Story
The story of Neuschwanstein Castle
In May 1868 King Ludwig II wrote to Richard Wagner that he intended to rebuild the old castle ruin near the Pöllat Gorge in the authentic style of the old German knights' castles, and that he was very much looking forward to living there one day. The result is Neuschwanstein, which according to Guinness World Records is, at 65 metres, the tallest castle in the world.
Ludwig wanted a refuge from the constraints he felt in Munich, and a tribute to Wagner, whom he greatly admired. The stage designer Christian Jank drafted the design and the architect Eduard Riedel carried it out; the foundation stone was laid on 5 September 1869. Ludwig paid from his personal fortune and with extensive borrowing.
He called it New Hohenschwangau Castle; only after his death in 1886 was it renamed and opened to the public. More than 61 million people have visited since, and since 2025 it has been part of a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
This story is compiled from Wikipedia and other open sources; dates and numbers are checked against the source. The text is shared under the CC BY-SA 4.0 licence. Source ↗
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More highlights in Füssen & Neuschwanstein
- SchwanseeSchwansee is a lake in Swabia, Bavaria, Germany. At an elevation of 789,23 m, its surface area is 17 ha (42 acres).
- AlpseeThe Alpsee is a lake in the Ostallgäu district of Bavaria, Germany, located about 4 kilometres southeast of Füssen. It is close to the Neuschwanstein and Hohenschwangau castles.
- MarienbrückeA bridge over the Pöllat gorge right behind Neuschwanstein Castle in Schwangau, named after Queen Marie.
- Ziegelwies Forest Experience CentreA forest experience centre straddling Füssen and Pinswang in Tyrol, set up in 2002 at a former border checkpoint; the only cross-border one in Bavaria.
- MagnustrittA shoe-shaped hollow in a rock overhanging the Lech gorge at Füssen; according to legend it is the footprint of St Magnus, left as he leapt the gorge fleeing demons.
- High Castle of FüssenThe Gothic High Castle of the Bishops of Augsburg on a hill above Füssen's old town, one of the best-preserved medieval castles in Bavaria.