- Type
- Castle
- Origins
- 1869 · 19th century per Wikidata: founding, first mention or construction
- Style
- Gothic Revival
- Commissioned by
- Ludwig II of Bavaria
- Architect
- Georg von Dollmann, Eduard Riedel
- Heritage
- part of a UNESCO World Heritage Site (an old town or a valley, for example)
- Visiting
- probably – Wikidata lists it as a museum or gives tickets, opening hours or visitor numbers; check before you go
- Coordinates
- 47.5575°, 10.7494°
History
King Ludwig II of Bavaria began building the castle in 1869, inspired by medieval sagas and the operas of Richard Wagner. It was designed with the help of the theatre set painter Christian Jank, yet behind the medieval look it was a modern house with central heating and running water. Ludwig paid for it from his own purse and sank deep into debt; he moved in only in 1884 and spent just a few months here. In June 1886 he was declared unfit to rule and taken away, and days later he died in unexplained circumstances in Lake Starnberg. The unfinished castle opened to visitors within weeks of his death and is now one of Germany's most visited sights.
What to see
The tour covers the king's completed rooms: the Byzantine-style Throne Hall, where a throne was never installed, the neo-Gothic bedroom with its richly carved bed, an artificial grotto with a waterfall and the Hall of the Singers painted with scenes from the Parsifal legend. The classic view of the castle is from Mary's Bridge, which spans the Pöllat Gorge. Down in the valley stands Hohenschwangau, where Ludwig spent his childhood.
Wikipedia article Official website Wikidata Q4152
Popularity: articles about this site in 93 Wikimedia projects (Wikipedia language editions and others).