Neuschwanstein Castle: the Mysterious History of Germany’s Most Popular Castle

Medieval castles in Europe carry a certain charm and charisma that cannot be found anywhere else, especially if these medieval castles were built at a different time. However, they are often shrouded in mystery and legend, perhaps because many historical facts are distorted as time goes by. That certainly explains why there are so many legends and myths surrounding the history of the Neuschwanstein Castle, one of the most famous castles in Europe, attracting 1.5 million visitors a year.

Known as the ‘castle of the fairy tale king,’ Neuschwanstein Castle began construction in 1869 in Bavaria, Germany, as commissioned by King Ludwig II of Bavaria. The castle’s unique design is said to have inspired Walt Disney to build the Disney Castle.

King Ludwig II of Bavaria was also known as the Swan King or the Fairy Tale King. This is probably due to the castle’s romantic design, which is reminiscent of many fairy tale castles from folklore. Inside the castle, the walls are covered with paintings depicting medieval legends, adding to its romantic atmosphere.

As he grew up, Ludwig seemed to enjoy dreaming about the world of legends, knights, and fair maidens rather than living in the real world.

When his father, Maximilian II, died suddenly in 1864, Ludwig reluctantly ascended to the throne. He was so overwhelmed by this change of fate that came much earlier than he expected. Three days later, he wrote one word in his diary, filling the entire page: ‘King’.

Since his father had made him keep specific accounts of the money he spent, Ludwig, now King Ludwig, decided to spend as much money as he deemed necessary, attempting to erase what his father had taught him. Of course, his overindulgence and spendthrift habits did not go well with the people of the capital, but it was a different story in Bavaria.

King Ludwig rarely made public appearances, which seemed to create opportunities for many stories to circulate about what he was really like. However, most of these stories seemed to paint him in a favourable light, at least in the countryside, where he was said to ride his horse across the fields and distribute expensive gifts to some of the subjects he encountered along the way.

He decided to sponsor Wagner, whose operas were heavily inspired by the medieval world, naturally making King Ludwig an ardent fan of his music. He even informed Wagner of his plans to build a new castle reminiscent of the castles constructed for ancient German knights.

Neuschwanstein Castle

King Ludwig commissioned the painter Christian Jank to do the initial sketches of the castle, mixing elements from medieval Germany, Moorish Spain, and the world of Wagner’s works. It seemed he was looking for a way to escape reality altogether. The castle was indeed built for a reclusive king, as it is said that the dining room table had enough space for one person.

He worked meticulously on every aspect of the construction, wanting it to be just as he had envisioned. The castle was built with bricks and then covered with rocks from a nearby quarry. The cliff face and the walls are made up of the same materials. The construction of the castle was quite sophisticated for its time.

The castle quickly became everything King Ludwig had wanted and more. The Throne Room is reminiscent of medieval throne rooms, with murals of legends and fairy tales covering the walls. It contained no throne despite its existence, and no audiences were held there for his subjects or courtiers.

The columns in the throne room are made of stucco marble stuck onto cast-iron columns. The castle presents a perfect mix of the latest technologies of its time intermingled with medieval aesthetics.

The dome of the throne room is a self-supporting construction, an innovative technique at the time.

The castle had boiler rooms that fed the castle with warm air as a cutting-edge heating mechanism, proving his preference for luxury even amidst the Middle Ages design.

Among the other modern conveniences installed in the castle were the water closet, battery-operated bells, warm air heating, and a telephone, although few people had telephones then. An elevator from the kitchen three stories below also serviced the dining room.

King Ludwig II’s bedchamber featured the tragic love story of Tristan and Isolde on its walls. He also made sure to add religious elements to the interior design. His washbasin resembled a baptismal font, and even the cup for his toothbrush resembled a communion chalice. He also ordered chandeliers with nickel plating and expensive furniture and sculptures.

During construction, King Ludwig was known to show up and hand out cigars to the craftsmen whose work he admired, which was standard practice at the time. Neuschwanstein cost around 6 million Marks (equivalent to 42 million Euros today).

A Castle for One Man

There were no guest rooms, a throne room without a throne, and a dining room for one. Ludwig’s design for the castle was an attempt to transform a mythological and dream-like world into an architectural reality. He wanted to bring all his fairytale fantasies to life in one way or another, to create a world that he could inhabit on his own, away from anything that could interfere with his preference for solitude.

A stalactite cave in the middle of the castle leads to a secret doorway behind the servant’s stairway, hidden away from view. He wanted the servants to be able to do their work quickly but in a way that would still maintain his solitary state.

It was rumoured that King Ludwig bankrupted the royal treasury to build his castles, but that is simply a rumour. In reality, he received an annual sum of money, which he used for his ambitious construction projects. Still, his ministers asked him to limit the immense amount of his projects when he took loans from foreign banks to complete them, to which he replied, “I can’t. Building is my greatest joy in life.”

He even planned to build a fortified 90-meter tower rising above the castle with a chapel on the ground floor and a keep right above it. A set design for Wagner’s opera Lohengrin inspired the tower’s design. However, it wasn’t meant to be.

The craftsmen who worked on the castle had begun filing suits against the King because they hadn’t been paid their proper wages. King Ludwig incurred a debt equivalent to 100 million Euros.

The Curse of Neuschwanstein Castle

In 1875, Mr. Herold, the foreman at the King’s castle who had laid the foundation of the construction in 1869, suffered a mental breakdown and took his own life. The incident was so shocking that it became known as ‘The Curse of Neuschwanstein’.

This wasn’t the only tragedy that befell the castle.

With all the debts he accumulated for his extravagant building projects, King Ludwig gained a reputation as Mad King Ludwig. No one understood why he enjoyed spending time alone or exploring nature rather than ruling, which had even been a massive disappointment to his father when he was alive. But even more so, no one understood the purpose of his excessive spending on building castles.

Neuschwanstein Castle was seen by many as overly extravagant, and his focus on his architectural projects took him away from his actual duties. While today, opinions on his mental state differ, from suggesting he had early signs of dementia to neurological diseases, at the time, his ministers were impatient and angered by his actions.

In 1886, a government commission arrived from Munich to remove him from power based on mental illness, but still unable to accept his fate, he took the men into custody. Two days later, he finally submitted, and they took him to Berg Castle on Lake Starnberg, where he was placed under house arrest.

What followed has confused and bewildered people for years.

Shortly after he was imprisoned, King Ludwig II, now 40 years of age, drowned in Lake Starnberg under mysterious circumstances. What has baffled many since then is the fact that the psychiatrist who had certified him insane drowned with him. What confused many people was that the King was an excellent swimmer, so he could not have accidentally drowned. Many were also reluctant to accept that he might have given up on life after the shock of imprisonment.

This released a bevvy of conspiracy theories, one of which suggested that the King was alive and had withdrawn to a mountain hut to live out the rest of his days alone and that the body in his coffin was simply a wax figure.

Another theory suggested that King Ludwig had killed his psychiatrist as there were marks of struggle on the doctor’s body, and afterwards, Ludwig had been so shocked at what he had done that he had committed suicide, or he may have drowned accidentally amidst the struggle.

Even his funeral was surrounded by mystery, as it is said that, shortly after Ludwig’s coffin arrived, a severe storm passed through. The storm was so strong that a flash of lightning slashed through, throwing several people up against the church wall.

Around fifty years ago, a distant relative of the Royal family, Countess Josephine von Wrba-Kaunitz, held a tea party, during which she revealed to her guests proof that King Ludwig II was murdered: a grey jacket with a bullet hole, which she claimed to have belonged to the late King. Sadly, this evidence was lost in a house fire a few years later.

King Ludwig II lived at Neuschwanstein Castle for less than a year before his imprisonment and death. He never even saw the castle after it was finished since some sections were still incomplete. He used to stay in the Gateway Building to oversee the progress when he visited.

A few weeks after King Ludwig II’s death, the castle was opened to visitors, drawing considerable attention as many wanted to see the mad king’s home.

Over the years, the castle received many well-known figures, such as former First Lady of America Barbara Bush, the Queen of Thailand, and former Soviet President Mikhail Gorbachev.

Wars and Restorations

During World War II, the castle remained unscathed, but due to its isolated location and uninhabited state, it was used to house looted artworks from France. When the American troops arrived, they found around 600 crates of sculptures, statues, and paintings that were salvaged and returned to France after the war.

The castle underwent many restorations over the years, which presented quite a challenge due to its difficult location. Although painters are currently working on restoring the murals and paintings in the Singer’s Hall of the castle, it is pretty remarkable that they are still in great shape despite their exposed position for all of these years, which indicates the expert craftsmanship of those who worked on the original designs.

Guided Tours and Visits

To this day, this fairy tale castle continues to enchant visitors and tourists worldwide with its breathtaking location and fascinating architecture mixing between two worlds.

The palace can only be visited during 35-minute guided tours; no photography is allowed to preserve the interior as much as possible. If you’re visiting during peak season, i.e. from June until August, when Neuschwanstein has as many as 6,000 visitors per day, be sure to get there early and reserve your tickets in advance to avoid the long waiting lines that can last for hours.

If you wish to visit the castle without a ticket, you can enter the grounds and courtyard but not the interior. The castle is open throughout the year and during most public holidays, but check in advance.

From mid-March to mid-October, opening hours are from 9:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m., and from mid-October to mid-March, they are from 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.

Conclusion

The place is more than just a picturesque landmark; it symbolises one man’s dreams and a testament to the enduring power of imagination. King Ludwig II’s vision of a fairy-tale castle brought to life an architectural masterpiece that continues to captivate people with its beauty and mystery. The castle’s history, from its conception and construction to the enigmatic death of its creator, is filled with intrigue and wonder.

As visitors wander through its grand halls and marvel at its stunning views, they are not just experiencing a piece of architecture but stepping into a world where fantasy and reality intertwine. Neuschwanstein Castle remains a beacon of creativity and a reminder that sometimes, the most extraordinary stories come from a dreamer’s heart and mind. Whether one views it as a historical monument, a work of art, or a fairy tale come to life, Neuschwanstein Castle will always hold a special place in the annals of history and the imaginations of all who encounter it.