The Many Museums of Stuttgart

Snow turned into rain and the mountainous terrain gave way to rolling hills. Pine trees became vineyards and the signs of industry began popping up as the train trundled into Stuttgart.

Of all of the places I was planning on stopping, I had the least idea of what Stuttgart would be like. But this more industrial town had several treasures.

I spent plenty of time walking around and exploring the city. It had a bustling atmosphere, with a huge shopping district in the center of town. There was also a nice historic area. Most of my time in Stuttgart, however, was spent visiting some of the many museums. As a museum-lover, these were topnotch.

The view over Stuttgart 

 

Saturday afternoon I visited the Staatsgalerie. I had heard it was free on Saturdays, and that had just wet my appetite for an art museum. Turns out they have ended the free Saturday program, but admission was only five Euros. And it is still free every Wednesday. Five Euros turned out to be a bargain for such a high quality and extensive art collection.

I didn’t know until I got there that Stuttgart was home to such an art hub. The museum collection spanned from 1350 to today, and featured works by just about every famous artist you could imagine. The earliest works focused on German painters, particularly Early Swabian panel painting. You are probably thinking, that sounds nice but what is it? I felt that way many times as I would enter rooms of the Staatsgalerie. But after reading the large wall explanations, seeing the art helped to clarify some. I felt that this approach, using one block of text to explain a whole room, was helpful. In this way I could gather the main ideas about movements and periods to expand my art knowledge.

I couldn’t take pictures in the museum, but luckily art is often in the public domain, so I can include a few of my favorite pieces.

Swabian panel painting was a form of decorative altar painting from that region of Germany.

Meister von Meßkirch [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons

Did I mention how many famous artists there were? I saw original Rembrandt, Monet, Picasso, and Dali paintings, just to name a few. I was very impressed at the breadth of the collection. In the end, I wanted to stay exploring even longer than the two hours or so that I did. 

Rembrandt St. Paul in Prison [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons

The next day I spent my morning at another massive museum. Stuttgart is the headquarters for both Mercedes Benz and Porsche. It’s like Germany’s motor city. Both manufactures have museums, but I chose to visit the MercedesBenz museum. 

 

Housed in a giant building on their industrial park, you can tell before you even go inside that this isn’t a small museum. And how could it be when it covers the entire history of automobiles and their functions? When you enter you are given an audio guide that can scan exhibits to give you more information about them. Then an elevator whisks you to the top floor where you see the first engines. Developed separately by Gottlieb Daimler and Carl Benz in 1886.

You then spiral downwards through time. First, the Mercedes brand is established. Then you watch as luxurious, open top touring cars develop into the sporty, safe, efficient cars we drive today. Parallel to this timeline of automobile and brand history are collections. Each one highlights a specific type of vehicle, from transportation working trucks. They also had a section of Mercedes Benz cars that had been owned by celebrities, including a custom Popemobile. 

The Popemobile

I am not a “car person,” but I had a good time looking through the museum. And I certainly learned a lot more about how cars work. Seeing the cool, old cars was a treat as well. The several hours I spent in the museum flew by.

Later that afternoon, as I walked around in the historic part of Stuttgart, I stumbled upon the musical instruments museum. It was a free museum, and they didn’t close for another 45 minutes, so I went inside. Again, visitors were given audio guides. These let you listen to samples of music featuring the different instruments on display. They had many unfamiliar instruments from around the world, so I really enjoyed hearing them. All the text in the museum was in German. But with the help of the audio guide, I felt that I could figure it out.  For a little, free museum, it was very pleasant.

The historic building

 A home pipe organ

A glassharmonica

 

Of all the places I visited on my trip, I spent the more time in museums in Stuttgart than anywhere else. There was a good mix of art, technology, and culture. Set in a place so humming with energy, they were a nice place to escape from the crowds for a bit. If you are ever in Stuttgart, I encourage you to try out some of their five-star museums.

Snow and Storybook Castles

It was snowing as I left Munich and headed for the Alps. I was pretty surprised, since it was April. Major snow storms are breaking news in Texas, and they never happen in April. But apparently when you are in the Alps, snow in April is a pretty normal occurrence. The earlier windstorm had blown a lot of branches down though, so all the trains were stopped. No fear, alternative buses were running. My bus journey from Munich was foreshadowing of what was to come.

This leg of my trip was dedicated to exploring the castles of Mad King Ludwig II. Ultimately I was headed to Füssen and Hohenschwangau to see what might just be the most famous castle in the world, Neuschwanstein. But along the way I stopped to see Linderhof as well. 

Linderhof was the only castle that King Ludwig II was able to finish. Completed in 1878, it mixes baroque and rococo styles to create a stunning villa. The palace itself is small, with only about 11 rooms. But every room is overwhelming. I’m not really sure how so much ornamentation was crammed into one place. If it weren’t so beautiful, it would honestly be a bit tacky.

Me, in the snow outside, Linderhof

I wish I could include pictures of the rooms, but of course, photography was prohibited. There is a nice virtual tour on the palace website, however, and I encourage you to check it out if you’re interested.

King Ludwig II was a constitutional monarch, but he longed for absolute power. His worldview was based around being a ruler with God-given authority over his people. Instead of facing reality he retreated into a fantasy world. At Linderhof he did this by creating a palace modeled after the world of the French Sun King, Louis XV, one of his idols. He even had a bedchamber built so that he could hold meetings while getting dressed, but never did. In fact, he was a bit of a nocturnal recluse. Not exactly what you think of when picturing a powerful king.

In front of the palace

Linderhof was a peek into Ludwig II’s over-the-top delusions, but there was much more to come.

The snow that day meant the park at Linderhof was closed. This was a disappointment, since the grounds are said to be extensive and beautiful. Buildings in the park are all themed. Some are Wagner opera sets, or based off of Middle Eastern designs. I think Linderhof is somewhere I will have to revisit in the summertime.

The fountain out front

A bit of the grounds

Most of the rest of my day was taken up with buses. It took me six buses in total to get from Munich to Füssen, my resting place for the night. At one point I got dropped by the side of the road and told that a bus would come in an hour and a half.

My heart-sinking feelings were lessened when I saw a cafe at this remote bus stop. I quickly dragged myself and my bags inside. The cafe was so cozy, with a real wood-stoked fire and a colorful collection of locals. Eventually, they asked what I was doing there, in thick Bairische (Bavarian dialect). I explained my bus situation. They were very helpful, watching for my bus with me. And they assured me that the buses in this part of the country don’t stop running when snow starts to fall thick and fast. At last the bus came, and a long day ended with me collapsing onto my hostel bed.
 

Life-saving cafe

The snow had stopped falling and the sun was shining when I woke up. One of my hostel roommates and I had decided to spend the morning exploring the town. As we walked around I could see the sun glinting off the snow-covered mountaintops. It was so beautiful; I forgave it for my cold, wet adventure the day before.

Snow is prettier in the sun

Füssen

 My new friend had to catch her train, so I set off for Hohenschwangau. After the bus drops you into the tourist area of Hohenschwangau, you go to the ticket center. I had to stand in line for about an hour, but I was so excited that I really didn’t mind. If you want to visit in the busy, summer months, however, I suggest that you take advantage of the ability to reserve tickets ahead of time.

 I got my first glimpse of Neuschwanstein while in line.

 The Hohenschwangau area is actually home to two castles. Everyone comes to see Neuschwanstein, but Schloss Hohenschwangau is not to be missed either. King Maximilian II, father of King Ludwig II, built it over medieval ruins in 1836.  The castle is known as a jewel of German Romanticism, and is decorated with depictions of medieval knights and legends. There are many frescos on the walls. They look like restorations, but are actually original. Their bright coloring was preserved with a  special wax seal. The decorations inside are rich, but not as ornate as Linderhof, or any baroque or rococo castle. With lots of wood paneling, etc. this castle had a more rustic feeling. 

It was in this rustic, medieval-styled world that King Ludwig II spent a good portion of his time growing up. The picturesque location was so perfect that he had his dream castle built just over the next hill.

 

The view from Hohenschwangau

Richard Wagner, a friend of the mad king’s, visited him at Schloss Hohenschwangau. Some of his inspirations for his operas may have come from the paintings in the castle. Those operas, in turn, were the influence for Neuschwanstein.

I had heard some of Wagner’s The Valkyrie, but I wasn’t that well acquainted with his other operas. When I got home I decided to make a Spotify playlist of some of the songs mentioned on my tour to get a better feel for the castle’s inspiration. You can listen to it here if you would like. 

After I finished my tour of Schloss Hohenschwangau, I began the ascent to Neuschwanstein. You don’t realize it when looking at photos, but to get to a castle nestled in the mountains, you have to climb a mountain. In the summertime there is a shuttle bus, but it can’t run in the snow. However, the whole journey to the top takes less than an hour, and is nicely paved. The views along the way were outstanding as well.

It seems cheesy to say, but seeing this fairytale castle in person was truly magical.  I had seen pictures, of course, but no photograph can do it justice. This was the castle that inspired Walt Disney when he was creating Sleeping Beauty and building Disneyland. The feeling of seeing this castle is so like the feeling of walking into Disneyland. It’s like a world set apart from reality.

On the tour we went through all the completed rooms in the castle. It is famously unfinished, but there are no rooms where things are half-complete or anything. King Ludwig II commissioned the castle in 1868 and all unfinished plans were scrapped in 1886 after the king’s death. About ten rooms were complete, as well as the outside structure. The castle was opened to the public that same year. 

The operatic influence on the castle is quite obvious. The king’s richly carved bedroom is full of scenes from Tristan and Isolde. Almost every painting in the castle depicts one Wagner opera or another. There is even a small Venus Grotto from act I of Tannhäuser with color changing electric lights. The Singer’s Hall  was designed to stage recreations of a famous singer’s contest from medieval times. This contest was the basis of Wagner’s opera, Tannhäuser.

The rooms at Neuschwanstein aren’t just nice to look or well decorated. What I thought was so cool was how symbolic they all were. Each one clearly was meant to represent something to Ludwig II. And now we can look at them and see what he was thinking. It shows what happens when you don’t adapt to changing worldviews, and gives us an idea of just where King Ludwig II was trying to hide. It’s madness, but it is fascinating, and also beautiful.

My day in Hohenschwangau was absolutely fabulous. It was like living in a storybook for a day. And all my adventures in the Alps taught me a lot about the past, when they were a retreat for royalty. I got a sample of what life in the mountains is like today as well. So, thank you Bavarian Alps, for a special treat, a snowstorm, and some splendid castles.

 

Made it to Munich

Over Easter we got two weeks off of classes. Naturally, I took the time to travel. My first stop on a tour through Germany and the Czech Republic was in Munich.

I got to Munich late in the evening, so I started early the next day with a free walking tour of the city. The tour was hosted by Sandeman's New Europe tours, who plan tours in lots of European cities. The basic walking tour is free, but the guides work for tips, so I budgeted a few euros for them. My guide, Mark, was very knowledgeable and fun. Our tour started in Marienplatz with a history of the square and a viewing of the famous glockenspiel. I didn't realize that the show lasts a whole ten minutes! There's a wedding feast complete with a joust and the dance of the barrel makers. Supposedly, after the plague, all of the barrel makers got dressed up in their finest red jackets and hosted a party to show everyone it was safe to leave their homes again. It is a famous legend in Munich, and every seven years there is a live dance. Although the costumes on the glockenspiel are from the 17^th century, which makes the accuracy of the legend questionable. 

 

The Neues Rathaus with the Glockenspiel

We learned about the history of Munich, how it started as a toll bridge and a monastery, and grew and grew into the capital of Bavaria, and now the third largest city in Germany. We saw the Neues Rathaus (which looks really old) and the Alter Hof (which is all new) and the Frauenkirche. I was surprised that the Frauenkirche was made of brick, but the architect wanted it to be the fastest built Gothic cathedral. He succeeded and the massive church was completed in just 20 years. Some say he must have enlisted the help of the devil.

Alter Hof

They say this is the devil's footprint

Fraukirche

The tour took us past most of the famous spots in the city center, including the Hofbräuhaus, the Residence, and Odeonsplatz. Odeonsplatz is where Hitler led the infamous Beer Hall Putsch in 1923.

Part of the Residence

Odeonsplatz

When I’m sitting in a classroom I tend to dislike history, but it really comes alive for me when I am traveling. I love learning all about what happened in the places I am visiting. Taking this tour was a great way to learn more about Munich.

After the tour was over, I decided to check out the nearby Englischer Garten. To me, the weather was nice. It wasn't too cold and the sun was out. There were also 25-50mph winds, but I'm from Texas, that's no big deal. The gardens were really beautiful, so I'm glad I braved the tornado.

The cool Monopteros

Tree branches falling in the wind

Rain was approaching quickly, however, so it was time to find shelter. The friendly hostel receptionist had recommended the Deutsches Museum, a science and technology museum, so I went there. It was huge! And full of children! The exhibits were on everything from printing, and musical instruments, to aerospace travel. You name it, they had it. Some of it was interactive, which was cool. I was a little too tired from all of my walking to really appreciate everything it had to offer, and I definitely didn't have enough time. Some highlights for me were the printing section and the robotics exhibit.

Deutsche Museum

You can't go to Munich and not visit a beer hall. But every single person I met said not to go to the Hofbräuhaus, as it was now a kitschy tourist trap. Still debating, I went to the Augustiner Bräustuben (brewery) for dinner instead. My family's rule is to always order off of the German menu, so I have no idea what I ate. Some kind of pork with jelly. It was really quite good. The potatoes and beer were also nice. Augustiner beer was every local’s favorite. But the real stand out was the company. In German beer halls, when you're eating alone they just stick you on the end of someone else's table. There's no requirement to be friendly, but most people are. The couple I sat with were very nice. We chatted about life in Munich, and the man was from Switzerland, so we talked about that too. It really made the experience for me to have such pleasant company during dinner.

Dinner

The brewery

I spent a cold morning at Schloss Nymphenburg the next day. This summer residence of the Wittelsbach ruling family was built in 1675. It was quite beautiful outside, complete with a pond full of swans. Inside was even more breathtaking. And you could actually take pictures! The best room was definitely the Great Hall. It was designed to be full of natural light and covered in fantastic paintings of nature spirits. That's how Nymphenburg got its name, from the nymphs in the paintings in not just that room, but all of the rooms.

More nymphs

Some other highlights were seeing the room where Mad King Ludwig II was born and the Hall of Beauties. King Ludwig I commissioned paintings of all of the most beautiful women from every social class to hang in the hall. This was apparently a purely aesthetic exercise, but I have my doubts. His famous mistress, a dancer named Lola, is featured in the hall. She was so well known during his reign that he ended up having her exiled. When rumors started that she had returned to Bavaria, the king was so overwhelmed with the public backlash that he essentially retired from public life. Lola went on to star in a Broadway musical about her life called Lola in Bavaria.

The room where Ludwig II was born

Hall of Beauties

Lola

In addition to the palace, there was the Marstallmuseum, with royal carriages and sleighs. They were so cool! The sleighs, used to transport the royalty over the snowy mountains, were often carved into ornate figures. And King Ludwig II had some fantastic carriages made that looked like they came straight out of fairytale. I’m glad I got a chance to see the museum, and I think I found my new mode of transportation.

This sleigh is carved to look like Hercules

For the afternoon, I went back to the city center. I wanted to see the Viktualienmarkt. Since, you know, I'm an aficionado now. The market did not disappoint. Even though it was snowing on and off, the market was in full swing. Stands sold meat, vegetables, snacks, and flowers from permanent stalls. There was a lot to see and smell, and I even tried some of the food. The Leberkase sandwich was very tasty. It was a lot like bologna. (But I was too hungry to photograph it).

Since I was in Munich I was obliged to at least go to the Hofbräuhaus. The inside was pretty cool, even if it was filled with tourists. I opted not to eat there, but I did use their well-kept restrooms, which are free.

Wandering through the Alter Hof, I found a little museum our guide had told us about on the tour. In the basement of the tourist information center there is a small museum dedicated to the history of Munich. Consisting mostly of two short, but very nice audiovisual presentations, it was pretty informative. The guy upstairs forgot to turn the second one to English, but I think I figured it out. The focus of the museum was the importance of trade in Munich. From the beginning, Munich was a crossroads on the salt route from Salzburg. It was interesting to see how the city developed without focusing on the royal family, but instead the town as a whole.

The development of the city coat of arms

Wandering through Munich I crossed paths with historical places, beautiful nature, fascinating technology, and friendly people. In two days I didn’t see nearly the whole city, but I got a nice taste of what this Bavarian capital has to offer.