On top of a hill in the Bavarian Alps, overlooking the Hohenschwangau valley, sits the “Fairytale King’s” castle. King Ludwig II started construction on what is now called Neushwanstein Castle in 1869, and its sole purpose was to become the King’s new residence. Neuschwanstein means “New Swan Stone,” derived from one of the famed Richard Wagner’s opera character, the Swan Knight. Ludwig dedicated the castle to Wagner, whose operas inspired most of the castle’s rooms. The castle has a 2-story Byzantine styled throne room but ironically no throne, and only 14 rooms were finished and decorated before the King’s sudden and mysterious death in 1886. Ludwig also only slept in the castle for a mere 11 nights. Even though Neuschwanstein resembles a medieval castle, it had state of the art technology of its time with automatic flushing toilets and an air heating system for the whole castle.
The fairytale castle has sparked the imagination of many people who have seen it, including Walt Disney, who fashioned his Magic Kingdom to be similar to Neuschwanstein. If you’re a Disney nut like I am you would have recognized that it bears a huge resemblance to the castle of a classic Disney masterpiece, The Sleeping Beauty. The charming castle attracts over 1.3 million visitors a year and has become the most visited castle in Germany. It’s a must see for any visit to Bavaria, and it also makes a great day trip from Munich. It's quite a hike up to the castle but horse-drawn carriages are available and on non-icy days they have a bus that will take you to the top. We opted for the hike uphill, and a run back down (due to getting sidetracked at the souvenir stands) to try to catch the last train back to Munich. Unfortunately no photos are allowed inside the castle but it doesn’t make it any less stunning. With the gorgeous Bavarian Alps as its backdrop and the pleasant little town of Fussen at its foot, one can’t help to think that they’re in an actual fairytale themselves.
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