Walt Disney World (Cinderella Castle)
월트 디즈니 월드 (신데렐라 성)
Cinderella Castle is the fairy-tale castle at the centre of Magic Kingdom, the first park of the Walt Disney World Resort near Orlando, Florida, in the United States. It opened with the park on 1 October 1971 and was modelled on the castle in Disney's 1950 animated film Cinderella. It stands 189 feet (about 58 metres) tall, measured from the bottom of its moat.
See it on the 3D globe →At a glance
- Country
- United States
- Location
- Orlando, USA
- Built
- 1971
- Height
- 57 m
Quick answers
Where is Walt Disney World (Cinderella Castle)?
Walt Disney World (Cinderella Castle) is in Orlando, USA, United States.
When was Walt Disney World (Cinderella Castle) built?
Walt Disney World (Cinderella Castle) was built in 1971.
How tall is Walt Disney World (Cinderella Castle)?
Walt Disney World (Cinderella Castle) is about 57 m tall.
Cinderella Castle, the fairy-tale centrepiece of Magic Kingdom with blue-and-gold spires.
The castle is the symbol of Magic Kingdom, which has been the most visited theme park in the world for many years in a row, with about 18 million visitors in 2024. Its tall spires can be seen from far away, and they pull guests down Main Street, U.S.A. towards the middle of the park, where paths lead off to the different themed lands. The castle itself is the gateway to Fantasyland.
How it was built
Even though it looks like a stone palace, the castle contains no bricks at all. Builders spent about 18 months putting it together, using a frame of around 600 tons of steel on a concrete foundation. Most of the outside walls are made of a strong plaster spread over thin metal studs, and the roofs are plastic shingles on steel cones. The upper towers were lifted into place by crane. Designer Herbert Ryman took ideas from real French and German castles, such as Neuschwanstein, as well as from the film.
Tricks and treasures inside
The castle uses a trick called forced perspective: the parts higher up are built smaller, so your eyes think the towers are taller than they really are. Inside the archway, five large mosaic pictures tell the story of Cinderella. Each panel is about 15 feet high and uses more than 300,000 pieces of glass in over 500 colours, and the mosaics took 22 months to make. Upstairs is a restaurant, Cinderella's Royal Table, and hidden higher up is a small suite that was once given away as a prize.
Fun facts
- Its Magic Kingdom is the most visited theme park in the world.
- The castle was kept just under 200 feet tall so that it would not need a flashing red warning light for aircraft on top.
- There is not a single real brick in the castle; it is mostly steel, concrete and plaster.
- The five mosaics in the archway contain more than 300,000 pieces of glass.
- The castle has 27 towers, but they are numbered 1 to 29 because two planned towers were cancelled.
- Contrary to a popular story, the castle cannot be taken apart quickly to protect it from hurricanes; it is built to stand up to strong winds instead.
On the globe
The model shows Cinderella Castle with its blue spires and golden trim, standing at the heart of Magic Kingdom in Florida. Zoom in to look at the cluster of pointed towers rising around the tallest central spire.
Quiz time
Which is taller: Walt Disney World (Cinderella Castle) or Kennedy Space Center?
Show the answer
Kennedy Space Center. (57 m vs 160 m) Kennedy Space Center →
Nearby on the globe
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Sources
- Read more on Wikipedia
- Cinderella Castle — Wikipedia
- Cinderella Castle — Walt Disney World Resort
- Magic Kingdom — Wikipedia
Updated: 2026-10-13