9 Facts About Neuschwanstein Castle [Plus 11 Lovely Pictures]

Source: Pixabay

Neuschwanstein Castle is perhaps the poster image of what a romantic castle should look like. Perched on top of a hill and overlooking stunning views, it’s hard to miss this castle when you’re visiting Bavaria! Here are some facts about this lavish, fairy tale castle.

1. King Ludwig II of Bavaria commissioned the construction of the castle in 1869 to serve as his retreat house and to pay homage to his great friend, German composer and conductor Richard Wagner, whose operas Lohengrin and Tannhäuser left a lasting impression on the king. Ludwig wanted to build “a worthy temple for the divine friend who has brought salvation and true blessing to the world,” he wrote in an 1868 letter to Wagner.

2.  Other stories reveal that King Ludwig built the castle in order to reaffirm his royal status after losing his sovereign power to the Prussian Empire just two years into his regime, leaving Bavaria without any choice but to accept a defensive and offensive alliance.

3. The king never got to see the castle in its most complete form. King Ludwig expected the construction to only take three years, but because of the ostentatious designs and the risky building site (atop a mountain), the building lasted seven times over than anticipated. The square tower and the tower were not finished until 1892, 23 years from when the construction began and six years after Ludwig II’s mysterious death in 1886.

4. Known as the “Fairy Tale King” for his penchant for, yes, fairy tales and building castles, Ludwig II’s Neuschwanstein, which was built “in the authentic style of the old German knights' castles”, looks exactly like the ones you see in storybooks.

Ludwig II. Image: Wikimedia Commons

5. Ludwig II never spent a dime from the Bavarian public funds to build the Neuschwanstein Castle. Instead, he used his own fortune and resorted to extensive borrowing as well. Construction cost reached a whopping 6.2 million marks, which was almost double the expected amount.

6. The castle’s name, which translates to “New Swan Stone”, was derived from the title of one of Richard Wagner’s operas, The Swan Knight. Ludwig II initially called the castle “Neue Burg Hohenschwangau”, as it is located near his childhood home, the Hohenschwangau Castle. It was later renamed to Neuschwanstein, but not until after his death in 1892.

7. King Ludwig was only able to spend 11 nights in the castle.

8. Currently, the castle receives up to 1.4 visitors each year. During the summer months, about 6,000 people visit the castle each day.

9. It is safe to say that Walt Disney was heavily inspired by Neuschwanstein. In the 1950 film Cinderella, the castle looks almost identical to Ludwig II’s grand creation. The Disney logo shown before every single Disney film was also based from the real-life castle. Furthermore, Disneyland Paris’s Sleeping Beauty Castle and Disneyland Florida’s Cinderella Castle both drew inspiration from the infamous fortress.

Source: Wikimedia Commons

Image: Wikimedia Commons

Neuschwanstein, c1900. Source: Library of Congress

Source: Pixabay

A bedroom at Neuschwanstein. Source: U.S. Library of Congress

Dining room at Neuschwanstein. Source: U.S. Library of Congress 

Neuschwanstein's Hall of Singers. Source: U.S. Library of Congress

The study room at Neuschwanstein. Source: U.S. Library of Congress. 

Throne Hall at Neuschwanstein. Image: U.S. Library of Congress.