About

Schwangau is situated in the southern part of the Ostallgäu district, directly on Germany’s border with Austria, in a landscape shaped by the foothills of the Alps and the lakes of the Bavarian Allgäu. The municipality is internationally associated with the royal castles of Neuschwanstein and Hohenschwangau, which have made the area one of Bavaria’s most widely recognised cultural destinations; Neuschwanstein is also part of the UNESCO World Heritage property comprising the castles of King Ludwig II of Bavaria. Yet Schwangau’s significance extends beyond tourism. Its historical heritage, Alpine geography and position close to an international border place it within a region in which Bavarian identity, European history and cross-border connections have long intersected.

This regional setting forms part of the wider political, cultural and economic landscape of the Free State of Bavaria. With an area of approximately 70,550 square kilometres and more than 13 million inhabitants, Bavaria is Germany’s largest federal state by area and shares international borders with Austria and the Czech Republic, as well as a connection with Switzerland across Lake Constance. It combines a distinctive historical and cultural identity with a highly developed and internationally connected economy and a substantial research, industrial and technological base. Situated within this broader European context, Schwangau provides the Hohenschwangau Forum with a setting that connects regional heritage with international engagement and offers an appropriate location for dialogue on democracy, economic cooperation and peace.