Neuschwanstein Castle · A Myth Built for Himself

Neuschwanstein was built by King Ludwig II of Bavaria for himself, and inside it he recreated scenes from Wagner’s operas: a knights’ hall, a singers’ hall, an artificial stalactite grotto.

Before the castle was finished the king was declared insane and stripped of power, and a few days later he died in a lake; the cause has never been established. The castle was then opened to the public and became the world’s best-known “fairytale castle”.

In the busiest season it receives several thousand visitors a day. The king’s own words were: I mean it to remain closed to strangers for ever.

Historical Mysteries / Bavaria · Germany / 1869