Developers threaten castle of Chitty Chitty Bang Bang fame

Allan Hall, The Scotsman, 14 November 2000

The world’s most romantic castle, featured in the children’s film Chitty Chitty Bang Bang and rebuilt in plaster and wood at the Disneyworld complex in Florida, is under threat.

Schloss Neuschwanstein, built by “Mad” King Ludwig II of Bavaria, occupies a spot of outstanding beauty in the German Alps with panoramic views of lush valleys and jagged peaks. Locals want it to stay that way.

But a neighbouring royal, Prince Max Emanuel of Thurn und Taxis, Germany’s wealthiest royal family, wants to build a hotel and golf course on land directly in the view of the spires of Neuschwanstein, which was built in the 1870s. The prince, whose family made its fortune from beer and the fact it once owned the German Post Office, owns the Bullachberg hill in the shadow of the castle.

Three years ago, a plan to build a luxury hotel with 150 rooms and an adjacent 18-hole golf course was scrapped after a local referendum. The locals felt that a view enjoyed by King Ludwig II, by his friend Richard Wagner and by millions of people each year would be ruined. There is no building, no sports field, no swimming pool or any tourist development of any kind between Neuschwanstein, the adjacent castle of Hohenschwangau and the pilgrimage church of St Koloman.

At the time of the referendum, the local council ruled most of the land unusable for commercial development. However, it seems there was a bureaucratic mistake that left one parcel of land off of the proscribed list. It is on this land that the prince, who has a Christian Social Union (CSU) seat on the council, plans to build a 50-room structure and a golf training course with six holes.

But even this complex would reach a eight of nearly 60ft, impeding views of Neuschwanstein and, say critics, leaving the door open for add-ons in years to come.

Among supporters of the plan is the conservative CSU, which holds a majority on the council. Against it is the Bavarian State Authority for the Preservation of Monuments which argues: ‘Even this toned-down plan would be an eyesore. Besides we don’t believe a hotel of this size would be profitable and would, therefore, be the first stage of a larger project. We fear a 200-room hotel and a fully developed golf course.”

The Tand Ts, as they are know in Germany, have said they would have to sell the Bullachberg if the plan were not approved. Many locals see this as a veiled threat: refuse us and the hill will be sold to a developer who might be successful.

Conservationists know locals are under more pressure this time: a new hotel means jobs and not everyone believes economic progress should be stalled just because of the view.

Ludwig II ordered work on the castle to begin in the 1870s. A lover of Grimm Brothers fairy tales he ordered secret staircases built, rooms to rival the grandeur of Versailles and fireplaces big enough to burn whole trees. His favourite room was his own bedchamber where stars glimmered at night on the ceiling - thanks to his servants who had to move around a chamber above his with lighted candles shining through starshaped holes in the ceiling.