# @kirstenalana on Instagram

- **Type:** Image
- **Original URL:** https://www.instagram.com/p/BN9gtfajP1n
- **Gondola URL:** https://gondola.cc/posts/2430520-kirstenalana-instagram
- **Thumbnail:** https://img.gondola.cc/tr:w-,h-,fo-auto/postThumbnails/0401582e0f.jpg
- **Posted:** 2016-12-13T14:43:52.000+00:00
- **Account Owner:** Kirsten Alana (@KirstenAlana) — https://gondola.cc/KirstenAlana

## Caption

Paul Verlaine called Ludwig II of Bavaria the 'only true king of the 19th century' and I think he was on to something. The most popular view of Neuschwanstein, which Ludwig begun in 1869 on the ruins of another castle not far from his parent's more modest Hohenschwangau, is one you've undoubtedly seen before but which is only achievable via helicopter. This was taken from a steel footbridge that crosses the gorge behind the castle. Walt Disney copied Neuschwanstein for his parks and he stole more than just the facade. It is inside that I could see why, and while I was bummed that I wasn't allowed to take photos to show you, I was still stunned into silence from the beauty. And from the scenes I clearly recognized as being copied in Disney films! Ludwig was a great supporter of the arts, in particular of Wagner and his operas, and a true romantic with a passion for the Middle Ages. He covered the inside of Neuschwanstein with artwork depicting the great tales of Lohengrin, of Tristan & Isolde and of St. George slaying the dragon. He chose the swan as one of his symbols, again because of mythology. And he made the throne hall a gold gilded testament to religion but not just Christian, with a Buddhist-themed mosaic floor that is accompanied by Moorish, Oriental and Moroccan rooms in his other palaces. He was enthralled with the cultures of every corner of the world. Ludwig II also made sure the palace had the first telephone in Bavaria, a modern kitchen and running water in a faucet & toilet. I can't help but wish I could have met him, a man who seems to have been fascinated with romanticizing the past while embracing future advancements. Frustrated by politics, he eventually withdrew from public life and threw himself into finishing all of his palaces. Though he was an accomplished swimmer who did laps daily in the lake I showed in my last photo, he was mysteriously found dead in another lake in 1886, never able to complete his dream of a finished Neuschwanstein Castle...making it a breathtaking yet sad memorial, to a king who died too soon. 👑 #VisitBavaria

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## Tags

visitbavaria

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