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Within the Schwangau muncipality is the village of HOHENSCHWANGAU , 2km to the southeast. Consisting in the main of hotels, guesthouses, restaurants, snack bars and souvenir shops, not to mention five enormous car parks, it's the most rampantly commercialized place in the whole of Germany - though it's only fair to add that it's set in close proximity to some of the most spectacular scenery the country has to offer. To escape from the worst of the crowds, it's well worth taking a stroll along the footpaths encircling the two beautiful lakes which lie directly to the east. In summer, you can swim or sail in the larger lake, the Alpsee , whereas the Schwansee (literally, "Swan Lake") is a strict nature reserve surrounded by an English-style park offering wonderful framed vistas of the two royal castles. The smaller of these, the golden yellow Schloss Hohenschwangau (guided tours daily April-Sept 8.39am-5pm; Nov-March 10am-4pm; DM14/?7, or DM26/?13 combined ticket with Schloss Neuschwanstein), rises directly above the Alpsee; note that there's free access to its lovely terraced garden, which commands wonderful views. Built in mock-Tudor style in the 1830s for Crown Prince Maximilian to replace a ruined feudal fortress, the Schloss still belongs to the Wittelsbach family, and feels like a lived-in private residence, crammed full of gifts from grateful subjects and fellow rulers. Several rooms are decorated with heroic fresco cycles illustrating German history and legends (including that of Lohengrin, the Swan Knight) painted from cartoons by Moritz von Schwind. In the Hohenstaufensaal is a square piano where Wagner would entertain King Ludwig II with themes from operas in progress. The latter's main contribution to the castle was to have the ceiling of his bedroom changed from a daytime to a night sky which could be illuminated by concealed spotlights. Ludwig's own personal fantasy, the grey granite Schloss Neuschwanstein (guided tours: April-Sept Mon-Wed & Fri 9am-6pm, Thurs 9am-8pm; Oct-March daily 10am-4pm; DM14/?7), is a steep twenty-minute walk from the village. The ultimate story-book castle and Germany's most ubiquitous tourist icon, Neuschwanstein has become famous the world over through posters, cards and Disney films, not to mention the innumerable theme-park castles directly inspired by it. Begun in 1869 but never finished, it was intended as a tribute to medieval German chivalry and to Wagner, who had evoked this past so intoxicatingly in his vast music dramas, and as a symbol of Ludwig's belief in himself as a divinely chosen king. Plans were drawn by the theatre designer Christian Jank, working in close collaboration with the king; professional architects were used only for supervising the actual construction. It undoubtedly looks far better from a distance than close up or inside. The architecture and decoration draw freely from different historical styles: Byzantine for the Thronsaal , Romanesque for the private apartments, Gothic for the showpiece Sangersaal . A path behind Neuschwanstein leads to the Marienbrucke , a steel bridge that is a major feat of nineteenth-century engineering; it traverses the Poellat gorge, with its rushing waterfall. Continuing uphill by the steep marked footpath  © 2003 by Rough Guides Ltd. as trustee for its Authors. Published by Rough Guides. All rights reserved. Rough Guides name is a trademark of Rough Guides Ltd. Buy the book here!
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for about an hour, you reach the most celebrated vantage point over Neuschwanstein, in which the castle appears head-on from above, framed by the Alpsee, the Schwansee, the Ammergebirge and the Tyrolean Alps. The trail continues onwards to the top of the Tegelberg (1720m), a hike which normally takes a further two hours. This commands panoramas stretching as far as Munich on a clear day, and can also be reached by cable car (DM18/?9 single, DM25/?12.50 return) from Schwangau.
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