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 One of the most endearing attractions of Munich is
the glockenspiel, or clock tower, and the regular performance by its
moving statues and musical bells.
Visitors often get the impression that the clock tower and the Neues
Rathaus (New City Hall) to which it is attached is of medieval vintage,
but in actual fact they were only built in the late nineteenth and early
twentieth century.
Built in the Gothic revival style popular in the
mid-nineteenth century,
the Neues Rathaus was planned as a replacement for the Altes Rathaus,
which the city’s administration had outgrown.
There was a debate over
whether the design was old-fashioned, at a point in time when
industrialization had already taken off and the modern style was being
established. The Gothic style won the day.
By the time the Neues Rathaus opened in 1874, the city administration
had already outgrown it as well. An extension featuring a tall spire was
planned, and the clock was funded through a donation by a local
businessman.
The clock has been in operation since 1904, and has been a major
attraction since then. The clock faces Marienplatz, Munich’s main
square, which has been closed off to traffic since 1972. Every day, at
11 am, 12 noon, and 5 pm the clock runs a re-enactment of a royal
marriage between Duke Wilhelm V and Renata of Lorraine. With statues
nearly the size of real people, dance performances and a knights’ joust
are recreated in full motion on two revolving circular platforms before
large crowds.
The real fairy-tale castle of Bavaria
Outside Munich there is another monument where an imagined past
was brought to life in modern times. The Neuchswanstein Castle
(pictured above)
overlooking the Pollat River Gorge evokes a romantic vision of a
heroic medieval era. So persuasive was this vision that the
Disneyland Castles around the world were modeled upon Neuschwanstein.
King Ludwig II, the last King of independent Bavaria, wanted to
revive the glories of the past with a series of great castles around
the area where he grew up, in the Bavarian Alps region. It was begun
in 1869 and remained unfinished after King Ludwig died in 1886.
The King chose the setting for his castle very well. Towering over a
well-forested valley, the castle looks far too delicate to ever have
been a real fortress. The outside walls were covered with slabs of
limestone, making the tower look fairer than typical old castles.
Its lofty towers with pike-shaped roofs give it an air of
celebration, and it is well suited to a theatrical imagination.
King Ludwig was an ardent fan of Wagner, and you can see his
enthusiasm in the way that some of the halls of the castle are
decorated. The throne room was inspired by the opera Parsifal and
was decorated in a Byzantine style, with a half-dome which recalls
Hagia Sophia of Istanbul. The throne room was never completed and
does not hold what would have been its most important element — the
throne itself.
Other major halls and features were inspired by the various works of
Wagner. There is a winter garden and grotto with hanging
stalactites, a Great Chamber and the Singer’s Hall, which was built
in the fashion of a hall in Wartburg Castle. The King’s bedroom is
decorated with lavish woodcarvings, which reputedly took 4 ½ years
to complete. The King’s bed has a canopy with the most intricate
details and is overlooked by a painting of the figure of Love on the
wall.
King Ludwig was often referred to as “Mad Ludwig”, and his beloved
castle was often cited as evidence of his madness. As a result of
his being labeled mad, King Ludwig was deposed by the Bavarian
government, and he was found drowned in Lake Starnberg a few days
after his ouster.
Opening times for Neuschwanstein Castle: 10 am — 4 pm everyday,
priced at € 6-7, with guided tours of about 35 minutes.
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