Neuschwanstein Castle 1 :Germany’s Fairytale Castle

By Frederica Glehn

Neuschwanstein Castle, royal palace in the Bavarian Alps of Germany, is known all over the world as a symbol of idealized romantic architecture and for the tragic story of its owner. After losing sovereignty in his own kingdom, Ludwig II withdrew into his own world of myths, legend and fairytales.2. sovereignty: 统治权；withdraw into: 隐入，隐退。

King Ludwig II said, “I intend to rebuild the old castle ruins of Hohenschwangau by the Pollat Gorge in the genuine style of the old German Knightly fortresses... the spot is one of the most beautiful that one could ever find.”3. Hohenschwangau: 旧天鹅堡，由路德维希二世的父亲修建，路德维希的童年就是在这座城堡中度过的，其浪漫主义风格深深地影响了他，也为新天鹅堡的兴建提供了灵感；gorge: 峡谷；fortress: 堡垒。Neuschwanstein Castle in southern Bavaria is without doubt one of the most frequently photographed sights in Germany.

新天鹅堡，神秘梦幻，外型独特，是一座闻名世界的城堡。你知道吗，其建造者是一位颇具浪漫艺术气质的年轻国王。这座童话般的城堡工艺精湛，设计巧妙，一年四季，风光各异。它也是德国境内被拍照最多的建筑之一。

Ludwig II’s ambitious project, begun in 1869,united aspects of Wartburg Castle4. Wartburg Castle: 瓦尔特堡，坐落于德国图林根州阿尔卑斯山的北部山区，是目前欧洲保存最完整的中世纪古城堡之一。宗教改革家马丁·路德曾在此避难，大文豪歌德也曾是这里的常客。1999年，瓦尔特堡被联合国列为世界文化遗产。. The castle is the embodiment5. embodiment: 体现，化身。of 19th century romanticism.In a fantastical imitation of a medieval castle,Neuschwanstein is set with towers and spires and is spectacularly sited on a high point.6. 新天鹅堡极好地模仿了中世纪城堡的建筑风格，它由重重的塔楼与尖塔组成，颇为壮观地耸立于一处（山脉的）制高点上。

Yet the King had the incredible ability to combine fantasies with reality, and despite the castle’s heavenly appearance, it was equipped with all kinds of technical conveniences which were very modern, if not to say revolutionary at that time. The construction of the castle was carried out according to a well-thought-out7. well-thought-out: 考虑周密的，深思熟虑的。plan. Running water on all floors. There were toilets equipped with automatic flushing8. flushing: 用水冲洗。on every floor. A warm air heating system for the entire building. A hot water system for the kitchen and the bath. Electric bells were in place to summon servants and some floors even had telephones!

The entire facade of the castle was covered with slabs of limestone.9. facade: 外观，表面；slab: （方形或长方形的）厚板，平板；limestone: 石灰石，石灰岩。The supporting walls10. supporting wall: 承重墙。were built of brick. The masters spent a long time working very carefully on every hall and every panel painting11. panel painting: 板面油画，画在木板上的绘画。, with every detail a true masterpiece. This is also the reason why the building work took so long and failed to reach completion even in Ludwig’s lifetime. As an example,the wood carving in one bedroom took 14 carpenters 4 and half years.

路德维希二世

For Ludwig, Neuschwanstein was primarily a retreat12. retreat: 隐居地。. After ascending the Bavarian throne in 1864,he was forced to cede power to the Prussians just two years later.13. ascend the throne: 登上王位；cede: 转让，割让；Prussian: 普鲁士人。After his sovereignty was taken away, he devoted more and more of his time to the fine arts. Ludwig II was a patron of the German composer Richard Wagner.14. patron:（艺术家、作家等的）资助人，支持者；Richard Wagner: 理查德·瓦格纳（1813—1883），德国作曲家，毕生致力于歌剧的改革与创新。

Among the castle’s finest rooms are the magnificent halls. One of these, the Singers’ Hall, with a coffered ceiling, is dedicated to the life of Parsifal, hero of another famous Wagner opera.15. coffered: 天花板上嵌有镶板的；Parsifal: 帕西发尔，亚瑟王传奇中寻找圣杯的英雄人物，亦指瓦格纳根据传奇故事所作的歌剧及剧名人物。It also incorporates elements from the medieval castle’s banqueting hall—though it never echoed to the sound of singing or festivities.16. incorporate: 把……纳入，使混合；banqueting hall: 宴会大厅。The doublestorey throne room reaches fifteen metres in height and is encircled by galleries on both floors.17. 这座双层的王宫大殿高达15米，其两层均由展览的美术作品所环绕。Its extravagant decorations dazzle18. dazzle: 闪耀。in gold and blue. Ludwig’s great passion, however, was for the Hall of the Holy Grail19. Holy Grail:（传说耶稣在最后晚餐时用的）圣杯。, in which he united his nostalgia for the Middle Ages with the latest technology of the time. The king even chose to wallow in the Middle Ages at mealtimes—his dining room is a veritable shrine to the minnesingers’ contest at Wartburg Castle.20. 这位国王甚至选择在进餐时间都沉溺于中世纪的氛围之中，他的餐厅完全就像是抒情诗人或歌手们在瓦尔特堡举行比赛的圣地。wallow in: 沉迷于，沉溺于；shrine: 神圣的场所，圣地；minnesinger:（12—14世纪德国以爱情为主题的）抒情诗人，吟游诗人（或歌手）。Ludwig’s sleeping quarters show a clear Gothic influence and are even embellished with details referencing Wagner’s operas.21. quarters: 住所，住处；Gothic: 哥特式的；embellish: 美化，装饰。The dressing table has a swan-shaped tap inspired by “Lohengrin”.22. tap: 水龙头；Lohengrin: 罗英格林，德国神话中的圣杯骑士，是帕西发尔之子。

Neuschwanstein is first and foremost a true fairy tale made of stone. It became the prototype for the Sleeping Beauty castle in Disneyland and a source of inspiration for Tchaikovsky’s ballet The Swan Lake.23. prototype: 原型，范本；Tchaikovsky: 柴可夫斯基（1840—1893），俄国作曲家，主要作品有《第六悲怆交响曲》、芭蕾舞剧《天鹅湖》、《睡美人》及歌剧《黑桃皇后》等。