Neuschwanstein is undeniably the most famous fairytale castle in the whole of Europe. Built in Germany by King Ludwig II, the castle, the notable tourist attraction has continued to attract visitors from all over the world, with the total number of tourists hitting the 1.5 million mark per annum in the recent past.
It’s perhaps the most easily recognizable tourist site in Germany. The iconic landmark has in fact inspired many artists in their drawings and fairy tales. A good example of such a writer that has drawn inspiration from the castle with a long name, also known as Disney Castle, is Walt Disney, the chap behind Disney Theme Park castles.
But perhaps even with the popularity that this landmark has attracted, there are some facts about it that would baffle you.
In this article, I narrowed down to some 5 enchanting facts about Neuschwanstein Castle in Germany.
- Most of its portions are unfinished!
From the outside, it’s hard to notice this. But the truth is that many portions of Europe’s most popular landmark are unfinished, especially if you tour the inside of the castle. The reason for the castle being unfinished is simply: the king ran out of finances. It’s said that the king loved building more and more castles, and this can be attested by many castles he left incomplete at the time of his death. This made him run out of money and that’s it.
- It got its name after Ludwig’s demise
It’s not until King Ludwig II’s death that the castle got the name ‘Neuschwanstein.’ The king drew inspiration from poetry, love, leadership among other aspects, There are 3 figures that reportedly were of great significance to the king-Tannhauser the poet, Parzival Grail King and Lohengrin Swan Knight. The name ‘Neuschwanstein’ is simply a reference to the last one and literally means ‘The New Swan Stone’
- It’s Germany’s 3rd most attraction site
In 2017, this iconic landmark made it to the top 10 list o the most popular attractions in Germany. We all know that for many, traveling to Germany is more often than not inspired by the urge to see this famous and rather popular landmark. Its gorgeous setting offers beautiful and very appealing views all year round. Other tourists are drawn to it by the fine and natural architecture.
- It’s was built to pay tribute to a renown composer
Owing to his longtime admiration for Richard Wagner, the famous composer, King Ludwig constructed the castle as a tribute to Wagner, and even went ahead to include several nods to the latter’s operas in it. Even the castle’s architecture itself draws inspiration from the art of operas. From the inside of the castle, you can see the dramatic details, including an artificial cave, all inspired by Tannhauser, the famous opera by Wagner. It’s unfortunate that Wagner never had the chance to visit this castle.
- It housed many artworks during world war II
Nazis used to store thousands of artwork inside Neuschwanstein after looting. Hitler Adolf, the Germany leader during the world war had planned to open the castle as a Museum immediately the war came to a halt. But why did Hitler choose this castle over other sites? well, the castle is in a location that’s far away from other locations such as Berlin, which experienced frequent bombing during the war.