Raven Guides: Germany - Fussen

Füssen
Hohes Schloß

Füssen
A mix of Gothic and Baroque
streetscapes and some of
Germany’s most photographed
locations make this Allgäu
lakeland spa town a favourite of
tourists, cyclists and hikers.
Füssen is two hours by train from Munich
at the foot of the Alps in one of Germany’s
most beautiful landscapes. The triskelion feet
on the town’s arms pun on its name, which
most likely refers to the gorge and cascade
Lechfall just south of the old town. The
striking metallic blue-green of the river Lech
may be due to dissolved limestone but against
the Alpine backdrop adds to the town’s famed
romantic quality.
Stone age and Celtic settlers inhabited the
area but when the Romans arrived in 15BCE
Italian influences first began flowing north
over the Alps to the Danube along the military
road Via Claudia Augusta. St Magnus, known
locally as St Mang, died in Füssen about 750
and his cult grew around the town’s church.
The Italian links were renewed through the
medieval period and are evident in their
Baroque architectural legacy.
The south end of the Romantic Road is at
the arch of the Bleichertörle off Stadtbleiche
on the north bank of the river Lech near
the Franciscan monastery of St Stephan. A
surviving stretch of town wall is nearby on
the east edge of the old town, with the last of
the town gateways in original condition. More
recent is the Allgäu custom of adding paintings
to houses’ outer walls.
In the mid 19th century the castle Hohenschwangau
was updated and Neuschwanstein
was built nearby as a medieval pastiche based
on drawings by a set designer for Wagnerian
opera and matching the Bavarian king Ludwig
II’s wildest fantasy.
Ludwig has accumulated stories – not
least about his mysterious death in a nearby
lake – but he remains a symbol of Bavaria’s
last defiance of the Prussian juggernaut that
created modern Germany and the last link
with the receding past of princes and hilltop
castles. His real legacy is the afterglow of
the Romantic movement, his extravagant
residences and the operas he patronised.
Information
Tourist Information Füssen is at Kaiser-
Maximilian-Platz 1 and online at www.
fuessen.de. For a good selection of maps look
in G. Bruhns Buchhandlung at Reichenstraße
10.
Transport
Regional trains run from Munich (six times
daily, about two hours) and Augsburg (direct
trains about 10 times daily, one hour 50
minutes). Other connections from Munich
are available by changing from Lindau-bound
services at Buchloe.
The Deutsche Touring Romantische Straße
bus service (daily, mid April-mid Oct) arrives
from Munich at 20.20 and leaves next morning
at 8.00 for the run north toward Frankfurt.
The charms of Füssen are its compactness
and postcard location.
RAVEN QUICK GUIDE
Tourist information & accommodation service: Kaiser-Maximilian-Platz 1
(tel 08362-93850, email tourismus@info.fuessen.de, M-F 9-18, Sa 10-14, Su 10-12).
Money: HypoVereinsbank, Augsburger Straße 1 (M-W & F 9-12.30, 14-16, Th 9-12.30,
14-17).
Lockers: Bahnhof (€4/2 per day).
Post: Bahnhofstraße 10 (M-F 8.30-12.30, 14-17.30, Sa 8.30-12).
Police: tel 110; Herkomerstraße 17 (tel 08362-91230).
Pharmacy: Stadt-Apotheke, Reichenstraße 12 (M-F 8-18.30, Sa 8-16); Bahnhof-Apotheke,
Bahnhofstraße 8 (M-F 8-19, Sa 8-13).
Ambulance: tel 112.
Hospital: Kreiskrankenhaus, Stadtbleiche 1 (tel 08362-5000).
The bus also stops at Wieskirche (15-20
minutes) and Hohenschwangau both ways.
OVG network buses for the castles and
Wieskirche (generally operated by RVA, see
the Neuschwanstein entry below) also depart
from the rail station.
Bicycle hire at Radsport Zacherl (tel
08362-3292, M-F 9-12.30, 14-18), Kemptener
Straße 26, costs €10 per day or €25 for three
days (mountain bikes €15 or €40).
Activities
Touring both romantic castles and taking in
the separate museum will occupy much of
a day. Unless included in accommodation
packages, tickets for the castles and museum
(see below) are available only at the ticket
centre in Hohenschwangau (tel 08362-
930830, info@ticket-center-hohenschwangau
.de, www.hohenschwangau.de). There are
open-air pools for bathing in nearby lakes – at
Weißensee west of the town there is no cost.
Touring the town attractions is easier using
posted English texts or the mobile information
service (tel 08122-999955920 plus the digit
matching the number listed for the sight). The
tour is explained on the town map outside the
tourist office.
Lake cruises on Forggensee (Jun-mid Oct,
one or two hours, €8/4 or €11/6, tel 08362-
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RAVEN TRAVEL GUIDES GERMANY - Füssen 1

Hohes Schloß on Magnusplatz (Apr-Oct
T-Su 11-17, Nov-Mar F-Su 13-16, €6/4),
summer residence of the prince-bishops of
Augsburg, is superbly preserved in 13th
and 15th century Gothic and has among its
features a carved and coffered ceiling in the
Rittersaal and the illusions of trompe l’oeil
external windows. The gate tower, built in
stages between the 13th and 16th
centuries and also known as the clock
tower, is a must for its views of the town,
lakes and Alps. An art museum with
valuable insights into town history is
housed inside (see Museums).
In the 9th century Romanesque crypt of the Baroque
Basilika St Mang on Magnusplatz (M-Su 8.30-18)
are 10th century frescoes that are among Germany’s
oldest, depicting St Magnus among its scenes. The
church, now the parish church, has had several forms
and periods going back to the mid 8th century. It
was the 12th century building that was reshaped by
Herkomer under the influences of his study in Venice.
The crypt and the saint’s relics can only be viewed by
tours in German.
St Magnus founded the first monastery in the 8th century.
The 18th century Italian baroque Benedictine Kloster
St Mang on Lechhalde was designed by local architect
Johann Jakob Herkomer. The richness of the interiors is
best viewed in the library, with its ceiling frescoes, and
the Fürstensaal. The Museum Stadt Füssen (see
Museums) inside offers a look at the chapel of St Anna
and complete Totentanz (‘dance of death’, an expression
of the fatalism surrounding the recurring and almost
universal plagues, c1600).
The exterior Rococo painting of the 1749
Heilig-Geist-Spitalkirche (M-Su 8.30-18), at
Lechhalde and Spitalgasse near the Lech bridge, is
rich and the Baroque painted interior is equally
opulent. The theme is crossing the river. On the
facade giant figures of St Christopher (bearing Christ
across the waters) and St Florian (by convention
depicted pouring water on fire) are presented with
traditional Allgäu flair over the portal. At the altar
St Johannes Nepomuk, patron saint of rafting who
went to his martyrdom by drowning, is represented
and there is a painted illusionary cupola showing the
seven sacraments.
MUSEUMS & GALLERIES
A combination card for Füssen’s two museums costs €7. For information on the
Museum der Bayerischen Könige see the Neuschwanstein entry below.
The collection of Museum Stadt Füssen in the Kloster St Mang on Lechhalde
(Apr-Oct T-Su 11-17, Nov-Mar F-Su 13-16, €6/4) includes Roman archaeology
and Romanesque architecture and an exhibition of the town’s traditions in violin,
lute and guitar manufacture.
The Staatsgalerie (Apr-Oct Tu-Su 11-17, Nov-Mar F-Su 13-16, €6/4) in Hohes
Schloß presents part of the Bavarian state art collection, including a medieval
view of Füssen and a short life of St Magnus. A municipal section, Städtische
Gemäldegalerie, covers painting of the Romantic period.
921363 or 08362-903131) leave from the
harbour off Weidachstraße north of the old
town.
Food
There is a selection of restaurants in the
Altstadt and around Kaiser-Maximilian-Platz.
The lively PeperonCino (tel 08362-930699,
W-M 11.30-14, 17.30-22.30) at Bahnhofstraße
6 is popular for pasta and pizza up to €16.
Views
A superb vista over the town and lakes and
views of the mountains are available from the
gate tower of Hohes Schloß (see the entry at
left).
Spectacular panoramas of the lakes and
the Alps are on offer from the cable car
Tegelbergbahn at Schwangau, 5km east of
Füssen (€11 or €17.50/10.50 or €16.50/6 or
€9). This is one of several lifts in the district
supporting the popular summer hiking and
winter sports trade. The cable car centre can
be reached using bus 78 leaving hourly from
the rail station at Füssen (several times daily,
from 14 to 23 minutes depending on routes
and stops).
Accommodation
Accommodation can be surveyed at the tourist
website and booked there or through the
tourist office. Guests should note that public
self-service laundrettes are lacking in the
town. A spa tax of €2.20 a day is levied on
all accommodation but is generally included
in room rates. Ask about a Füssen Card,
available from accommodation providers, for
free transport and other discounts.
Haus Gabriel (tel 08362-300136, www.
hausgabriel-fuessen.de) near the railway
station at Bahnhofstraße 8 offers double rooms
with breakfast and WLAN at €47, triples €60,
four-bed rooms at €81.
City Apart Hotel (tel 08362-9250396) in
the pedestrian zone at Reichenstraße 33 has
singles/doubles/four-bed rooms at €49/59/119
as well as deluxe doubles (€89) and a range of
apartment offerings. Breakfast is €7.50 extra
but a kitchen is available and WLAN access
is free in shared areas. Walk south-east from
the station to the main roundabout, straight on
to Sebastianstraße, then turn right. Bookings
are possible through accommodation websites.
For traditional accommodation in the old
town try Altstadthotel & Schloßwirtshaus
zum Hechten (tel 08362-91600, info@hotelhechten.com)
at Ritterstraße 6 below the castle
clock tower. Singles/doubles are €59-69/96-
100. Washing machines are available for
longer stays.
LA House (tel 08362-607366, 0170-
6248610, www.housela.de) has a hostel at
Wachsbleiche 2 with dorms and some double
rooms from €18 per person, all with shared
bathroom (turn north-east on Augsburger
Straße from Sebastianstraße, the right at
Robert-Schmid-Straße). There are also apartments
at Von-Freyberg-Straße 26 north-west
of the station from €22.72 per person with
private bathroom. Breakfast is €3 extra and
bicycle rental is available at €3 a day. There is
also a holiday apartment with rates from €58
a double to €84 for four (there is space for up
to seven).
There are quirky and individual rooms
on offer at the small Old Kings Hostel (tel
08362-8837385, www.oldkingshostel.com)
Füssen 2 - RAVEN TRAVEL GUIDES GERMANY

The view from Hohes Schloß includes the
Lech and the Alps.
at Franziskanergasse 2 near the corner of the
Brunnengasse pedestrian precinct 100m east
of the castle. Beds in the dorms are €22, in
double rooms from €26 (or €40 as a single).
Breakfast is €5 extra and laundry service is
available at €4 a basket.
Motel Füssen (tel 08362-930602, www.
motel-fuessen.de) on Kemptener Straße next
to the ice-hockey stadium is a longer walk
from the station but has summer singles/
doubles at €45/86 (Oct-May €36/74) and
family suites from €35 per person, all
including breakfast and parking. Free WLAN
is available downstairs. Take the pathway
100m south-west to Ottostraße and follow it
onto Kemptener Straße, walking 400m west.
The DJH hostel Jugendherberge
Füssen (tel 08362-7754, email fuessen@
jugendherberge.de) is at Mariahilferstraße 5
north-west of the station with beds including
breakfast (late Mar-early Nov and at New
Year) €21.70, in double rooms €25.70, in three
or four-bed rooms €24.70. In low season the
rates are €19.70, €23.70 and €22.70. Onenight
stays attract an extra €2 charge. Half and
full pension is available.
Schloß Neuschwanstein (1886), perched on a peak 5km from Füssen
above the village of Hohenschwangau, is no medieval castle. It was
conceived by the operatic set artist Christian Jank, whose work for
Wagner attracted the commission from Ludwig II. The famous and
incomplete edifice (ticket sales Apr-mid Oct M-Su 8-17, mid Oct-Mar
9-15) is purely a 19th century Neoromanesque vision and Ludwig’s
fantasy realm, a last retreat from a harsh world in which his real
kingdom was slipping away. Entry (€12/11 including the museum,
visitors under 18 free) is by ticket from the Hohenschwangau visitor
centre (or Bavarian castle pass). Take OVG bus 73 or 78 from Füssen
rail station to Alpseestraße or park (€5 a day) in the assigned area.
Visits to the 16 rooms are by tour only and times for each castle, with
tour number, will be assigned on the ticket. The Museum der
Bayerischen Könige (mid Mar-mid Oct M-Su 9-19, mid Oct-mid Mar
M-Su 10-18, closed Dec 21-24, €9.50/8, families €19, audio guides
free) can be visited at leisure. The King’s Ticket (€23/21,
children free) allows entry to both castles (Hohenschwangau first) for
one day. The Swan Ticket (€29.50/28, children 13-17 €8) covers all
attractions for the day. Concession tickets cover visitors over 65 only.
At the website www.hohenschwangau.de online bookings can be made.
On the adjacent hill is the lesser-known Schloß Hohenschwangau (ticket
sales Apr-mid Oct M-Su 8-17.30, mid Oct-Mar M-Su 9-15.30, closed
December 24). This building has a 13th century history, although its
modern shape is due to extensive rebuilding (1832) of an old ruin for the
then Bavarian crown prince Maximilian, father of Ludwig II. Its creator
was Domenico Quaglio the younger, also a set designer, who died at the
castle and was buried at the St Sebastian cemetery in Füssen. The
decorations are inspired by medieval tales but are again Romantic.
Hohenschwangau can be viewed with a separate ticket (€12/11, visitors
under 18 free) or with joint tickets (see above), although Bavarian castle
passes are not valid at this privately owned property.
The Rococo Wieskirche (1754) has a significance the Romantic castles do not –
world heritage listing by UNESCO. The church (Apr-Oct 8-20, Nov-Mar 8-18,
except during services) by Dominikus Zimmermann is south-east of Steingaden,
a local bus ride of about 45 minutes from Füssen or a short stop on the Deutsche
Touring Romantische Straße bus route. The church commemorates a 1738 miracle
in which a wooden carving of Christ was seen to weep and was built to house a
pilgrimage place. The stucco work and frescoes and the purity of style give the
church’s interior its precious quality and artistic status. Many craftsmen
contributed, including the architect’s brother. Sunday evening summer concerts
are offered and part of the old pilgrimage way can also be seen. The church was
UNESCO listed in 1983 and subsequently restored. Regular tours in English are
not offered, but for information visit the website www.wieskirche.de. Buses 73,
9606 or 9651 from Füssen rail station often (M-F six times daily, Sa-Su four times daily) run as far as Wieskirche but check bus timetables
carefully (www.rvo-bus.de/file/5415726/data/73.pdf) or at the tourist office. Visitors can also change for bus 9651 at Steingaden fire station.
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