Armchair Traveler - Castles pt. 1 | Dauphin County Library System

To wrap up our summer Armchair Traveler blog series, we’re going to visit some real-life castles fit for a fairytale. What better castle to start with than Neuschwanstein Castle, the inspiration for Disney’s Sleeping Beauty Castle?

Neuschwanstein Castle

Neuschwanstein Castle is located near Füssen in the southwest region of Bavaria, Germany. The castle was dreamed up by Ludwig II (1845-1886) who became the King of Bavaria in 1864 at the young age of 18. Ludwig II built not just one, but three castles during his short lifetime using his own personal funds. Foundation for Neuschwanstein Castle was laid in 1869, but Ludwig did not move in until 1884. Even at that time, the castle interior was not complete. Guided tours of the castle today take you through the 14 rooms that are finished, including a small artificial grotto. You can take a photo tour through the rooms to get a sense of Ludwig’s love for all things fantastical on Neuschwanstein Castle’s website. [https://www.neuschwanstein.de/englisch/palace/vor_og3.htm]

You can learn more about the castle’s history as well as get up-to-date tourist information here. Check out the short video below for beautifully shot images of the castle, inside and out.

Ludwig II is an interesting, but complex historical figure. If you’d like to learn more about him, Stuff You Missed in History Class’s podcast episode about him is a good place to start. The podcast hosts, Holly Frey and Tracy Wilson, explore his fascination with the imaginary, fairy tales, and composer Richard Wagner. Take a listen below.

Recommended Reading

The Library has so many different items in its collection to do with castles, fairytales, and the locations we’ll be visiting over the next few blog posts. You can search for these items and place a hold at dcls.org!

I Capture the Castle by Dodie Smith [https://dcls-mt.iii.com/iii/encore/search/C__S%28%28i%20capture%20the%20castle%29%20-%28101%20dalmations%29%29%20a%3A%28dodie%20smith%29__Orightresult__U?lang=eng&suite=cobalt]

Through six turbulent months of 1934, 17-year-old Cassandra Mortmain keeps a journal, filling three notebooks with sharply funny yet poignant entries about her home, a ruined Suffolk castle, and her eccentric and penniless family. By the time the last diary shuts, there have been great changes in the Mortmain household, not the least of which is that Cassandra is deeply, hopelessly, in love.

Best of Europe: Beautiful Germany (2010) [https://dcls-mt.iii.com/iii/encore/record/C__Rb1131974__Sneuschwanstein__Orightresult__U__X3?lang=eng&suite=cobalt]
In this 1 hour and 40 minute video, visit the Pergamon Museum, the KaDeWe department store in Berlin, Marienplatz, the Hofbrauhaus in Munich, and King Ludwig’s castle Neuschwanstein in Bavaria. Then follow the Romantic Road visiting Wurzburg’s Baroque Bishop’s Palace and Medieval Rothenburg. Also visit vineyards and castles along the Rhine and stop in Koblenz.

The Ludwig Conspiracy by Olive Pötzch, Translated by Anthea Bell [https://dcls-mt.iii.com/iii/encore/search/C__Sthe%20ludwig%20conspiracy__Orightresult__U?lang=eng&suite=cobalt]

In 1886, Ludwig II, the fairytale king of Bavaria, was deposed after being declared insane by doctors who had never met him. He died mysteriously soon thereafter, his eccentric and beautiful castles his only legacy. When an encoded diary by one of Ludwig’s confidants falls into the hands of rare book dealer Steven Lukas, he soon realizes that the diary may bring him more misery than money. Others want the diary as well—and they will kill to get it. Believing the diary to contain the secret truth behind Ludwig’s death, Steven and the detective Sara Lengfeld go on the run, investigating each of Ludwig’s three famous castles for clues. Just what in the diary could be so explosive that Ludwig’s deranged modern-day followers will do whatever it takes to keep it hidden?

That’s all for our tour of Neuschwanstein! Check back next week to see which castle we explore next.

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