Treasure of the Alps - Neuschwanstein Castle

Most visited castle in Germany

According to statistics, the most visited castle in Germany is Neuschwanstein Castle. You probably know him from pictures, mosaics and TV shows. But to see the castle not in the picture, but in reality, go to Germany. The castle is located 120 km from Munich, on the border with Austria. To apply for a visa to Germany, please contact the visa agency "Visa-Svit".

A fairy-tale castle hidden in the forests of the Bavarian Alps, a real masterpiece that has earned crazy popularity among tourists and brings fabulous profits to Germany. Neuschwanstein was the inspiration for the Sleeping Beauty Castle at Disneyland Paris, the inspiration for Tchaikovsky's Swan Lake ballet, and Ludwig II's love for Wagner's music.

There are hardly any other castles in Germany that store more exhibits demonstrating the royal admiration for Wagner's compositions - tapestries depicting scenes from his operas are still carefully preserved by the charming Neuschwanstein Castle.

Myths and facts

Neuschwanstein translates as "New Swan Stone". The entire architecture of the building is permeated with the swan motif. The swan is the heraldic symbol of the old family of the Counts of Schwangau, whose successor the father of Ludwig II, Maximilian II of Bavaria, considered himself. Ludwig was a huge admirer of Richard Wagner, identifying himself with one of the characters in his operas, the Swan Knight. Having inherited the royal throne, Ludwig II realized his old fantasy - a swan castle of incomparable beauty.

Far from the noisy cities, almost at the very border with Austria, construction began in 1869 under the direction of the Munich theater artist Christian Jank. But due to Ludwig's extravagant tastes and whims, this process progressed very slowly. For example, only 14 carpenters worked on woodcarving in the king's bedroom alone for 4.5 years.

The construction of the castle was halted when Ludwig was removed from power due to intrigues in his own office. The king rarely touched state matters personally, and his antics earned him the fame of a madman. In addition, he suffered from hallucinations - for example, he dined with the spirit of Louis XIV. According to Bavarian law, the king can be removed from power if he is deemed unfit to govern. And after the report of his cabinet in 1886, he was overthrown.

Ludwig was transported to Berg Castle, where he soon drowned in Lake Starnberg. However, with regard to this mysterious death, recognized at the time as a suicide, it is suggested that the cabinet was not pleased with the simple removal of Ludwig from power. Especially considering that his attending psychiatrist also shared the fate of his patient. These mysterious events gave birth to many legends and created an intriguing halo around Neuschwanstein Castle, making it the most famous castle in Germany.