Hohenschwangau Castle

Hohenschwangau Castle

The castle across the valley

In the Bavarian Alps, just across a valley from the world-famous Neuschwanstein, stands a second, gentler castle painted a warm sunny yellow: Hohenschwangau. Smaller and cosier than its dramatic neighbour, it has its own important story — for this was the childhood home of King Ludwig II, the "fairytale king", and the place where his love of legends and castles was born.

Rebuilt by a king

A medieval castle had stood on this spot for centuries but had fallen into ruin. In the 1830s, Crown Prince Maximilian of Bavaria — later King Maximilian II — fell in love with the romantic ruins and the beautiful Alpine setting. He had the castle rebuilt between 1832 and 1837 as a comfortable royal summer residence in the Gothic-revival style, painting it its distinctive yellow.

Maximilian and his family used Hohenschwangau as a holiday home, a place to hunt, walk and relax among the mountains and lakes.

Ludwig's childhood

It was here that Maximilian's son, the future King Ludwig II, spent much of his childhood. Surrounded by wall-paintings of medieval legends, knights and heroes, and by the romantic mountain scenery, the young prince grew up steeped in tales of the Middle Ages and German myth.

From the windows and balconies of Hohenschwangau, Ludwig could look across the valley to a rugged hill crowned by old ruins. Years later, as king, he would choose that very hill to build his own dream castle — Neuschwanstein. So Hohenschwangau is, in a sense, where the idea of Neuschwanstein was born.

A royal family home

Unlike Ludwig's later fantasy palaces, Hohenschwangau was a real, lived-in family home, and it still feels like one. Its rooms are furnished much as they were in the 1800s, full of paintings, furniture and personal touches of the royal family. A grand piano recalls visits by the composer Richard Wagner, Ludwig's hero, who is said to have played here.

The castle gives a warmer, more human picture of the royal family than the lonely grandeur of Neuschwanstein.

A beautiful setting

Hohenschwangau shares its spectacular setting with Neuschwanstein, amid Alpine peaks, forests and the shining lakes of the Schwangau region. The two castles are usually visited together, and comparing them — the cosy yellow family home and the soaring white fantasy castle — tells the whole story of King Ludwig II.

Visiting today

Visitors can tour the warmly furnished rooms of Hohenschwangau, see the wall-paintings of legends that shaped young Ludwig's imagination, and enjoy views across the valley to Neuschwanstein. The lakes and mountains around the castle invite walks and boat trips. Charming, historic and full of meaning, Hohenschwangau is the perfect companion to its famous neighbour.