep the path to the Schwangau valley. The local infrastructure has long turned into exceptionally convenient services for visiting tourists. There is parking on site where you can leave your own or rented car. Payment is daily, therefore, having arrived in the valley, you can already take your time and calmly get acquainted with the sights.

Munich castles tend tolocated at the highest point, so you will have to walk to Neuschwanstein for about half an hour uphill, so before the trip, do not forget to buy or immediately put on comfortable shoes. There are many legends and myths associated with the castle. They are told by a guide with whom you can enter the castle, since individual visits are prohibited. One of the legends says that the famous composer Tchaikovsky, having visited the castle, was so amazed by its splendor that he conceived and wrote his brilliant work "Swan Lake" within the walls of the castle. To get to it, just buy a ticket for the flight Moscow - Munich.

Linderhof

Castles around Munich amaze with their diversity. For example, Linderhof Castle, located near Neuschwanstein, was built in a style that is radically different from the gloomy Gothic style. It is called the second Versailles. King Ludwig built it according to his personal taste. The palace turned out to be small and cozy, with a small garden and a fountain in the yard. It is interesting that Ludwig, who was madly in love with the work of the composer Wagner, when coming here, retired to a small cave and listened to his favorite music alone. You won’t have to spend a lot of time on this castle, but it’s best to start your tour with it, and then move to Neuschwanstein.

Herrenchiemsee Palace

The castles and palaces of Munich are very different from each other in their architectural styles. But not Herrenchiemsee. They call it Versailles. And this is not fiction. According to documents, King Ludwig of Bavaria acquired a large island on Lake Chiemsee, onwhich he decided to build a palace, almost a copy of the French Versailles. He succeeded.

To get to the island, you need to make your way to the small town of Prina. Small ships depart from the local pier, which deliver tourists to the island every hour. After landing on the island, you need to walk a few hundred meters.

The walls of the palace keep many valuable exhibits related not only to the era of Ludwig. A whole room was allocated for museum storage, where personal belongings of His Majesty, photographs, letters are collected.

There is a souvenir shop on the ground floor, where porcelain items worth from a few to hundreds of euros are put up for sale.

Bluetenburg Castle

The Blutenburg Castle in Munich was built by Albrecht III, who reigned in the German lands. Then Munich, of course, was a small city compared to today, and in its western part the king liked the place to build a hunting lodge. Of course, by royal standards, even a hunting lodge will look like a palace, which in the end turned out to be. After the death of the king, the building was rebuilt many times, and today we see it as a small cozy house, located almost on an island - a land that is surrounded by two ponds and a river.

The interior of the castle will delight even the most sophisticated travelers. Paintings, interior items created by hand by craftsmen of that time, personal belongings of the inhabitants of the castle. In addition, there is one of the largest in the worldyouth libraries. Here you can freely sit down and read any book. Guided tours in Blutenburg are free. It is best to come here early in the morning, because, despite the small size, it will take about three to four hours to explore all the grounds.

If you are going on a tour, here is information on how to get to Blutenburg Castle in Munich. You need to take the subway to Moosach station. Having risen to the surface, walk another twenty minutes, and you are there. You can also get to the S-Bahn Pasing metro station and take bus number 56 from there, which will take you straight to the castle.

Hohenschwangau Castle

One of the most majestic castles in Munich is hidden between the hills near the village of Schwangau, which is famous for its magnificent scenery. Initially, the building played the role of a fortress, which was founded here in the 12th century and was called Schwanstein. The fortress was turned into a castle by knights who lived in the area for more than four centuries. Unfortunately, the line of knights was interrupted in the 16th century, and the castle gradually began to be destroyed.

At the beginning of the 19th century, King Maximilian II, hunting, came to these lands and simply fell in love with them. After some time, having bought the land along with the castle, he invited the best architects and artists of that time to restore it, who, under the vigilant personal supervision of the king, raised the castle almost from ruins in a few years. A hunting lodge was also built nearby. It must be said that the sons of the king also loved these places very much and turned them into a summer royalresidence.

The castle is still in the personal possession of the royal descendants, but no one lives in it. Hohenschwangau has been turned into a museum open to visitors all year round.

Palace Durkheim

The history of one of the oldest castles in Munich is rich in various events. Its construction began in 1842 on the personal order of the royal chamberlain Friedrich von Dürkheim, and it was conceived as a building in which meetings of the nobility would be held. Moreover, one of the conditions for the construction was that the royal residence was to be observed from the building.

The construction was completed in 1844, and 15 years later the building was acquired by the Prussian government to organize a diplomatic corps there. It existed there for more than 50 years, then was moved to another place, and the complex was bought out and turned into a museum.

Nymphenburg Palace

Among the palaces and castles of Munich there is another interesting instance - Nymphenburg. Its construction began in 1664 in the western part of Munich and was completed eleven years later. Throughout its existence, it has expanded and increased many times.

The interior decoration and interiors of the castle are considered among the best in Europe. The most famous hall is the Hall of Beauties, where portraits of the most beautiful women in Europe of that time are hung on the walls. Of interest to tourists is the park, which is adjacent to the palace and is considered one of the largest royal parks in the world.