h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

Err... am I supposed to give details? Perhaps it is enough to say that this one provided the inspiration for almost all of Disney's dream castles...

Details would be lovely Bossel

Unfortunately I can't post a link here, but if you copy the following line into google then you're right there:

Neuschwanstein "Across the ocean and above the lands"

Neuschwanstein was conceived by King Ludwig II of Bavaria as the epitome of the perfect fairytale castle. He had his architects design a bizarre, faux-medieval wedding cake of a castle, a cluster of fanciful turrets and arches growing up out of the keep, which would stand on a ledge high in the Bavarian Alps, near the town of Fussen. Construction was begun in 1869. Unfortunately for Ludwig, before the castle was completed he was declared insane and forced to abdicate. The castle wasn't completed before his death in 1886, and remains unfinished today. Gold leaf and ornate decorations feature heavily in the interior décor. The strange charm of Neuschwanstein continues to draw many thousands of tourists there every year.

BTW: The castle on the pic looks quite like Neuschwanstein.

Additional info:

Ludwig II was a very peculiar man. He was big buddies with Wagner and had that faible for extravagant mysicism he also didn't like contact with other people. Now, what has this got to do with the castle?

Ludwig's castles all have an artificial grotto of his own design with colourful illumination and artificial lakes where he would row about in a boat (sometimes with Wagner) and listen to (Wagner's) music. The Neuschwanstein grotto is quite small (compared to his other castles) and is probably also not completely finished. Another interesting thing is the 'Tischlein Deckdich'-mechanism (a fairy-tale about a table that would serve a meal by itself). The dining table of Ludwig was mounted on an elevator that would go directly into the kitchen. There it would be prepared and lift up into his dining room. In that way, he wouldn't have to see any of the servants.

More:

The castle itself was - as mentioned - left as an unfinished carcass. Beautiful from the outside, but empty from the inside. The over expensive entrance-fees and the difficulty to access it (eg. from Munich, which is the closest - ca. 80km (?) - big well-known city) generally annoy people. Insider info: There are many hiking tracks in the region around the castle, offering many views of the valley and the castle. Very picturesque.

Bye,

HELL

Oh... Fee: € 7.00 for adults.

You can also visit Hohenschwangau-Castle. And look at Neuschwanstein from a certain window like Ludwig did during the construction.