“I see things that no tourist will ever see”

Have you strolled through the throne room in Neuschwanstein today?

No, I’m not in the castle every day, more like twice a year. But our service technicians are there regularly because of our maintenance contract. We’re responsible for the complex fire alarm system, and we installed a public address and evacuation system as well as a video system. There is always something that needs to be done there.

Is your client a real lord of the castle?

Our contact par tner is the state building authority. We have an excellent cooperation. It wouldn’t work otherwise. After all, Neuschwanstein isn’t just any old building. What unique challenges does it present? The key is to interfere as little as possible with the existing structure and not to disrupt the visitor traffic. There are also very specific aspects to consider, such as when we developed the public address system. For instance, how clearly can the announcements, which are made in several languages, be heard in these irregularly shaped buildings? You need to have experience with historic buildings to tackle these issues.

Do you have to know anything about the history of the castle to do your work?

My interest in it is rather personal. I’m a native of Fussen. I have never visited the castle as a tourist, but I feel very proud to work there. And whenever I tell my friends or my family about it, they all want to know what it looks like.

What do you tell them?

It’s fascinating because I see things that no tourist ever gets to see. For example, the attic is three stories high and has an amazing construction. And there’s a balcony with a wonderful view over the entire Fussen valley. It’s really impressive.

Do you learn new things when working with such famous old castles?

Above all, I learned three very important things. First: You should record everything and take photos right away at every meeting. Since everything is so complex, the service technician will have trouble finding the right place or the right device without these records. Second: Never make an appointment after nine in the morning; otherwise, you’ll have to walk up to the castle with hordes of tourists – and that can take a while. Third: Never forget anything in your car. It ’s a long way from the castle back to the parking lot...

The idyllic location of Neuschwanstein is unique. However, movements in the foundation area have to be constantly monitored and the steep rock faces have to be secured again and again. The Bosch experts also had to find solutions for the massive walls of the old building and the elaborately constructed panelling and painting of the interior.