Schloss Neuschwanstein

King Ludwig II Spent 6.2 Million Marks on This Castle, Was Declared Insane, and Never Used It

The numbers tell the story of Neuschwanstein precisely. Ludwig II of Bavaria commissioned the castle in 1869 as a personal retreat, inspired by Wagnerian opera and medieval romantic imagery rather than any military or practical purpose. He spent 6.2 million Marks and emptied the Bavarian treasury. He lived in the completed sections for 172 days before being declared mentally unfit to govern in 1886. He died under mysterious circumstances three days later. The castle was opened to the public seven weeks after his death to help pay back what he had spent.

It is now one of the most visited castles in the world, receiving approximately 1.4 million visitors annually. The irony of a retreat built to escape the world becoming one of the most crowded tourist attractions in Europe is complete and permanent.

The Interior

The interior is accessible only by guided tour, approximately 30 to 35 minutes. The finished rooms are elaborately decorated with scenes from Wagnerian operas and medieval German legend. The Singers’ Hall was designed to represent performance spaces in Wagner’s Tannhauser, though Wagner never visited the castle and no performance was ever held there during Ludwig’s lifetime. The Throne Room has a Byzantine floor mosaic but no actual throne – it was never installed before Ludwig’s death. The King’s bedroom required 14 craftsmen four and a half years to complete the carved wood panelling.

Ludwig’s stated intention was to build a genuine medieval castle. The result is a 19th-century building that looks medieval rather than being medieval. The craftsmanship throughout is extraordinary regardless of that distinction.

Marienbrucke

The Marienbrucke (Mary’s Bridge) is an iron footbridge spanning the Pollat Gorge 90 metres above the waterfall below it, ten minutes’ walk from the castle. The view from the bridge is the classic photograph: Neuschwanstein in its cliff setting with the mountains and Alpsee lake behind it. Crowded in summer; sometimes closed in winter due to ice.

Getting Tickets and There

Tickets must be bought from the Ticket Centre in Hohenschwangau village, not at the castle. Online advance booking is available and strongly advisable April through October; adult admission is EUR 15. The castle is then a 40-minute steep walk up, or accessible by horse-drawn carriage (EUR 8) or shuttle bus (EUR 2.50 up, EUR 1 down).

From Munich, the Füssen regional train takes approximately two hours and runs every one to two hours. From Füssen station, buses run to Hohenschwangau. Hohenschwangau Castle, directly below Neuschwanstein, is where Ludwig II grew up. It is a real medieval structure (dating to the 12th century, restored in 1832) rather than Ludwig’s elaborated fantasy of the medieval. The contrast between the two buildings is illuminating. Combined tickets are available and the combination takes most of a day.

Staying overnight in Füssen means access to the first 9am admission slot before day-trip crowds from Munich arrive. The cycling route around Forggensee lake (27km, mostly flat) gives views of both castles from the water.