Participate and win fantastic prizes in the 39th Bavaria Puzzle: The third question of our popular competition is about the singing hall in Neuschwanstein Castle.
For King Ludwig II, Neuschwanstein Castle was a monument to the culture and royalty of the Middle Ages, which he venerated and wanted to understand. Built and equipped in medieval forms, but with the most modern technology at the time, it is the most famous building of historicism and a main symbol of German idealism.
The singing hall in Neuschwanstein Castle
Maximilian II, the father of Ludwig II, had the nearby Hohenschwangau Castle renovated in neo-Gothic style in 1832. The castle was the seat of the Counts of Schwangau in the Middle Ages. Here Ludwig settled into the veneration of the Middle Ages, learned sagas and history from the murals and from eager reading.
On a ridge, in a magnificent location high above the Pöllat Gorge in front of the mountains, he had his "New Castle" built over the remains of a small medieval castle ("VorderHohenschwangau"). Ludwig II visited the Wartburg in 1867 and had his architects make drawings of the Romanesque ornaments there. Christian Jank, a theater painter from the Munich Court Opera, created the ideal designs. In addition to motifs from the Wartburg, especially the palas and the architectural ornament, he also incorporated motifs from stage sets for Richard Wagner's operas "Lohengrin" and "Tannhäuser". Ludwig II had written to Wagner in 1868 that his “New Castle” would have “reminiscences” of these works.
Neuschwanstein Castle, throne room, view to the south
© Bavarian Palace Department, Rainer Herrmann, Munich
From the beginning, Ludwig II wanted to set up the "Singer Hall" of the Wartburg in his "New Castle", which was only completed in 1867. This resulted in a combination of the motifs of two Wartburg halls, "Singer Hall" and "Festival Hall". For Neuschwanstein, Ludwig had Christian Janks' designs from the ballroom (gallery and wooden ceiling inserted in the sloping roof) and the medieval singing room of the Wartburg (singing arbor) put together a new singing room, much larger and more splendid than there. The singing hall was a favorite project of the king and next to the throne room the most important room in the castle. It extends over the entire fourth floor of the eastern palace. The famous singer controversy allegedly took place in the singing hall of the Wartburg, which is also discussed in Richard Wagner's opera “Tannhäuser”. At the suggestion of Wagner, Ludwig II had traveled to the Wartburg.
On the western narrow side, the singing arbor is separated from the rest of the room by steps and three column arcades, with a small grandstand above. However, the picture program of the hall mainly shows not the singing controversy, but the legend of Parzival and the Holy Grail. The stage-like arbor is painted with a forest landscape - the sacred forest around the Grail Castle. Parzival's son is the “swan knight” Lohengrin, with whom the picture circle closes. The high coffered ceiling depicts the signs of the zodiac. There were never any festivals or musical performances in this room either. Ludwig II created a monument to the medieval knight culture and legend. Tannhäuser, Parzival and Lohengrin have been the king's identification figures since his youth. A grandstand is installed on the northern long side. Their consoles show Flayetanis and Kyot, authors and translators of the Grail saga. The supporting wall of the grandstand separates a corridor, the colored coffered ceiling of which shows tapes with the names of minstrels. On the opposite window wall, the carved ceiling brackets carry figurative and symbolic jewelry, which is connected to the Parzival saga. One example is the winged Lucifer, which loses a gem from its crown during its fall, from which the Holy Grail is later made.
The Neuschwanstein singers' hall served as a model for later stage designs for the “Tannhäuser”. Neuschwanstein Castle is the undisputed visitor magnet of the Bavarian Palace Department with around 1.5 million guests annually.
Read also: Bavaria owes its most famous sights to King Ludwig II
The third question
What animal shape does the water dispenser have on the washstand of the royal bedroom in Neuschwanstein?
That was the correct answer to the second question
Question: Since when has a hall in the castle been reminiscent of the "Absteigequartier" of King Ludwig II?
Answer: Since 2011 (Schlösserland Bayern, page 221)
So you can play along
From now on, our Bavaria riddle will be published for eight weeks - every Saturday. The responses must be received by Friday of the following week (date of postmark). Those who take part in all eight questions also have eight chances to win.
Play by post: Please send the respective answers on a postcard to
Munich Mercury
"Bavaria puzzles"
81010 Munich
Participate using the online form: You can fill out the competition form here directly on the bottom of the page.
The deadline for participation in the third question of the 2020 Bavaria riddle ends on Friday, April 10, at midnight.
There are great prizes to win
Everyone can participate - except the employees of the Munich newspaper publisher, the newspaper publisher Upper Bavaria, the Bavarian Ministry of Finance and the lock administration.
Minister of State Albert Füracker is the patron . Here is the greeting.
solution
The solutions are published the following week in the newspaper and on Merkur.de.
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