2017-07-02
【Aiden in English】
Disneyland has become the face of castles and architectural wonders. Many forget the great European designers and builders who created many of Europe's famous staples, like Notre Dame and the Eiffel Tower. If there are people who can design these architectures, there are indeed those who can build a castle. Oddly, Germany holds the most famous castles in Europe, despite tough competition from Scandinavian countries and the U.K. Today, our adventure would feature Neuschwanstein Castle and Linderhof Palace, two architectural feats for, as usual for Europeans, a single King. King Ludwig II of Bavaria was a man of money. He was also lonely, socially awkward, disliked, bullied, and believed to be a mentally disabled man who liked music and design. And when a man has power and money, he essentially could do whatever he desired, including hiring two thousand workers to build by hand a castle and a palace he designed himself, named Neuschwanstein and Linderhof. As it turned out, both were significant successes. Success, yes, but not for the king. He ended up dying before the full completion of the castle, which is depressing. The remains allow me to see what the 19th-century rich people enjoyed. Like any other medieval mansion, they probably contain at least a few kilograms of gold. Both homes for the king had over 5 kilograms of 24-karat gold apiece. Furthermore, King Ludwig II collected random expensive decorations for his viewing, like an Indian ivory chandelier, Parisian Gobelins furniture, Meissen porcelain, and ostrich plume carpets from South Africa. However, these purchases would lead one to expect him to be quite the showoff, which was not the case. King Ludwig II was remarkably self-contained, so much so that hardly anyone saw his interior dwellings and never married, which held items that could most likely buy an entire country today. Ironically, the castle has received 42 million visitors since it was opened to the public. Neuschwanstein Castle is probably one of, if not the most popular, sights in Germany. Perhaps if the Nazis hadn't tarnished its reputation, it would be the face of Germany. It has inspired many stereotypical castles like Sleeping Beauty Castle of Disneyland; it is fit for a king. To begin with, it stands on top of a 1,500-meter hill at the far edges of the Bavarian Alps. The castle itself probably stood a good 40 meters. Built with brick, the castle was a white rectangle with towers at the corners and a central building in the center. It is a typical design, yet still stunning to see. Its positioning right over a drop also greatly dramatizes the castle, showing a side of adventure when exploring it. Within the castle, much was different from his private home. Compared to Linderhof Palace, it is much more of a fun living area and less of a pile of money. Music halls were for guests, group dining rooms, and servants' bedrooms. And most surprising of all, King Ludwig II spent less than half a year in this castle. He died young and so could not live out the whole experience. Nowadays, these two buildings are an attraction for tourists, which I don't think was the purpose they were built for. Six days after King Ludwig's death, his uncle opened the gates to the public, and it has ever since integrated itself into German culture. 【紅霞譯】
迪斯尼樂園早已變為城堡與建築奇觀的化身，大眾們哪裡記得曾出色打造諸如巴黎聖母院和艾菲爾鐵塔歐洲著名地標的設計師和建築家，既然有人創作建築，勢必有人鼓搗城堡？說來真怪，儘管斯堪的納維亞國家與大不列顛各領風騷，但德國的城堡在歐洲名氣更大。今天我們親臨新天鵝堡和林德霍夫“菩提樹宮”察看虛實，要知道這兩座建築全都出自一位國王之手。
巴伐利亞路德維希“名將”二世天生富有，性情孤僻，非但厭惡社交不招人喜歡，而且遭受人身攻擊，甚至被視為智障，好在他酷愛音樂又擅長設計。有權有錢的人都很任性，動輒雇用兩千名勞力手工修建自己給自己設計的城堡和宮殿，並冠以“新天鵝堡”“菩提樹宮”美稱，用於孤芳自賞。沒錯兒，最終如願以償，但國王來日不多，未等城堡徹底竣工已命歸黃泉，真是“天有不測風雲，人有旦夕禍福”。如今，這兩件遺作無不向我展示十九世紀帝王將相窮奢極欲的生活。
正像其它任何中世紀豪宅，耗費幾公斤黃金恐怕算不了什麼。新天鵝堡和菩提樹宮狂飆24克拉純金裝飾，各自少說五公斤，再加上路德維希二世為了養眼，到處收集價值連城的名貴產品，譬如：印度象牙吊燈、法國戈貝蘭家具、德國邁森瓷器、南非鴕絨地毯。鑑於此況，人們誤以為路德維希二世酷愛炫耀，其實不然。他特別低調，極少有人見過其內部擺設，一生從未結過婚，室內不少東西都是無價之寶，足以買下一個國家。自對外開放以來，這裡已接待了4,200萬遊客，令人不可思議。
新天鵝堡算作德國最受歡迎的景點之一，要不是納粹臭名遠揚，它本應成為德國的象徵。新天鵝堡的問世激發了後人對城堡的狂熱，迪斯尼樂園的睡美人城堡就是以新天鵝堡為原型，坦率地說，新天鵝堡實為國王而建。首要一點，它巍峨挺拔於1,500米/4,921英尺山巔，周圍被巴伐利亞阿爾卑斯山脈環抱。城堡本身高達40米/131英尺，用磚砌成，呈長方形，外圍高塔聳立，主樓位於中央，極為規範的設計，讓人看後嘆為觀止。選擇在山勢下降的地方建築城堡無疑加大了戲劇性變化，為探險開闢出一條蹊徑。城堡內部結構有別於國王私家宅院。與菩提樹宮相比，新天鵝堡多了一些生活情趣，少了一點銅臭味，其內不僅建有為客人準備的音樂廳，還有為聚餐專用的房間，同時另有為僕人附設的臥室。關鍵在於路德維希二世在新天鵝堡住了不到半年，英年早逝的他根本來不及好好享受。 如今，兩座皇家行宮均開發成旅遊景點，我覺得有悖國王本人初衷。路德維希二世去世剛過六天，他的叔父便決定向公眾開放，自此融入德國文化。
Today in History(歷史上的今天):
2017: Bavarian Pastoral, Germany(德國巴伐利亞·田園牧歌) 2017: Oberammergau, the Biblical Fresco DEU(德國上琥珀田鎮·天空壁畫) 2016: Kotlin Island in St. Petersburg, RUS(俄羅斯聖彼得堡·科特林島)
2016: St. Petersburg, Leningrad in Russia(俄羅斯聖彼得堡·列寧格勒)
2016: St. Petersburg, Venice of the North(俄羅斯聖彼得堡·北方的威尼斯) 2016: Pushkin in St. Petersburg, Russia(俄羅斯聖彼得堡·普希金皇村) 2016: Two Palaces in St. Petersburg, Russia(俄羅斯聖彼得堡·兩宮殿) 2015: Messina Strait, Italy(意大利墨西拿海峽)
2015: Messina in Sicily, Italy(意大利西西里島墨西拿) 2015: Mount Etna in Sicily, Italy(意大利西西里島埃特納火山) 2015: Taormina over the Ionian Sea, Italy(意大利愛奧尼亞海畔的陶爾米納) 2014: YMCA Basketball Camp(基督教青年會籃球營)  Cloud-Clogged Neuschwanstein (雨霧繚繞的新天鵝堡)
 Bavarian Alps (巴伐利亞阿爾卑斯山脈 07-02-2017)
 Alpsee (阿爾卑斯湖)
 Alpsee in Reflection
(阿爾卑斯湖·倒影 07-02-2017)  Swan's Lakeside (天鵝湖畔 07-02-2017)
 Schloss Hohenschwangau (舊天鵝城堡)
 Panorama of Schloss Hohenschwangau (舊天鵝城堡全景)
 Close-up of Schloss Hohenschwangau (舊天鵝城堡·近景)
 Orangerie Hohenschwangau (舊天鵝堡橘園)
Marienbrücke & Pöllat Gorge (聖母橋與波拉特“鋼”峽谷 07-02-2017)  Schloss Neuschwanstein (新天鵝堡 07-02-2017)
Twin Towers of Schloss Neuschwanstein (新天鵝堡·雙塔 07-02-2017)  Façade of Schloss Neuschwanstein (新天鵝堡·正面觀)
Throne Rm of Schloss Neuschwanstein (新天鵝堡·金鑾殿)  Tunnel of Schloss Neuschwanstein
(新天鵝堡·隧道 07-02-2017) 
Neuschwansteinstraße (新天鵝堡大街)  Botanic Garden of Linderhof (菩提樹宮·植物園)
 Moroccan House of Linderhof
(菩提樹宮·摩洛哥之家 07-02-2017) 
Moroccan House of Linderhof (菩提樹宮·摩洛哥之家)
 Façade of Schlosswirtschaft Herrenchiemsee
(紳士島湖城堡餐廳·外觀)  Veggie Patch of Schlosswirtschaft Herrenchiemsee
(紳士島湖城堡餐廳·菜園子 07-02-2017)  Schloss Linderhof (菩提樹宮)
 Terrassengärten of Schloss Linderhof
(菩提樹宮·露台花園 07-02-2017) 
Fountain of Schloss Linderhof (菩提樹宮·噴泉 07-02-2017)  Gärten of Schloss Linderhof (菩提樹宮·花園 07-02-2017)
 Gärten of Schloss Linderhof (菩提樹宮·花園 07-02-2017)
Ludwig II, Schloss Linderhof (菩提樹宮·路德維希二世) 
Conference Rm of Schloss Linderhof (菩提樹宮·會議室) 
Wedding Photo-Taken @ Gärten of Schloss Linderhof (菩提樹宮花園·婚紗照) 
Ristorante IL Galeone (大帆船餐廳 07-01-2017)
 Self-made Apple Strudel w/ Vanilla Sauce, Restaurant Alpenrose am See
(高山玫瑰湖餐廳·自製香草醬蘋果夾心餡餅) Crosslinks(相關博文): Germany(出遊德國)
Europe(歐洲掠影) 8th Grade(初中三年級) |
