Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
tion was having stars, illuminated with hidden oil lamps, painted on the ceiling of his bed-
room.
Here Ludwig first met Wagner, and the
Hohenstaufensaal
features a square piano
where the hard-up composer would entertain Ludwig with excerpts from his latest oeuvre.
Some rooms have frescos from German history and legend (including the story of the
Swan Knight,
Lohengrin
). The swan theme runs throughout.
If visiting both Hohenschwangau and Neuschwanstein in the same day, timed tickets
are always issued so that Hohenschwangau is first on your itinerary.
Hohes Schloss
(Magnusplatz 10; adult/concession €6/4; galleries 11am-5pm Tue-Sun Apr-Oct, 1-4pm
Fri-Sun Nov-Mar)
Füssen's compact historical centre is a tangle of lanes lorded over by
the Hohes Schloss, a late-Gothic confection and one-time retreat of the bishops of Augs-
burg. The inner courtyard is a masterpiece of illusionary architecture dating back to 1499;
you'll do a double take before realising that the gables, oriels and windows are not quite
as they seem. The north wing of the palace contains the
Staatsgalerie
, with regional
paintings and sculpture from the 15th and 16th centuries. The
Städtische Gemäldegalerie
(City Paintings Gallery) below is a showcase of 19th-century artists.
CASTLE, GALLERY
Museum Füssen
(Lechhalde 3; adult/concession €6/4; 11am-5pm Tue-Sun Apr-Oct, 1-4pm Fri-Sun
Nov-Mar)
Below the Hohes Schloss, and integrated into the former Abbey of St Mang,
this museum highlights Füssen's heyday as a 16th-century violin-making centre. You can
also view the abbey's festive baroque rooms, Romanesque cloister and the St Anna
Kapelle (AD 830).
MUSEUM
CABLE CAR
Tegelbergbahn
( 983 60;
www.tegelbergbahn.de
;
one-way/return €11.50/18; 9am-5pm)
For fab-
ulous views of the Alps and the Forggensee, take this cable car to the top of the Tegelberg
(1730m), a prime launch point for hang-gliders and parasailers. From here it's a wonderful
hike down to the castles (two to three hours; follow the signs to Königsschlösser). To get
to the valley station, take RVO bus 73 or 78 from Füssen Bahnhof.
