Neuschwanstein is the castle of all castles, the one Walt Disney visited on his trip to Europe in the 1950s and decided this masterpiece would be the inspo for Disneyland.
Visiting Neuschwanstein is overwhelmingly beautiful and nearly 1.3 million tourists get to experience that annually. The elevated masterpiece of a Schloss screams importance as it towers above the village below. Limestone façades dominate the incredible medieval Romanesque architecture, creating a paradox for that distinct sort of dwelling. With its technological advancements for those times, Neuschwanstein was built with running water, also including an elevator and central-air.
Here’s a Castle Fit Only for a King – Neuschwanstein in Germany:
It was a snowy day in November about 3 years ago when Andy whisked me off for a winter wonderland trip in the Bavarian region of Germany. Being a complete newb to the traveling game, I was unaware of the magical/popular places throughout the world. I didn’t have an Instagram at the time and I only used Pinterest as a recipe-holder. Each new region we’d visit overseas were complete surprises for me.
Driving through the Bavarian Alps, Andy zooms off the exit from the autobahn in the middle of nowhere.
Not even a minute goes by before I’m bugging him to tell me where we’re going. “You’ll see” he says.
It’s not long until the long stretch of snowy fields begin merging into mountains. The snow, glistening in the late afternoon sun, is almost blinding as I look up on the hillside and see a castle towering over this little German village.
We had made it to Neuschwanstein.
A Little History of Neuschwanstein
Interestingly enough, Neuschwanstein wasn’t completed until after the death of King Ludwig II, the man responsible for beginning the project. According to history, after Prussia took over Germany in 1866, Ludwig had virtually no power to his throne so he began to build what would be his new home. He modeled the plans after his childhood residence, Hohenschwangau Schloss.
Ludwig essentially drained Bavaria’s economy to fund the construction of Neuschwanstein. In 1886, he was arrested by authorities and deemed “mentally unfit” to rule as a monarch. Not even two days later, his body was found floating in a lake.
After his death in 1886, the officials in Bavaria ceased construction on the castle and renamed it Neuschwanstein.
After sitting idle for a few years, they opened it up as a tourist attraction to gain finances for construction. In 1892 the final touches were added, completing the most popular castle in the entire world.
My Experience at Neuschwanstein
Pulling into the parking lot, the lack of tour buses and vehicles is an inclination we wouldn’t be entering Neuschwanstein. We mosey our way into the ticket office, finding out the last tour just sold out.
A little disappointed, we decide to climb up close to Neuschwanstein before retreating back to our home in Rheinland-Pfalz.
Walking Up to Neuschwanstein
Even though a horse carriage can take visitors to the top, I’m a complete budget-freak so I insist on walking instead. Within a couple minutes I am instantly regretting that decision. The climb to the top is not for the faint of heart, especially with an icy ground. As we rise up higher and higher, the views of Neuschwanstein become more incredible.
As we close in on Neuschwanstein, the gorgeous golden hour begins to take hold. Orange reflections dance off the limestone façades glowing with that evening sun.
After what seems like the equivalent of climbing Mt. Everest, I’m now arms-length away from touching the most famous castle in the world.
Approaching the Gates of Neuschwanstein
We take off towards the north on the walking path, coming up to that insanely gorgeous entrance into the courtyard. It’s hard to imagine how a place like this was built, so intricately and over 150 years ago.
I waste no time running up to the entrance to take a quick picture.
This visit was back way before my blogging days. Back then, I was only taking pictures for my personal memories via a third generation iPhone. I’m still surprised that the quality of the photos didn’t suffer as badly as I thought they would have!
Shortly after making it to the entrance, we’re told they’re closing the front gates within the next 10 minutes. That’s our cue to run in to the courtyard, still completely mesmerized by this magical place.
I could’ve sat here for hours, imagining how King Ludwig II watched his fairytale vision come to life. It’s so disappointing he never had the ability to see his dream become reality. Especially considering his idea was transformed into the most famous castle in the world.
Leaving Neuschwanstein
It’s not long until tourists from the last tour come trickling out of the castle. As they exit through the wooden portal of a door, the views open up to surrounding Bavaria. We figure we better follow suit, even though I was half-tempted to run up those stairs and into Neuschwanstein.
As the sun sets over those snow-capped Alps, we retreat back down the walkway and away from Neuschwanstein. I turn around to give her one last look up close before continuing on our trek back towards the bottom.
About a quarter of the way back down, we notice a slew of people posing with their backs to the castle. Thinking it could be a great viewpoint, we walk a little further to find a magnificent spot for some snaps.
Teeth chattering and red-tipped noses, we take a couple of photos before continuing back to the car. The entire walk down, I keep looking back up to check if I was still able to see Neuschwanstein. As I get further and further away, I feel this tingling shiver run down my spine.
No, it’s not the below-freezing temps. I think I just discovered the only thing I ever want to do, visit every iconic landmark in the world.
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