50 Fun Facts About Neuschwanstein Castle

Neuschwanstein stands in which German state?

It is in the Swabia region, in the municipality of Schwangau near the Austrian border.

The castle was built in honour of which composer?

He died in 1883 without ever visiting the building dedicated to him.

What is the closest larger town to Neuschwanstein?

The castle sits above the Pöllat gorge near where the Lech flows into the Forggensee.

Guinness World Records calls it the tallest castle in the world at what height?

The northern stair tower of the Palas reaches that height.

In what architectural style was the castle built?

The first plans were neo-Gothic; the bedroom and chapel are the only rooms left in that style.

Which architect's plans were used for the castle?

Georg von Dollmann took over in 1874 and Julius Hofmann in 1884.

Who drafted the building's design before the architect realised it?

His theatre background explains the coulisse-like look of the ensemble.

For how many days in total did Ludwig II live in the palace?

He moved into the unfinished Palas in 1884 and was removed from it in June 1886.

How many people have visited Neuschwanstein since it opened?

Up to 6,000 a day come in summer; visits are by 35-minute guided tour only.

Ludwig's father Maximilian II built which neo-Gothic palace below the site in the 1830s?

Young Ludwig spent much of his childhood there and sketched the ruins above it in 1859.

What did Ludwig call the palace during his lifetime?

It was only renamed Neuschwanstein after his death, effectively swapping names with the castle below.

Ludwig's 1867 visit to which reconstructed castle near Eisenach shaped the design?

It was the setting of the Sängerkrieg and of the opera Tannhäuser.

Which French château, being rebuilt for Napoleon III, did Ludwig visit in July 1867?

Eugène Viollet-le-Duc was turning the ruin into a historicist palace; its roofs inspired the stair towers.

Whose death in February 1868 freed the funds that let the king start building?

The abdicated king's appanage had been eating into the royal income.

In his 1868 letter describing the plan, Ludwig said the castle would remind Wagner of which operas?

Over time the operatic themes shifted towards Parsifal.

On what date was the foundation stone laid?

The cellar was done by 1872 and the gatehouse, finished first, by 1876.

What happened to the ruins of the medieval twin castles on the site in 1868?

For technical reasons they could not be integrated into the new plan.

The palace was built as a conventional construction of what, later encased in stone?

The white limestone for the fronts came from a nearby quarry.

About how many craftsmen worked at the site in 1880?

When the king demanded speed, up to 300 a day toiled, some at night by oil lamp.

How much did construction cost in Ludwig's lifetime?

That was almost double the initial 3.2 million estimate; by 1885 his total debts were 14 million.

From 1871 Ludwig received a secret income in return for a political favour to whom?

Contrary to popular belief, the Bavarian treasury was not directly burdened by his palaces.

Which was the smallest of Ludwig's three great palace projects, finished in 1886?

It is a Rococo Lustschloss with a grotto even bigger than the one at Neuschwanstein.

Ludwig's Baroque palace, a monument to the age of absolutism, was which?

Like Neuschwanstein, it remains unfinished.

On 10 June 1886 Ludwig had the deposition commission arrested where?

He had alerted local gendarmes and fire brigades; a second commission forced him out the next night.

Ludwig died on 13 June 1886 in shallow water near Berg Castle, on which body of water?

He and the psychiatrist Bernhard von Gudden both died in mysterious circumstances near Berg Castle.

How tall was the keep planned for the upper courtyard but never built?

Only its foundations exist; its outline is marked in the courtyard pavement.

What was planned for the space beneath the throne room but never built?

A Knights' Bath, bride chamber, guest rooms and banquet hall were also abandoned.

How soon after Ludwig's death did Prince-Regent Luitpold open the palace to paying visitors?

The king had never intended the public to see it; ticket income cleared the debts by 1899.

Which body has managed Neuschwanstein since the 1923 settlement with the Wittelsbachs?

It is a division of the Bavarian finance ministry; Hohenschwangau went to the family's fund instead.

During World War II the castle served as a depot for what?

Thirty-nine photo albums documenting the seizures were found there and are now in the US National Archives.

In April 1945 the SS considered doing what to the palace?

The officer assigned the task never carried it out and the castle was handed over undamaged.

What is the largest room in the palace by area?

It measures 27 by 10 metres and hosted its first performance only in 1933, for the 50th anniversary of Wagner's death.

How many canonised kings are portrayed in the Throne Hall apse?

Louis of France, Stephen of Hungary, Edward the Confessor, Wenceslaus, Olaf and Henry.

The Throne Hall chandelier is fashioned after what?

The hall's décor follows the Norman-Swabian chapels of Palermo; the throne itself was never made.

What was the little artificial grotto off the drawing room originally equipped with?

It depicts the Hörselberg grotto from Tannhäuser.

How long did fourteen carvers spend on the canopy of the king's bed and the oak panelling?

Ludwig was arrested in this bedroom on the night of 11–12 June 1886.

The house chapel is consecrated to whom, the king's namesake?

Ludwig is the German form of Louis.

Which modern conveniences did the palace have?

It also had a battery-powered servants' bell, running warm water and calorifère central heating.

How many rooms were finished before Ludwig's death?

A completed palace would have had more than 200 rooms.

Which two Disney park castles did Neuschwanstein inspire?

It also inspired Cameran Palace in the Pokémon film Lucario and the Mystery of Mew.

Which 1968 musical film featured Neuschwanstein?

Spaceballs and The Great Escape also used it, as did Luchino Visconti's Ludwig.

In which year did Neuschwanstein appear on a West German definitive stamp?

It later appeared on a €2 commemorative coin in 2012.

In 2007 Neuschwanstein was a finalist in what?

It did not make the final seven.

What was named after the castle after it fell to Earth nearby on 6 April 2002?

Three fragments were found; the enstatite chondrite contains the extremely rare mineral sinoite.

In which year did UNESCO add Neuschwanstein to the World Heritage List?

It was listed with Linderhof, Schachen and Herrenchiemsee as the Palaces of King Ludwig II.

How long is the guided tour that is the only way to see the interior?

Photography is banned inside; tickets are sold only at the Hohenschwangau ticket centre.

How many visitors did the castle receive in 1939?

Today almost 1.5 million come each year.

What crowns the court-side gable of the Palas?

The outward western gable carries the likeness of a knight.

Which animal-themed legend, about the Swan Knight, runs through the castle's decoration?

Hohenschwangau, where Ludwig grew up, was already decorated with the same sagas.

Which sister project of Neuschwanstein never got past planning for lack of money?

Contemporary critics derided Neuschwanstein itself as kitsch; it has since been reassessed as a major work of historicism.