巴伐利亚国王路德维希二世是艺术的爱好者，他一生受着瓦格纳歌剧的影响，他构想了传说中曾是白雪公主居住的地方。他邀请剧院画家和舞台布置者，而不是建筑师，绘制建筑草图，并以瓦格纳创作的音乐剧《天鹅骑士》为灵感，开始修建新天鹅堡。城堡中洋溢着中世纪的气息，从不同的角度观看，城堡展现出变化无穷的面容。……

Neuschwanstein Castle, Germany

This is King Ludwig's magnificent and most famous castle, built in the neo-late romanesque style. With its turrets and mock-medievalism, its interior styles ranging from Byzantine through Romanesque to Gothic its a real fairy-tale fantasy come true.

It was built between 1869 and 1886 for the Bavarian King Ludwig II. A splendid and imaginative "fairy-tale castle" high above the Alpsee lake with the Alps towering above it.

Only about a third of the building was actually completed. The 15 rooms you see on the tour show astonishing craftsmanship and richness of detail. Woodcarving in Ludwig's bedroom took 14 carpenters 4 1/2 years to complete. Wagner's operas feature everywhere in the form of murals.

The best view of the castle and a 45m waterfall is from the nearby Mary's Bridge (Marienbruecke), which spans a deep gorge. On the path between this bridge and the castle is a wonderful view of Hohenschwangau and the Alpsee.

Guided tours take about 35 minutes. You have to walk 170 steps up and down, a lift is not available. The castle (like Hohenschwangau) is open daily April to October, 8.30-5.30, November to March 10-4.

重点词汇

romanesque  n. 罗马式	turret  n. 小塔，塔楼
medievalism  n. 中世纪精神	mock  n. 模仿，仿制品
magnificent  a. 华丽的，宏伟的	Byzantine  a. 拜占庭式的
Bavarian  a. （德国）巴伐利亚的	Alps  n. 阿尔卑斯山
Woodcarving  n. 木雕	mural  n. 壁画，壁饰
gorge  n. 山峡，峡谷	waterfall  n. 瀑布