FAIRYTALE CASTLE TRIBUTE TO WAGNER

The end of the Romantic Road in southern Germany climbs to the village of Schwangau, about 60 miles south-west of Munich, the gateway to Bavaria, the beer-drinking capital of the world. Above the village, tower two of the most famous Bavarian castles from the nineteenth century; Hohenschwangau, where King Ludwig the second of Bavaria (1845-1886) spent many happy summers as a child, and Neuschwanstein. They are set against the backdrop of the steeply-rising, mighty peaks of the Alps, on a stage of picture-book-perfect scenery of forests and lakes. These breath-taking castles, which cast their reflections in the lakes below, have fascinated many admiring visitors for years.

Ludwig was a ruler in a troubled time. His first years on the throne brought several major disappointments, such as a broken engagement and war between Prussia and Austria, leading to Bavaria's loss of sovereignty in 1870. Ludwig's psychological escape mechanism was to withdraw more into his own dream world, peopled by heroic medieval knights.

Sometimes fairytales do come true. They certainly did for the great composer Richard Wagner (1813-1883), the idolized fatherly friend of Ludwig. The complicated friendship between these two men is embodied in Neuschwanstein, a fairytale castle which appeals to everyone's collective unconscious. It's a magical, mystical place, redolent with old German myths, where we can imagine slaying dragons, rescuing damsels in distress and overcoming all manners of hardships.

In this castle unlikely opposites are interwoven into one gloriously harmonious whole: the young, inexperienced king and the older, more experienced composer; possible madness and indisputable genius; beauty and light, with dark, brooding secrets and problems; earthly delights and religious themes.

Nowadays, Ludwig's castles are enormous revenue earners, but financial difficulties affected both Ludwig and Wagner. Wagner, deeply in debt, was saved only by Ludwig's generous patronage. Ludwig spent millions of gulden on his castles and was eventually declared insane by his ministers, who feared he would bankrupt the state. However, there was no consensus as to his insanity.

Ludwig's famed generosity, passion for building, interior decorating, and love for Wagner and his works all came together in Neuschwanstein. The first opera he ever saw was Wagner's "Lohengrin" at age 16, which left a lasting impression.

In 1868 Ludwig wrote to

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