Gingerbread Project 2006
Neuschwanstein Castle
In the summer of 2006 the design team was touring medieval castles in Europe. They were enamored by the beauty and complexity of the stained glass windows in some of these old castles. They figured the could replicate these windows in the 2006 gingerbread project. A suggestion was made to the team that they model the project after Neuschanwantein Castle in Bavaria. Research was done, encyclopedias were studied, then the design was sketched out on the back of a Little Louie’s napkin.
View 2006 Gingerbread photo album here.
As you undoubtedly know Neuschwanstein Castle was the castle that inspired the illustrators in Snow White. Here is a webcam link to the castle so you can check it out: Neuschwanstein Web Cam.
This project brought in a whole new level of craftsmanship. Sheets of colored candy were prepared in the baking plant. The sheets were then shattered to form the small pieces of candy glass necessary for the windows. Using the detailed design sketches from the principal architect, the assembly team then worked assembling the windows.
The design team was impressed with their stained glass building skills. They decided that they would use the same technique to fashion the blue glass for the castle moat. The size and complexity of this candy pouring proved to be a challenge. After 7 tries, the candy making team decided that their expertise and temperature control abilities for a piece the size was limited. They resorted to building the moat glass in pieces and then hot gluing it together.
The finished project included full interior lighting to show showcase the stained glass windows. The family crest and a Christmas wreath was added to give the drafty old Bavarian castle a nice warm feel.
During a discussion this year it was found out that Aidan still has the Neuschwantein Gingerbread Castle. He brought it back to Ohio with him and its tucked in his closet. Occasionally when he has a taste for gingerbread he pulls off a piece and snacks on it.