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(wind whooshing)
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(upbeat music)
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- [Narrator] Our journey begins
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at the island town of
Lindau, on Lake Constance.
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We then head west past a
series of dramatic castles,
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before arriving at the
spa town of Baden-Baden.
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From there it is east,
past the city of Ulm,
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and then South course towards Fussen,
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and on into the Bavarian Alps
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and a series of fantasy castles.
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At Oberammergau, we had
east to Lake Chiemsee
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before heading further east into the Alps
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and onto Berchtesgaden,
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and a dramatic house on top of a mountain.
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Running roughly along the
middle of Lake Constance
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is the border between Germany,
Switzerland and Austria.
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In Germany, the lake
is called the Bodensee
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and on this island is the
ancient Bavarian town of Lindau.
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It was only joined to the mainland in 1853
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when the causeway was built,
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which enabled trains and
carriages to get to the island.
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This was followed by new harbor
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and Bavaria's only lighthouse.
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In its history, the town has belonged
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to both Austria and France.
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And it was only in 1955
that it was finally returned
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to Germany by the French.
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Every year since 1951,
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there is a Nobel Laureate
scientific meeting in Landau,
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where prize winners interact
with young researchers
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from all over the world.
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It was only in the middle of
the 19th century that Germany,
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as we know it today, came into being
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under the guiding hand
of Otto von Bismarck.
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He unified a series of
independent federal states
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into one country.
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This was also a period
which saw German Romanticism
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become a dominant movement,
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and one of its most visual symbols
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are all the castles, rebuilt
in a romantic medieval style.
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This is Sigmaringen Castle,
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once home to the Princes of
Hohenzollern-Sigmaringen.
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It has its roots back in the 11th century,
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though what we see today
dates from the 19th century.
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It was built to impress
and became a meeting point
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for the rich and powerful
nobility of Europe.
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The deep sided valleys with rocky crags
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gave castle builders an
excellent vantage point
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to site a fortress and
later in the 19th century,
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rebuild them in a romantic style
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that look back to earlier times.
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Perched on this crag is Werenwag Castle.
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There's been a castle on this
site since the 12th century.
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But what we see today dates from the 1830s
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when the Princes of
Fürstenberg inherited Werenwag
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and began remodeling it into
this amazing construction.
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One can only imagine how
hard it must have been
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for the men who had to
build it on this high crag
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of the valley.
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Since then, the castle has
suffered a fire in the 1890s
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and even an earthquake in
1911 when a staircase tower
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and some of the
battlements suffered cracks
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and falling masonry.
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On the other side of the valley
is the Wildenstein Castle,
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begun in the 12th century.
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What we see today still includes
some parts of the original.
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A narrow bridge joins the
stables and ancillary buildings
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to the main castle on its rocky crag.
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Castles come in all
sorts of styles and sizes
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in this part of Germany,
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and many are perched on rocky
outcrops with wonderful views.
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However, this small castle cannot compare
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to another 20 miles to the north
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which is one of the
great castles of Europe
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and one that can be
seen from miles around.
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Sitting on top of this
near 3000 foot mountain,
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is Hohenzollern Castle.
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It was built by Frederick
Wilhelm the Fourth,
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King of Prussia, starting in 1850.
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And it took 17 years to complete.
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This is another good example
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of a German Romantic movement castle built
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on an enormous scale.
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The style incorporates
the idealized vision
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of what a medieval knight's
castle should look like.
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Though it's doubtful it ever really looked
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like this fairytale version.
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It was also designed to impress
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and enhance the reputation
of the Prussian royal family
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who could trace their roots
back to the first castle
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on the site in the 11th century.
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In 1423, Hohenzollern
was besieged for a year
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and totally destroyed.
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Only written records
tell of its existence.
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30 years later, it was rebuilt
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and then over the next three
centuries, was occupied
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by various different countries,
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including the Austrians
and later the French.
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By the end of the 18th century,
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the castle was falling into ruins.
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Only the Chapel of St.
Michael remained usable
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and was incorporated
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into the third incarnation we see today.
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After the castle was rebuilt,
it was not regularly occupied,
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but rather used as a showplace.
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It is still privately owned
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by two lines of the Hohenzollern family.
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Today the castle has over
300,000 visitors a year,
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making it one of the
most popular in Germany.
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On a smaller scale, but no less impressive
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is Liechtenstein Castle
above the town of Honau.
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(stately music)
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This romantic Neo-Gothic
castle was built in the 1840s
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for Duke Wilhelm of Urach,
Count of Wittenberg.
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The design was inspired by
a popular historical novel,
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"Liechtenstein", published in 1826.
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Just as at Hohenzollern
this is the third castle
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on the site with the first two destroyed
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in fairly quick succession
during the 14th century.
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After that, it fell into disrepair
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until it came into the
hands of Duke Wilhelm.
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Some of the lower rooms
are carved out of the rock
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which supports the building.
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The tall tower was added 50 years later,
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at the end of the 19th century.
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And the fairytale castle still
belongs to the Dukes of Urach
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and is a very popular place to visit.
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12 miles away is the town of Tübingen,
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one of the five classical
university towns in Germany,
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the other four being Marburg, Göttingen,
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Freiburg, and Heidelberg.
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The old castle is now
part of the university
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and the 25,000 students account
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for nearly a third of
the town's population.
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Amongst the eminent students
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who no doubt walked through
these ancient streets
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was the astronomer Johannes Kepler
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At the end of the 16th century.
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And in the 20th century, Joseph Ratzinger,
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now Pope Benedict the 16th.
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To the west, and on the
edge of the Black Forest
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is the spa town of Baden-Baden.
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The German word baden translates
as to bath or to bathe.
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In earlier days, the time
was simply known as Baden,
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and the double name only
officially came into use in 1931
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and was shortened from Baden-in-Baden
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as the town is in the
state of Baden-Württemberg.
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It was way back in Roman times
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that the healing power of the
water was first recognized.
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It's thought that the Emperor
Hadrian founded the town
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and certainly Emperor Caracalla came here
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to ease his arthritic aches.
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After the collapse of the Roman Empire,
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the town declined and
fell into partial ruin
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for several centuries.
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It was only at the end of the 18th century
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that Baden rediscovered as a spa town
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and in the early 19th century,
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the resort attracted rich and famous,
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including the composers
Berlioz and Brahms,
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and the writer, Dostoevsky,
who wrote "The Gambler"
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whilst gambling himself in the casino.
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European royalty came to
stay in the luxury hotels,
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including Queen Victoria,
Napoleon the Third,
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and the German emperor, Wilhelm the First.
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High on a hill overlooking Bad Urach
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is the old castle of Hohenurach
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which was used as a prison
during the Middle Ages.
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Over the centuries, it
was feared and hated
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by the local people, so that
when the prison shut down
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in the 18th century, they climbed
the hill and destroyed it.
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(peaceful music)
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The old center of Bad Urach is
full of half timbered houses.
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The same cannot be said the city of Ulm,
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30 miles to the east.
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A devastating air raid in 1944
destroyed much of the city,
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but the glorious church
was left barely damaged.
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Even the houses around the
square in front of the church
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where the market is, were wrecked.
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The church is large
enough to be a cathedral.
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But as Ulm is not a seat of a bishop,
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it is known as a minster.
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However, it is the tallest
church in the world,
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at just under 170 meters.
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From the top, it's possible
to look south on a clear day
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and see the Alps over 70 miles away.
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(reverent music)
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Building began in the mid-14th century
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and was held up several times
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with work halted all together in the 16th.
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It was only in 1813 that work began again
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and the church was
finally completed in 1890.
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10 miles to the east is Roggenburg Abbey
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which was founded back
in the 10th century.
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Though what we see today, dates
from the mid-18th century.
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In 1802, the monastery was closed down
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during a period of secularization
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and the abbot stripped of his office.
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In 1986, in a move that comes full circle,
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the abbey buildings and
church have been returned
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to a new set of monks who
are reestablishing the abbey
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as a thriving community after
a gap of nearly 200 years.
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Our journey now head south
through the Bavarian landscape
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towards the foothills of the Alps,
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the great mountain range
that acts as the border
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with Austria and Switzerland.
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And lying close to the border
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on the north side of the river Lech
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is the old town of Füssen
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(peaceful music)
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It was the Romans who
founded the town here
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as it was on a main road
to the mountains to Italy
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and they needed a base for soldiers
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in order to guard the route.
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The town's landmark is the castle
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which overlooks the town and is one
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of the area's best preserved
late Gothic buildings.
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The town itself is full medieval houses,
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and the center remains
remarkably untouched.
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Füssen has become a popular place to stay
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when exploring the beautiful
mountain landscape,
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as well as two remarkable castles.
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The first is Hohenschwangau,
built on the remains
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of an earlier castle in 1833
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by King Maximilian the Second of Bavaria
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and his wife, Marie of Prussia.
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The queen particularly enjoyed
walking in the mountains
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and often took her two sons
Otto and Ludwig with her.
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00:14:36,300 --> 00:14:39,670
When Ludwig inherited the throne in 1864,
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he began planning and building one
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of the most remarkable
fantasy castles in the world
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less than a mile away
from his childhood home
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on the site of another old castle.
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(uplifting music)
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This is Neuschwanstein Castle,
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designed as a personal
refuge for King Ludwig,
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00:15:11,965 --> 00:15:15,155
who gradually became
more and more reclusive.
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00:15:16,300 --> 00:15:18,810
He had become obsessed with
Richard Wagner's operas
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and in a way the castle
was to be an interpretation
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of his most famous works,
Tannhäuser and Lohengrin.
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Wagner's music made a lasting
impression on the young king
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And this is a part of a letter
he wrote to Wagner in 1868
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about his new picturesque castle.
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"It is my intention to
rebuild the old castle ruin
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00:15:42,337 --> 00:15:45,187
"of Hohenschwangau near the Polit Gorge
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00:15:45,187 --> 00:15:49,177
"in the authentic style of
the old German knights' castle
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00:15:49,177 --> 00:15:50,807
"And I must confess to you
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00:15:50,807 --> 00:15:52,337
"that I am looking forward very much
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00:15:52,337 --> 00:15:54,587
"to living there one day.
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00:15:54,587 --> 00:15:56,647
"You know, the revered guest
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"I would like to accommodate there.
252
00:16:00,077 --> 00:16:02,847
"The location is one of the
most beautiful to be found,
253
00:16:02,847 --> 00:16:05,957
"holy and unapproachable, a worthy temple
254
00:16:05,957 --> 00:16:09,037
"for the divine friend
who has brought salvation
255
00:16:09,037 --> 00:16:10,737
"and true blessings to the world."
256
00:16:15,020 --> 00:16:17,500
The cost of the castle
was immense and would run
257
00:16:17,500 --> 00:16:20,420
to over 100 million pounds today.
258
00:16:20,420 --> 00:16:23,980
At various times over 300
workmen would be employed
259
00:16:23,980 --> 00:16:27,140
and often working at night
by the light of oil lamps.
260
00:16:30,120 --> 00:16:32,580
All the funding came from the king's purse
261
00:16:32,580 --> 00:16:34,700
and the money he borrowed.
262
00:16:34,700 --> 00:16:38,170
Costs inevitably escalated
and by the end, the castle
263
00:16:38,170 --> 00:16:41,230
had cost twice the original budget.
264
00:16:41,230 --> 00:16:43,950
One of the reasons for
siting the castle here
265
00:16:43,950 --> 00:16:45,470
may well have been the view he got
266
00:16:45,470 --> 00:16:49,440
from the bridge his mother
had built to span the gorge.
267
00:16:49,440 --> 00:16:51,550
She loved walking in this landscape
268
00:16:51,550 --> 00:16:54,870
and it must have had a powerful
effect on young Ludwig.
269
00:16:54,870 --> 00:16:59,870
Sadly, he only spent 172
days in his fantasy castle.
270
00:17:00,670 --> 00:17:03,670
Because Ludwig was finally
declared mentally unstable
271
00:17:03,671 --> 00:17:08,071
and died aged only 41 in 1886.
272
00:17:09,050 --> 00:17:12,000
He was later to be
known, perhaps unkindly,
273
00:17:12,000 --> 00:17:14,240
as Mad King Ludwig.
274
00:17:14,240 --> 00:17:15,700
But he left behind one
275
00:17:15,700 --> 00:17:19,730
of the most remarkable
fairytale castles ever built.
276
00:17:19,730 --> 00:17:21,250
And the inspiration
277
00:17:21,250 --> 00:17:23,770
for Sleeping Beauty's
Castle in Disneyland.
278
00:17:34,150 --> 00:17:36,780
As a child, Ludwig had
enjoyed hunting trips
279
00:17:36,780 --> 00:17:40,010
with his father, and in a
valley not far from his home,
280
00:17:40,010 --> 00:17:42,410
he inherited his father's hunting lodge.
281
00:17:47,040 --> 00:17:49,970
With his obsession for
grandiose building projects,
282
00:17:49,970 --> 00:17:51,820
he eventually tore it down
283
00:17:51,820 --> 00:17:54,360
and built the Linderhof Palace.
284
00:17:54,360 --> 00:17:57,420
But this time in a more
classical French style,
285
00:17:57,420 --> 00:18:00,690
which look back to his
idol, Louis the 14th,
286
00:18:00,690 --> 00:18:02,220
the Sun King of France.
287
00:18:03,520 --> 00:18:05,120
He intended Linderhof,
288
00:18:05,120 --> 00:18:07,560
named after the surrounding linden trees,
289
00:18:07,560 --> 00:18:10,400
to be like the Royal Palace of Versailles.
290
00:18:10,400 --> 00:18:12,080
But this was never realized
291
00:18:12,080 --> 00:18:14,920
as he later attained
an island a large lake
292
00:18:14,920 --> 00:18:18,010
where his grand plan to
match the size of Versailles
293
00:18:18,010 --> 00:18:19,770
could be carried out.
294
00:18:19,770 --> 00:18:22,500
Later on in our journey,
we will see the result.
295
00:18:23,808 --> 00:18:26,798
Linderhof may be the
smallest of Ludwig's palaces
296
00:18:26,800 --> 00:18:29,060
but it is still an impressive sight.
297
00:18:30,390 --> 00:18:32,340
The formal gardens surrounding the house
298
00:18:32,340 --> 00:18:35,600
certainly have the feel of
the French style of the time.
299
00:18:36,750 --> 00:18:39,530
To the north, the sloping
ground enabled a cascade
300
00:18:39,530 --> 00:18:41,630
to be built, where the flowing water
301
00:18:41,630 --> 00:18:44,250
could fall over 30 marble steps
302
00:18:44,250 --> 00:18:47,210
and then drop into the Neptune
fountain at the bottom.
303
00:18:48,510 --> 00:18:50,610
At the top is the music pavilion.
304
00:18:51,740 --> 00:18:55,750
On the west and east sides are
for more colorful parterres
305
00:18:55,750 --> 00:18:58,990
with statues, fountains
and covered walkways.
306
00:19:00,310 --> 00:19:02,930
On the south side, a golden fountain
307
00:19:02,930 --> 00:19:05,820
could rise up around 70 feet and stands
308
00:19:05,820 --> 00:19:08,940
at the foot of a three
step terraced garden
309
00:19:08,940 --> 00:19:11,340
leading up to a golden top temple.
310
00:19:12,300 --> 00:19:15,700
In The park, inspired by the
English landscape movement,
311
00:19:15,700 --> 00:19:20,000
he had garden buildings put
up, including a Moorish kiosk
312
00:19:20,000 --> 00:19:22,760
which he bought in 1876.
313
00:19:23,670 --> 00:19:27,140
Needless to say, his
extravagance knew no bounds
314
00:19:27,140 --> 00:19:29,490
and eventually led to his downfall.
315
00:19:36,870 --> 00:19:38,890
Right at the other end
of the valley is one
316
00:19:38,890 --> 00:19:42,200
of the most important
monasteries in the Alpine region
317
00:19:42,200 --> 00:19:44,250
and built on the primary trade route
318
00:19:44,250 --> 00:19:46,200
between northern Italy and the city
319
00:19:46,200 --> 00:19:49,660
of Augsburg in Germany, Ettal Abbey
320
00:19:51,950 --> 00:19:54,470
The Benedictine abbey
was first founded back
321
00:19:54,470 --> 00:19:57,050
in the 14th century,
but what we see today is
322
00:19:57,050 --> 00:20:00,680
from the mid-18th century and
built in the Baroque style.
323
00:20:02,080 --> 00:20:05,920
This followed the disastrous fire in 1744
324
00:20:05,920 --> 00:20:06,970
when the abbey church
325
00:20:06,970 --> 00:20:09,430
and many of the other
buildings were destroyed.
326
00:20:10,890 --> 00:20:14,060
This was the beginning of
the golden age of Ettal
327
00:20:14,060 --> 00:20:17,470
and in this period, the
Knights; Academy was established
328
00:20:17,470 --> 00:20:20,060
which developed into a
highly successful school.
329
00:20:21,470 --> 00:20:22,780
But all this came to an end
330
00:20:22,780 --> 00:20:26,590
with the secularization of
church property in 1803.
331
00:20:29,087 --> 00:20:31,567
And it was not until 1898
332
00:20:31,570 --> 00:20:33,060
that the buildings were bought back
333
00:20:33,060 --> 00:20:35,210
by a wealthy Catholic supporter
334
00:20:35,210 --> 00:20:37,610
and given to a group of Benedictine monks
335
00:20:37,610 --> 00:20:39,160
from a nearby monastery.
336
00:20:42,480 --> 00:20:46,230
A mile away to the north is Oberammergau
337
00:20:46,230 --> 00:20:48,380
a town which is known the world over
338
00:20:48,380 --> 00:20:52,270
for its passion play,
performed since 1634.
339
00:20:53,350 --> 00:20:57,130
It began because of a vow
the local inhabitants made
340
00:20:57,130 --> 00:20:59,360
that if God spared them from the plague,
341
00:20:59,360 --> 00:21:02,360
they would stage the
passion every 10 years.
342
00:21:03,480 --> 00:21:04,630
They were spared.
343
00:21:04,630 --> 00:21:06,330
And since then, the play is performed
344
00:21:06,330 --> 00:21:09,060
in the years ending in zero.
345
00:21:09,060 --> 00:21:13,210
The 2010 play involved around 2,000 people
346
00:21:13,207 --> 00:21:15,607
and lasted for seven hours
347
00:21:15,610 --> 00:21:18,900
with performances given
between May and October.
348
00:21:20,820 --> 00:21:24,560
60 miles to the east, on the
edge of the Bavarian Alps,
349
00:21:24,560 --> 00:21:27,170
is Chiemsee, a freshwater lake.
350
00:21:29,000 --> 00:21:32,210
It's sometimes referred
to as the Bavarian Sea
351
00:21:32,210 --> 00:21:34,380
and is a very popular place for sailing
352
00:21:34,380 --> 00:21:36,180
and all the other water sports.
353
00:21:37,950 --> 00:21:40,330
Those looking for a
gentler means of travel
354
00:21:40,330 --> 00:21:42,790
might take a trip on the paddle steamers
355
00:21:42,790 --> 00:21:46,020
which offer a more sedate
way of seeing the lake.
356
00:21:49,540 --> 00:21:51,420
The lake has a number of islands
357
00:21:51,420 --> 00:21:54,250
and the second largest is Frauenchiemsee.
358
00:21:55,380 --> 00:21:58,210
The paddle steamers drop off both visitors
359
00:21:58,210 --> 00:22:00,920
as well as those residents who
do not have their own boats
360
00:22:00,917 --> 00:22:03,037
to get to and from the island.
361
00:22:04,320 --> 00:22:06,710
The island itself is car free
362
00:22:06,710 --> 00:22:09,660
and has a local population
around 300 people.
363
00:22:10,810 --> 00:22:12,820
Visitors in their thousands come
364
00:22:12,820 --> 00:22:15,030
to see the Benedictine convent,
365
00:22:15,030 --> 00:22:17,660
which was founded back in 782.
366
00:22:18,780 --> 00:22:20,820
To help raise funds for the convent,
367
00:22:20,820 --> 00:22:24,380
the nuns make a local
drink called Kloster Liquor
368
00:22:24,380 --> 00:22:27,320
as well as an excellent marzipan.
369
00:22:30,830 --> 00:22:34,920
The largest island on the
lake is Herrenchiemsee.
370
00:22:34,920 --> 00:22:38,720
And hidden in the woods is King
Ludwig's unfinished tribute
371
00:22:38,720 --> 00:22:41,580
to the Palace of Versailles in France.
372
00:22:41,577 --> 00:22:44,237
(stately music)
373
00:22:58,170 --> 00:23:01,610
Unfortunately, Ludwig
only spent a few days here
374
00:23:01,610 --> 00:23:03,920
a year before he died.
375
00:23:03,920 --> 00:23:06,320
However, the cost of what he did build
376
00:23:06,320 --> 00:23:09,720
probably equates to about
70 million pounds today.
377
00:23:10,853 --> 00:23:12,883
Only the central section was constructed
378
00:23:12,880 --> 00:23:16,430
as all building was halted
a year after Ludwig's death.
379
00:23:18,300 --> 00:23:19,440
The section of garden
380
00:23:19,440 --> 00:23:22,670
which was completed copies
the style of Versailles
381
00:23:22,670 --> 00:23:24,710
with fountains and parterres
382
00:23:24,710 --> 00:23:27,660
as well as a long central allee or avenue
383
00:23:27,660 --> 00:23:30,660
which runs right across the
island for well over a mile.
384
00:23:31,770 --> 00:23:33,640
And as the palace is on an island,
385
00:23:33,640 --> 00:23:36,300
and only accessible by a small ferry,
386
00:23:36,300 --> 00:23:38,020
it has remained in the shadow
387
00:23:38,020 --> 00:23:40,780
of Ludwig's best known
castle, Neuschwanstein.
388
00:23:41,900 --> 00:23:44,490
But this island palace
is well worth the trip
389
00:23:44,490 --> 00:23:47,090
for anyone interested in the architecture
390
00:23:47,090 --> 00:23:49,080
of the German Romantic movement.
391
00:23:56,200 --> 00:23:58,740
For our last destination, we had east
392
00:23:58,740 --> 00:24:02,070
into the Bavarian Alps and Berchtesgaden,
393
00:24:02,070 --> 00:24:04,970
a place forever associated
with Adolf Hitler.
394
00:24:06,170 --> 00:24:09,480
His house near Berchtesgaden
has been destroyed
395
00:24:09,480 --> 00:24:12,020
but one mountaintop house does survive,
396
00:24:13,100 --> 00:24:14,460
The Eagle's Nest.
397
00:24:15,340 --> 00:24:17,050
It survived because it was given
398
00:24:17,050 --> 00:24:19,710
to him as a present in 1939.
399
00:24:19,710 --> 00:24:21,460
But he rarely visited it
400
00:24:21,460 --> 00:24:24,640
and this lack of a close
association saved it
401
00:24:24,640 --> 00:24:26,960
from demolition after the war.
402
00:24:26,960 --> 00:24:31,340
It was built by Martin Bormann
on top of a 6,000 foot ridge
403
00:24:31,340 --> 00:24:34,610
and reached by four-mile
private road carved
404
00:24:34,610 --> 00:24:38,200
into the mountainside, which
goes through five tunnels.
405
00:24:39,620 --> 00:24:41,690
The cost today of just the road
406
00:24:41,690 --> 00:24:45,020
has been estimated at
over 100 million pounds.
407
00:24:47,300 --> 00:24:48,950
On the other side of the mountain,
408
00:24:48,950 --> 00:24:52,110
the road ends at a car
park below the house
409
00:24:52,110 --> 00:24:55,470
where coaches deliver
present day visitors.
410
00:24:55,470 --> 00:24:57,790
From here a tunnel leads into the mountain
411
00:24:57,790 --> 00:25:01,320
where a 407 foot lift carries visitors up
412
00:25:01,320 --> 00:25:02,670
to The Eagle's Nest.
413
00:25:03,810 --> 00:25:05,690
As we climb up to take a look,
414
00:25:05,690 --> 00:25:08,630
we discover we're not the
only aircraft in the area
415
00:25:08,630 --> 00:25:12,040
and decide to give a wide berth
to the powered hang glider.
416
00:25:13,590 --> 00:25:17,040
The Eagle's Nest is now a
small restaurant and bar
417
00:25:17,040 --> 00:25:19,420
where visitors can marvel at the view.
418
00:25:19,420 --> 00:25:21,560
Though as the clouds thicken,
419
00:25:21,560 --> 00:25:23,160
it is difficult to see anything.
420
00:25:25,770 --> 00:25:29,340
This weather also makes flying dangerous.
421
00:25:29,340 --> 00:25:32,270
So this is a good time
to end this journey.
422
00:25:37,788 --> 00:25:41,458
(dramatic orchestral music)
423
00:26:00,629 --> 00:26:03,459
(wind whooshing)
32344
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