Neuschwanstein is a castle in southern Bavaria, in Germany, commissioned by Ludwig II, also known as Mad King Ludwig.

It opened to the public after Ludwig’s death in 1886 but was not completed until 1892. The design of the castle was inspired by the operas of German composer Richard Wagner, whom King Ludwig greatly admired. The legend of Lohengrin, the Swan Knight, was especially influential and gave the castle its name. The beautiful fairy-tale look of the place inspired Walt Disney to copy it for Sleeping Beauty’s Castle at Disneyland.

Neuschwanstein castle

Many of the rooms are based on the heroes of ancient German sagas, which also inspired Wagner’s operas. The Winter Garden and Stalactite Grotto, both with waterfalls, pay homage to the opera Tannhäuser; the Great Chamber and the Byzantine Throne Room acknowledge Lohengrin; the Singer’s Hall and paintings in the gallery celebrate the opera Parsifal.

Though the décor and look of Neuschwanstein are medieval, its amenities were surprisingly modern and included running hot and cold water, flush toilets, electricity, a hot air heating system, and elevators to bring food up from the modern kitchen. Historians say that King Ludwig built the castle as a place where he could hide away from the world.

Neuschwanstein castle

King Ludwig was declared “paranoid” and unfit to rule by a psychiatrist named Bernhard von Gudden.He was deposed and his uncle took over the throne. Not long afterward, Ludwig and Dr. von Gudden were found drowned in a lake south of Munich. Some mystery surrounds this death, but the official explanation is that Ludwig committed suicide by drowning, and Dr. von Gudden drowned in an attempt to save the former king.