Neuschwanstein Castle seen from Marienbrücke pedestrian bridge, above Hohenschwangau village, near Füssen, in Bavaria, Germany, Europe. King Ludwig II of Bavaria began building Neuschwanstein Castle in 1869 over ruins of a medieval castle, but never finished. He lived there only 2 years, until his mysterious death in 1886. (This palace inspired Walt Disney to build Sleeping Beauty Castle, opened in 1955 in California's Disneyland.) The tours don't allow photography. Inside, I toured rooms of exquisite decoration, including: a bedroom dedicated to composer Richard Wagner; an historical Ottoman-themed room; and a cave grotto complete with artificial stalactites & flowstone. Ludwig's extravagant throne room is based on the plan of a Byzantine church — a one-ton chandelier shaped like a Byzantine crown hangs above an exquisite floor mosaic of animals and plant life. The King's Neo-Gothic bedroom features an elaborately carved canopy bed topped with a forest of Gothic church spires, "Tristan and Isolde" wall paintings, and his chapel. Queen Mary's Bridge and higher trails offer good views — ascend by bus or walking 1.6+ miles with 600+ feet gain round trip. Austria's Via Alpina Purple trail passes through here.
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