About the Neuschwanstein Castle
The glorious Neuschwanstein Castle is the embodiment of royal splendor and fairytale charm, hidden in the woods of the Bavarian Alps. Being a true masterpiece of architecture, Neuschwanstein became the prototype of Sleeping Beauty Castle in Disneyland, the inspiration for Tchaikovsky's "Swan Lake" as well as the expression of Ludwig II’s love for Wagner’s music.
The name Neuschwanstein is literally translated as "New Swan Stone" and not without a reason. Swan served as a heraldic symbol of the old family of the Dukes of Schwangau, whose successor was the father of Ludwig II, Maximilian II of Bavaria. This famous Germany castle was not built for the sake of defense and royal festivities.
Ludwig II was a huge admirer of Richard Wagner's music so the construction was influenced by his love for the opera about the Swan knight "Lohengrin". So after Ludwig inherited the royal throne, he successfully embodied his long-cherished fantasy, the Swan Castle of incomparable beauty.
The construction works started in 1869 but, due to the extravagant taste and quirks of Ludwig, the process took too long to complete. Moreover, the building of Neuschwanstein Castle was even paused when Ludwig was overthrown because of intrigues in his own office.
All in all, the construction took about 17 years but still hasn't been terminated completely. In total, the Castle has 5 floors and 110 rooms, only 16 of which were actually finished. The interiors of Neuschwanstein Castle are decorated with symbols from Wagner's operas as well as illustrations from ancient German legends. The most popular motif is, obviously, Swans which enchant everyone who travels to Germany from the very first sight.
Visit the Neuschwanstein Castle
Neuschwanstein is located in the picturesque Hohenschwangau valley, just a few minutes walk from the popular tourist town of Fussen and Hohenschwangau Castle, where Ludwig II spent his youth. Neuschwanstein became the most photographed object in Germany and welcomes about 6,000 visitors daily.