Three Castles Route

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Did you know?
... the royal traces of the Kalvarienberg Füssen ...

Around the same time as the rebuilding of Hohenschwangau Castle began, work started on a Kalvarienberg on the Hutlerberg near Füssen. The royal family, residing not far away in Hohenschwangau, learned of this project and regularly visited the Kalvarienberg. Crown Prince Max of Bavaria, the later King Max II. and father of the fairy-tale king Ludwig II., helped the initiator of the Kalvarienberg, city pastor Johann Baptist Graf, in acquiring a particularly revered relic, a particle of the cross, which found its way to Füssen in 1842. To honor this relic with dignity, a small burial chapel was built below the three crosses, whose eternal light could be seen all the way to Hohenschwangau Castle.

A few weeks before his death, on Good Friday 1886, King Ludwig II. visited the Kalvarienberg alone and prayed quietly at all his stations. An eyewitness reported: “Suddenly, as I arrived at the next station, I saw the king deeply absorbed in prayer. (...) Before the monarch turned away from the station again, he raised his face to the cloud-covered sky. For a long time, a desperate look, marked by sadness and pain, lingered in the direction where he seemed to seek God. Then he wiped his face with his hand to hide his tears.”


... the royal traces of Schwanseepark ...

Below Hohenschwangau Castle, Crown Prince Max, the later King Max II. and father of the fairy-tale king Ludwig II., had a park laid out in the English style. During the first works in 1838, 5,000 trees and shrubs were planted. Special flowers, herbs, and grasses also found their way into the new area. Paths were laid out throughout the entire area. The royal family was always present here during their stays in Hohenschwangau. They strolled through the extensive park or enjoyed afternoon tea here.


... the royal traces of the Alpsee ...

The clear mountain lake at the foot of the Alps below Hohenschwangau and Neuschwanstein castles already exerted a great attraction on the royal highnesses and their guests in the 19th century. “The ride across the lake surrounded by large Alpine mountains (...) this and everything at and from that place belonged to the life moments that the individual keeps forever.”, wrote the poet Hans Christian Andersen in his thank-you letter to Ludwig’s father, King Max II., after visiting Hohenschwangau.

Ludwig and his younger brother Otto also loved swimming in the lake or crossing it in rowboats. “The weather is wonderful, pleasant for outings, riding, fishing, and bathing. We fish every day, one day one of us fishes in the Alpsee, the next in Schwansee; I catch a pike almost every day; (...) I always read while fishing now, which goes very well together. (...)”, wrote the young Prince Ludwig in a letter.

Queen Marie, Ludwig’s mother, also loved the crystal-clear mountain lake. During the summer months in her lifetime, it was quite possible to find the queen fishing at the lake shore. The Marienmonument still commemorates her today. A memorial stone erected at her bathing spot.


... the royal traces of Neuschwanstein Castle ...

Shortly after King Ludwig II. ascended the Bavarian throne, the desire matured to build a castle on the hill opposite Hohenschwangau Castle: “I intend to have the old castle ruin (...) at the Pöllat gorge rebuilt in the style of the genuine German knight's castles, and I must confess that I very much look forward to dwelling there one day (...)”. The foundation stone was already laid in 1869 in the absence of the then 24-year-old Ludwig II. During the entire construction phase, the royal builder did not miss personally visiting the construction site as often as possible. Despite some interruptions, the work steadily progressed over the following seventeen years.

Only one guest had the honor of visiting Neuschwanstein Castle during Ludwig’s lifetime. The king surprised his mother on her 60th birthday with a private tour through his “New Castle.” Ludwig II. was privileged to live in Neuschwanstein Castle for only 172 days. He basically moved into a construction site, as the work was still in full swing. Due to his mysterious death in 1886, construction was completely stopped. To this day, Ludwig II.’s fairy-tale castle remains unfinished.


... the royal traces of Hohenschwangau Castle ...

A few weeks after his birth, the newborn Prince Ludwig, the later King Ludwig II., spent his first stay on land in his father's castle. The royal family loved the summers at Hohenschwangau Castle in rural seclusion. “Otto and I are healthy and happy. We make beautiful walks every day (…), pick flowers, catch fish in the Alpsee, and chase butterflies (…).”, wrote the young Prince Ludwig in a letter. For Ludwig’s mother, Queen Marie, Hohenschwangau was also a place of refuge and strength. After the death of her husband, King Max II., Ludwig II. fulfilled her wish and made it her widow’s residence.

The castle on the edge of the Alps can look back on a long history. Parts of the former Schwanstein fortress date from the 12th century.

Not only King Ludwig II., his parents, and his brother lived here. Also, Ludwig’s uncle and successor on the throne, Prince Regent Luitpold, his children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren inhabited parts of the castle until the 1980s.


www.fuessen.de/royal-hiking

Directions

You can reach Füssen directly via the A7 motorway and the federal roads B310, B16, and B17.

Parking

The parking guidance system in Füssen offers several parking options. The paid parking garage P5 City / Sparkasse is located in the immediate vicinity of the Tourist Information.

Coordinates

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