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Neuschwanstein Castle
The fairy tale castle of the "fairy-tale king"
Category Architectural Oddities, Eccentric Homes, Follies and Grottoes
Sleeping Beauty Castle at Disneyland, Cinderella Castle at the Magic Kingdom and numerous other magical castles were all inspired by a real castle; Neuschwanstein Castle. Neuschwanstein Castle, the awe inspiring retreat of the "fairy-tale king," Ludwig II of Bavaria. Commissioned by the king in homage to Richard Wagner, the fantastical castle was designed by theatrical set designer Christian Jank. The beautiful design was to further enhance the already romantic mountain and forest scenery.
The first stone of Neuschwanstein Castle (which literally means, "New Swan Stone palace") was laid in September of 1869. The technology used to build this castle was considered modern and advanced. New inventions such as electricity, plumbing, heat and steamboats were used in the construction of the castle, and Ludwig himself was considered responsible for the introduction of many of these inventions to the area.
In 1886, as the massively expensive castle neared completion, the State Commissioner pronounced Ludwig insane and arrested him soon after. The day after he was arrested, Ludwig requested the Commissioner go on a walk in the woods with him. The commissioner agreed and told his guards to stay behind. Both were found mysteriously dead in a lake later that evening. Ludwig was never able to see the finalized castle, but his taste for elegant, and extravagant, design resonates throughout the interior of the castle. After his death, the castle was opened for the public to help pay off the expenses and now attracts over a million people a year.
Of particular delight is the Grotto Room, an artificial cave complete with stalactites and a waterfall; it was intended to represent a cave from Wagner's opera "Tannhauser."
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- Hours April to September: 9 am-6 pm, October to March: 10 am-4 pm
- Website Neuschwanstein Castle Tourist Information
- Address Neuschwansteinstrasse 20, Schwangau, Germany
- Cost 9 Euros
Comments
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I never made it out of Austria to see this castle .... but I wish I had. I heard that this castle was where Walt Disney based his designs on. very cool to see your entry
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Anonymous
March 20, 2010
Been there 2007 with my mother and German wife. We waited an hour for the tour then it only took ten minutes to go through. Our guide was late and then we shuffled to the gift store to buy any and all crap. -
I'm pretty sure the grotto is it Linderhof rather than Neuschwanstein.
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i've been to some tourist attractions--the eiffel tower, the empire state building, etc--but i have never seen a crowd like the one at neuschwanstein. it is cool, though. if its a nice day, and you leave yourself time, you can walk into austria.
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Anonymous
July 12, 2009
If you are taking a tour through the castle make sure you head up there about an hour ahead of time. They offer horse carriages and buses to go up there (you have to park at the bottom of it) but you might as well just walk. 1. The horse carriages are too expensive. The horses seem to be overdone since they load too many people on the carriages. Furthermore, people are faster then the horses. 2. The buses are also usually stuffed. Waiting times are ridiculous. The bus doesn't drive all the way up. So just walk (takes maybe 20 minutes if you take your time).
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