GERMANY ~ Neuschwanstein Castle - Bavaria - UNESCO ~

... Wonderful view of one of the most famous castles in the world🏰... an iconic architectural marvel... nestled away in the breathtaking Bavarian Alps... a magnificent sight that lives up to its "fairytale" reputation... it was constructed as a private summer retreat born straight from King Ludwig II imagination, not for defense but just for pleasure... and in honour of his friend composer Richard Wagner... however, the king never got to enjoy it... he mysteriously died by drowning in nearby Lake Starnberg... in addition to its strange origins, the castle is a wonder... there are turrets and even flush toilets and a form of central heating... Neuschwanstein is extremely popular, with over a million visitors annually... in the summer around 6,000 visitors a day stream through rooms that were intended for a single inhabitant😲... tours take crowds of visitors through the apartments and staterooms on the third and fourth floors... the second floor was never finished and houses a shop, cafeteria and a multimedia room...Thanks Marion! ✿◕ ‿ ◕✿

Photo: Mathias Struck
Neuschwanstein Castle is a 19thC Romanesque Revival palace located in southwest Bavaria. King Ludwig II of Bavaria commissioned the castle in 1868, just two years after Austria and Bavaria were conquered by Prussia during the Austro-Prussian War (sometimes called the Seven Weeks’ War), effectively stripping Ludwig II of his powers. He died in 1886, and the final towers weren’t completed until 1892. Seven weeks after the death of King Ludwig II in 1886, Neuschwanstein was opened to the public. 

Neuschwanstein means “New Swan Stone”. The name of the castle derives from one of Wagner’s opera character, the Swan Knight.The swan is a central motif in the castle's design

The Castle was designated a UNESCO WHS site in 2025, as part of a serial property that also includes three other castles built by King Ludwig II of Bavaria: Linderhof, Herrenchiemsee, and Schachen.

Stamps:

The 450th Anniversary of the Augsburg Peace 

(Issued 08-09-2005)

Castles of Germany - Ludwigsburg

(Issued 09-02-2017)