Christmas in Bavaria, Germany – Impressions of a Wintry Wonderland

Winter splendor in Bavaria, Germany.  Castle Hohenschwangau is seen here above the village against the backdrop of the Alps.  All photography in this post: ©BrianJannsen Photography. Unauthorized use is prohibited.  

Snowcapped mountaintops, fairy tale castles and Alpine villages glistening in white—this is Christmas in Bavaria, Germany! Along Germany’s Romantic Road from Würzberg in the north to Füssen in the south, this wintry wonderland blankets almost one-fifth of Germany and offers some of the most picturesque settings in all of Europe. Home to capital city of Munich; Nuremberg with the oldest Christmas market in Germany; Augsburg; Würzburg and Ingollstadt to name a few, Bavaria is also home to the one of the most recognized castles in the world and one of my favorites – Castle Neuschwanstein. During the Christmas holidays, Bavaria’s aglow in its blanket of snow with vibrant Christkindlmarkts, storybook villages and mighty castles set against the backdrop of the majestic Alps.

Castle Neuschwanstein - the fairy tale castle for the fairy tale King Ludwig II. ©BrianJannsen Photography. Unauthorized use is prohibited.  

I owe huge thanks as well as applause to Brian Jannsen, master of light and lens, who’s responsible for these magnificent Bavarian landscapes. If you enjoyed our first collaboration on the villages of Alsace, you’re going to love this. On this picturesque tour through Bavaria, we’ll visit Neuschwanstein, Hohenschwangau, the quaint village streets and shops in Füssen, Saint Mang and Saint Coloman. Won’t you come along?

Neuschwanstein Castle

Neuschwanstein Castle in Bavaria, Germany rises majestically against the soaring Alps. ©BrianJannsen Photography. Unauthorized use is prohibited. 

Perched upon the Alpine mountaintops stands one of the most recognized castles in the world—Castle Neuschwanstein. King Ludwig II ordered the design and construction of this medieval fortress, which is not actually medieval at all, in 1868. Opening just 18 years later, Neuschwanstein was home to Ludwig for only a short while before his premature death. However, he left a legacy of castle splendor behind in this colossal fortress including lavishly decorated walls with scenes and characters based on Richard Wagner’s operas. Actually, it is because of these paintings that he earned the nickname of Fairytale King. You’ll also find a Throne Room, a spectacular two-story grand hall inspired by Byzantine architecture; elaborate oak paneling decorated with bas-relief carvings in the dining room; silks and delicate embroidery embellishing the walls of Ludwig’s ornate bedroom; and even a small grotto replete with stalactites and stalagmites! One thing is certain, despite his “madness,” Ludwig’s imagination knew no limits. Seven weeks after Ludwig’s death in 1886, Castle Neuschwanstein opened its doors to the public and has welcomed visitors ever since.

Hohenschwangau

Hohenschwangau Castle, home to King Maximilian II, was where King Ludwig II spent his childhood.  Seen here in this dramatic photograph, the warmth of the floodlit castle contrasts starkly with the frigid Alpine mountaintops in the background. ©BrianJannsen Photography. Unauthorized use is prohibited.  

Nearby to Castle Neuschwanstein, Castle Hohenschwangau stands perched above its namesake village and is where Ludwig spent his childhood. It was his father, King Maximilian II of Bavaria, who built Castle Hohenschwangau in the 19th century upon the remains of the medieval fortress Schwanstein which dates back to the 12th century. King Maximilian II purchased the land in 1832 and construction began a year later. Completed in 1837, Castle Hohenschwangau served as the summer home to the King and his wife Queen Marie of Prussia and their two sons, Ludwig and Otto, both of whom succeeded the throne of Bavaria. It wasn’t until the last of the family members died that the castle opened as a museum in 1913.

The village of Hohenschwangau lies at the base of Neuschwanstein and Hohenschwangau Castles.   Tickets for one or both of the castles must be purchased in the village before visiting. ©BrianJannsen Photography. Unauthorized use is prohibited. 

Füssen

The village square in Füssen, Germany is aglow the warmth of Christmas despite the blanket of snow. ©BrianJannsen Photography. Unauthorized use is prohibited. 

Renowned for its Hohes Schloss of Füssen, an extraordinary Gothic castle landmark that served as the summer home of the prince bishops of Augsburg; Füssen boasts a 700-year-old village that was once Europe’s commercial center of lute and violin manufacturing. Inside the San Mang Abbey’s courtyard, you’ll find Füssen’s Christmas market alive with the heavenly scents of roasted apples and glühwein wafting through the air and wooden chalets brimming with handcrafted gifts and decadent bites of deliciousness. Outside the abbey, stroll along the storied lanes lined with shops brimming with holiday gifts and mouthwatering pastries as well.

One of many of the tantalizing Christmas window displays in the village of Füssen, Germany. ©BrianJannsen Photography. Unauthorized use is prohibited. 

Saint Mang Abbey

Just one of the many frescoes of the Saint Mang Abbey in Füssen, Germany. ©BrianJannsen Photography. Unauthorized use is prohibited.

Steeped in over 1,000 years of history, this former Benedictine Monastery of Saint Mang houses a vast collection of art and artifacts. Inside, its Baroque halls and the Füssen Heritage Museum, you’ll discover exquisite sculptures, paintings and frescoes decorated throughout.

Saint Coloman

Saint Coloman Chapel in Füssen, Germany has been a pilgrimage site since the 15th century. ©BrianJannsen Photography. Unauthorized use is prohibited.

Located only two miles from Castle Neuschwanstein is the picturesque Baroque church of Saint Coloman in Schwangau which still serves as a major pilgrimage site since the 15th century. Each year on the Sunday nearest to October 13, the surrounding towns celebrate Saint Coloman Day with a feast to honor the saint who was accused of being a spy and thus captured, tortured and executed for while traveling on his own pilgrimage from his home country of Ireland to Jerusalem.

I leave you with these parting shots.  I hope you enjoyed this wintry tour of silent nights and glistening whites of winter splendor in Bavaria.

©BrianJannsen Photography. Unauthorized use is prohibited.

©BrianJannsen Photography. Unauthorized use is prohibited.

 
Brian Jannsen Photography

As I mentioned above, these photos were taken by Brian Jannsen on his last tour through Bavaria. If you don’t know Brian, he’s renowned for his award-winning photography and has been published in books, calendars and magazines including National Geographic, Lonely Planet and Frommers. Throughout the year, Brian hosts photo tours in Europe and the U.S. and while these are not photography workshops per se, Brian instructs fellow travelers on how to capture the most perfect light while framing unforgettable views of the picturesque landscapes.

Brian Jannsen Photography Tours

Additional Reading:

• Christmas Markets in Alsace, France
• European Christmas Legends and Traditions
• Christmas Markets in Bavaria, Germany
• Through the Storybook Villages of Alsace, France, with Brian Jannsen