Neuschwanstein Castle

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Neuschwanstein Castle is a fairy-tale castle perched on a rocky hill above the village of Hohenschwangau in Bavaria, southern Germany, close to the Austrian border where the Alps begin. It was built for King Ludwig II of Bavaria, who wanted a private hideaway that looked like a castle from the age of medieval knights.

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At a glance

Country: Germany
Location: Bavaria, Germany
Built: 1886
Height: 65 m
Type: Castle

Quick answers

Where is Neuschwanstein Castle?

Neuschwanstein Castle is in Bavaria, Germany.

When was Neuschwanstein Castle built?

Neuschwanstein Castle was built in 1886.

How tall is Neuschwanstein Castle?

Neuschwanstein Castle is about 65 m tall.

King Ludwig II's fairy-tale castle on a crag in the Alps, which inspired Disney's castle.

Ludwig paid for it with his own money and large loans rather than from the state treasury. He died in 1886 before it was finished, and only weeks later the castle opened to paying visitors. Today well over a million people visit every year, and in 2025 UNESCO added it to the World Heritage List together with three of Ludwig's other palaces. Its towers also helped inspire the castles in Disney's theme parks.

History

Work began on 5 September 1869. Ludwig was a huge fan of the composer Richard Wagner, and he wanted his castle to honour Wagner's operas about knights and legends, such as Lohengrin and Tannhäuser. The first drawings were made by Christian Jank, a designer of theatre scenery, and the architects Eduard Riedel, Georg von Dollmann and Julius Hofmann turned them into building plans. Construction went on until 1892, but large parts of the plan were never built. During World War II the castle was used to hide art stolen by the Nazis. It came through the war undamaged, and the stolen art was later recovered.

What's inside

The plans called for more than 200 rooms, but only about 15 rooms and halls were ever finished. Their walls are covered with paintings of the old legends Ludwig loved. The style is called Neo-Romanesque, which means it copies the look of castles and churches from the early Middle Ages. In summer up to 6,000 visitors a day walk through rooms that were designed for just one person, so staff work hard to protect the delicate furniture and fabrics. Engineers also keep checking the rock cliff under the castle for any movement.

Visiting today

Most visitors start in Hohenschwangau, where Ludwig spent much of his childhood at Hohenschwangau Castle, built by his father, King Maximilian II. A favourite viewpoint is the Marienbrücke (Mary's Bridge), which crosses the deep Pöllat Gorge and was named after Ludwig's mother. From the bridge you can see the whole castle rising above the forest. More than 61 million people have toured Neuschwanstein since it first opened its doors.

Fun facts

It opened to the public only weeks after King Ludwig II died in 1886.
The castle opened to the public just seven weeks after King Ludwig II died.
Only about 15 of the more than 200 planned rooms were ever finished.
Guinness World Records lists the castle at 65 metres tall, which is why it is sometimes called the tallest castle in the world.
Disneyland's Sleeping Beauty Castle borrowed ideas from Neuschwanstein.
In summer up to 6,000 people a day walk through rooms that were built for a single king.