Introduction to Architecture. Lesson 15: Neuschwanstein Castle

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1 Introduction to Architecture Lesson 15: Neuschwanstein Castle The first time I ever heard of Neuschwanstein Castle was when I spent a week at my aunt s house in Florida. I noticed that they were building a puzzle on their pool table. A piece of plywood covered the top of the table, and the puzzle was lying on top of the plywood. When I asked about it, they told me that it was, in actuality, just a quarter of the puzzle. After a trip to Germany, my aunt and uncle came home with a 25,000-piece puzzle of Neuschwanstein. Inside the puzzle box was an enormous bottle of glue. That would be one puzzle you d never want to build again! They even had a wall large enough to hold it when they finished building it. Ever since that first introduction, I was impressed by the grandeur of the castle and have enjoyed learning about castles all over the world. My dream is to one day visit a castle like Neuschwanstein or one of the ancient castles in Ireland or Scotland. Do you think this castle looks like it belongs in medieval times? That was the idea, but King Ludwig II of Bavaria had this palace built in the late 1800s. Construction began in 1869 and was finished in 1886, after King Ludwig s death. Bavaria is a federal state of Germany, and Neuschwanstein (Schloss Neuschwanstein, in Germany) is located in the Alps near the border of Germany and Austria.

2 Neuschwanstein In the valley where Neuschwanstein was built, two castles from the Middle Ages existed, but by the time Ludwig s father, King Maximilian II, moved into the region, they were in ruins. King Maximilian purchased the ruins of one and replaced them with his own castle where the family spent their summers. King Ludwig must have inherited his father s passion for building castles because he had so many building projects going, to the detriment of his reign, that he began to be called Mad King Ludwig. However, in recent times, doubt has been cast as to his insanity. It appears there is a case to be made for a conspiracy theory. Was he declared insane so that his enemies could remove him from the throne? He was found dead on June 13, 1886 (the same year the castle was finished), in a lake, apparently from drowning. ACTIVITIES: (*These are required activities for those who want to obtain academic credit.) *1. On your timeline, place Neuschwanstein at *2. On your map of the world, locate Neuschwanstein. 3. Google King Ludwig II of Bavaria. Images will appear to the right of the screen. I just want you to be able to place a face with the name. King Ludwig commissioned the construction of Neuschwanstein out of his own personal funds. He wanted a home that would serve as a refuge from the city and his duties, so he built it on a cliff high in the mountains. His fascination with medieval architecture led to the design, and he oversaw all aspects of its construction. His love of the theatre and, more specifically, his

3 admiration for Richard Wagner, an influential composer of the day, inspired some of the designs as well, both inside and out. Though built in honor of Richard Wagner, Wagner died before completion and never saw the inside of the castle. The design was prepared by Christian Jank, a stage designer who worked on one of Wagner s operas. Eduard Riedel was the architect. The original name of this castle was New Hohenschwangau Castle but was renamed Neuschwanstein after King Ludwig s death. Neuschwanstein was built in the nineteenth-century Romanesque Revival style. The Romanesque style developed in Europe between the years 1000 and Thus, Romanesque Revival is a return to the design of this period. This building style swept through Europe from 1840 to 1900, with its beginnings in Munich around 1830; it even made its way to America. Many churches built during this period reflect this style. Though not a church, one example of this style in America is the Smithsonian Institution Building in Washington, DC. According to IN.gov ( the typical features of this style are: 1. Castle or fortress-like exteriors; heavy, rough stone or brick walls 2. Steeply pitched hip roofs 3. Bold, heavy half-round arches around doorways and windows 4. Towers or projecting bays ACTIVITIES: *4. Define a hip roof. *5. Label each of the elements of the Romanesque style on the photo found on the first page of this lesson. (Answers are available at the end of the lesson.)

4 6. Try to locate a building in your area or a nearby city that is built in Romanesque Revival style. Besides the Romanesque style, which is the predominant style of Neuschwanstein, elements of others are evident. The lines that sweep upward and the lavishly decorative style, which is seen inside, reflects a Gothic style. The décor in some of the rooms, such as the Throne Hall, reflect a Byzantine style. The cornerstone of Neuschwanstein was laid on September 5, As work progressed and different levels were completed, King Ludwig was able to move in and be up close and personal with the work that was going on. He was extremely involved in the construction process, wanting everything to be as he envisioned it. He wrote many letters to the architect and designer detailing his wishes for the castle. The walls were built with bricks but encased with limestone, sandstone, and marble. The white limestone covered the fronts. The sandstone was used for the portals and bay windows, and the marble was used around the windows, the arch ribs, the columns, and the capitals. (Do you remember capitals from one of our previous lessons?) One interesting piece of information is that the construction site of Neuschwanstein was the largest employer in the area for 20 years. Though it only employed up to 300 workers per day, it had something in common with the Hoover Dam and the Golden Gate Bridge (and, as we will see later, other structures) they all were the largest employers in the region at the time. A society was even formed that, like workmen s compensation or life insurance, would insure the workers and their families in the case of a casualty. Workers paid a small fee for this, but the king contributed to it as well. Some estimates are that there were 30 deaths during construction. Let s take a look at some of the specifics of the building, using a labeled aerial view (image 1). Visitors to the palace enter through the gatehouse on the eastern end of the complex, which is flanked on each side by a stair tower. As can be seen in the aerial view and the picture that follows, the gatehouse is the only colorful part of the exterior of the palace (image 2). Pinnacles surround the cornice, and a crow-stepped gable sits atop the gatehouse (image 3). Once visitors have passed through the gatehouse to the east, they are led into a courtyard. The lower level (which is very obvious in image 2) includes the gatehouse and a rectangular tower and gallery building on the northern end. The southern side provides an uninhibited a view of the nearby mountainside. The border of the western side of the courtyard is a brick wall that extends into the courtyard. A flight of stairs leads to the upper level (image 4). The outline that can be seen in the aerial view was the foundation of a 295-foot keep, which was never built. On the northern end of the upper level, there is a three-story Knights House, a gentlemen s quarters. In the late 1800s, this area was created for estate and service rooms. On the opposite side is the bower. It was to house the ladies but was never used in this way.

5 Image 1 Rectangular tower The Hall Knights House Courtyard Stair Towers Bower Foundation of keep that was never built Gatehouse Image 2 Colorful gatehouse Courtyard

6 Image 3 Pinnacles Crow-stepped gable Cornice Image 4 The Upper Level

7 Image 5 Western End The Palas, or hall, lies on the western end of the courtyard. This is where King Ludwig planned to reside. It is five stories tall and consists of two conjoined cubes covered by gable roofs. A tower on the northern side surpasses the roof of the palace by several stories. It stands 213 feet tall. The western front of the Palas contains a two-story balcony with a view of the Alps (image 5). There are decorative chimneys and turrets throughout. At the time of Ludwig s death he had spent somewhere between 11 nights and two years in the castle (there is conflicting data). Regardless, he did not fully enjoy his castle, nor did he see it finished. When he died, only about 15 rooms were complete. There were to be more than 200 rooms. The rectangular tower and the bower were still under construction, and the nave for the church and the keep were never built. There was to be a wing that led from the bower to the gate

8 house, like its counterpart on the northern end, but the family chose to abandon all but the elements that were under construction when Ludwig died. Though he used his own funds for the project, he went into a large amount of debt for this and other projects. The castle is now managed by the Bavarian Palace Department. King Ludwig never intended to allow the public to enter his castle, only invited guests. However, within two months of his death, the presiding regent ordered that Neuschwanstein be opened to visitors who were willing to pay to tour the castle. Nearly 1.4 million people visit each year. Neuschwanstein has a fascinating history, though it is not a long one. It was the inspiration for Sleeping Beauty s Castle in Disneyland. It was the storage place of priceless pieces of art stolen by the Nazis in World War II. It was also a finalist in the selection of the New Seven Wonders of the World. ACTIVITIES: *7. Using this glossary and diagram of castle (and any other sites you may need), define pinnacles, cornice, crow-stepped gable, keep, bower, gable, and turret. *8. Read the building history of Neuschwanstein Castle.

9 *9. Research the story of the Monuments Men, who risked their lives to rescue stolen artifacts from Neuschwanstein and other remote locations. Consider writing a one-page paper. Here are two articles (feel free to find others, with your parents permission): a. b /?no-ist (There is artwork that includes a picture of a naked woman, presumably Eve. Parents, use your best judgment in sharing this site with your children.) *10. Watch Neuschwanstein Castle, Germany. This is a 9:31-long YouTube video. Despite the medieval look of Neuschwanstein, what makes it modern? (0:50) *Choose either 11 or 12, both if you are in need of more work to meet the hourly requirement for academic credit. 11. Choose another famous castle from around the world, research it, and write a two- to three-page report. 12. If you are in need of extra work to meet the requirement for academic credit, watch PBS Castle David Macaulay on YouTube. It is 56:21 long. Though it was produced in 1983, it is full of interesting facts about castle building. It is part animation and part discussion between Mr. Macaulay and Sarah Bullen. SchoolhouseTeachers.com note: Parents should closely monitor children s use of YouTube and Wikipedia if you navigate away from the videos and articles cited in these lessons. We also recommend viewing the videos on a full screen setting in order to minimize your students' exposure to potentially offensive ads. Special note: There are offensive comments beneath the videos referenced here; please use caution. 13. Build your own Neuschwanstein with Canon Creative Park. ADDITIONAL RESOURCES YOU MIGHT ENJOY: Neuschwanstein Castle 1500-piece puzzle on Amazon Puzz 3D Neuschwanstein Castle Puzzle 836 foam pieces, on Amazon. Neuschwanstein coloring page Though I wouldn t normally give high school students coloring pages, this one is quite detailed. Some of you may enjoy it.

10 ANSWER KEY 4. Hip roof a roof that slopes downward on all sides toward the walls Castle-like exterior is obvious. 2. Steeply pitched roofs 3. Half-round arches 4. Towers or projecting bays 7. Pinnacle ornamental spire, tower, etc. Cornice decorative projection along the top of a wall Crow-stepped gable stair-step design on a triangular gable Keep main tower Bower lady s private apartment in medieval castle Gable wall covering end of roof ridge Turret a small tower on a building