'Fairytale' Neuschwanstein castle becomes UNESCO heritage site
Neuschwanstein, perched on a rocky, 200m-high Alpine crag, is Germany's most visited castle, with almost 1.5 million people flocking there every year.
"A fairytale comes true for our fairytale castles: We are #WorldHeritage!" Bavaria's governor, Markus Soeder, wrote on X after the announcement.
Neuschwanstein combines an idealised medieval exterior with architectural techniques considered cutting-edge at the time.
Its main rooms are adorned with paintings of German and Nordic legends, the same stories that inspired composer Richard Wagner, for whom Ludwig was a generous patron.
Peter Seibert of the Bavarian Castles Administration (BSV) told AFP that the UNESCO listing "is a very great responsibility, but also recognition... for the work we have done so far in preservation".
Philippe, a 52-year-old visitor from Canada, was surprised that the castle was not already a World Heritage Site.
"We're lucky to still be able to experience this," he said, calling the listing "a very good idea".
Herrenchiemsee meanwhile evokes a Versailles in miniature on a lake between Munich and Salzburg, an homage to absolute monarch Louis XIV of France, whom Ludwig admired.
Indeed Ludwig nicknamed Herrencheimsee "Meicost-Ettal", an anagram of Louis XIV's alleged aphorism "L'Etat, c'est moit" ("I am the state").
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'Part of Bavarian identity'
The third site in the UNESCO listing is the small castle of Linderhof, completed in 1878, the only one to have been finished in Ludwig's lifetime.
It mixes elements of French Baroque architecture from the reign of Louis XIV with touches of the Rococo style developed in southern Germany.
Its park boasts an artificial cave inspired by Wagner's opera Tannhaeuser, 90 metres long and up to 14 metres high, which houses a grotto of Venus and was designed as a personal retreat for Ludwig.
The electric lighting system used in the cave was state of the art at the time, with glass discs used to illuminate the grotto in different colours.
The last of the four sites on the list is Schachen, a royal house in the style of a large Swiss chalet, where Ludwig liked to celebrate the saint's day of his namesake St Louis on August 25.
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It is located at 1,800 metres above sea level, not far from Neuschwanstein.
The four castles have become "part of Bavarian identity" says Seibert, "iconic and perfectly embedded in a beautiful landscape".
Ironically, while Ludwig's architectural legacy is today a source of pride in Bavaria -- not to mention tourist revenue -- they were part of the reason for his own downfall.
The ruinous construction costs of the lavish residences led the Bavarian government to depose him, declaring him insane.
Interned in Berg Palace, he died shortly afterwards in mysterious circumstances at Lake Starnberg.
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Int'l Business Times
16 hours ago
- Int'l Business Times
'Fairytale' Neuschwanstein Castle Becomes UNESCO Heritage Site
The Neuschwanstein castle in Germany's Bavaria, perhaps best known for inspiring Walt Disney's fairytale castles, has been named a World Heritage site, the UN cultural agency announced on Saturday. Three other royal residences, also constructed in the late 19th Century under the famously arts-obsessed King Ludwig II of Bavaria, were also added to the coveted list: Herrenchiemsee, Linderhof and Schachen. Neuschwanstein, perched on a rocky, 200m-high Alpine crag, is Germany's most visited castle, with almost 1.5 million people flocking there every year. "A fairytale comes true for our fairytale castles: We are #WorldHeritage!" Bavaria's governor, Markus Soeder, wrote on X after the announcement. Neuschwanstein combines an idealised medieval exterior with architectural techniques considered cutting-edge at the time. Its main rooms are adorned with paintings of German and Nordic legends, the same stories that inspired composer Richard Wagner, for whom Ludwig was a generous patron. Peter Seibert of the Bavarian Castles Administration (BSV) told AFP that the UNESCO listing "is a very great responsibility, but also recognition... for the work we have done so far in preservation". Philippe, a 52-year-old visitor from Canada, was surprised that the castle was not already a World Heritage Site. "We're lucky to still be able to experience this," he said, calling the listing "a very good idea". Herrenchiemsee meanwhile evokes a Versailles in miniature on a lake between Munich and Salzburg, an homage to absolute monarch Louis XIV of France, whom Ludwig admired. Indeed Ludwig nicknamed Herrencheimsee "Meicost-Ettal", an anagram of Louis XIV's alleged aphorism "L'Etat, c'est moit" ("I am the state"). The third site in the UNESCO listing is the small castle of Linderhof, completed in 1878, the only one to have been finished in Ludwig's lifetime. It mixes elements of French Baroque architecture from the reign of Louis XIV with touches of the Rococo style developed in southern Germany. Its park boasts an artificial cave inspired by Wagner's opera Tannhaeuser, 90 metres long and up to 14 metres high, which houses a grotto of Venus and was designed as a personal retreat for Ludwig. The electric lighting system used in the cave was state of the art at the time, with glass discs used to illuminate the grotto in different colours. The last of the four sites on the list is Schachen, a royal house in the style of a large Swiss chalet, where Ludwig liked to celebrate the saint's day of his namesake St Louis on August 25. It is located at 1,800 metres above sea level, not far from Neuschwanstein. The four castles have become "part of Bavarian identity" says Seibert, "iconic and perfectly embedded in a beautiful landscape". Ironically, while Ludwig's architectural legacy is today a source of pride in Bavaria -- not to mention tourist revenue -- they were part of the reason for his own downfall. The ruinous construction costs of the lavish residences led the Bavarian government to depose him, declaring him insane. Interned in Berg Palace, he died shortly afterwards in mysterious circumstances at Lake Starnberg. The New Palace of Herrenchiemsee Castlein Bavaria, pictured on July 11, 2015 AFP Linderhof Castle near Oberammergau, southern Germany pictured on July 10, 2025. AFP The King's House at Schachen in Bavaria, pictured on July 11, 2025. AFP
DW
18 hours ago
- DW
UNESCO adds Bavarian palaces to World Heritage List – DW – 07/12/2025
Image: BSV, Beck UNESCO has added Neuschwanstein, along with Herrenchiemsee Palace, Linderhof Castle and the King's House on Schachen, to its list of official World Heritage Sites. We'll introduce you to those three other sites in just a moment, but we begin our tour with by far the most popular: the fairytale castle Neuschwanstein. Image: BSV, Beck Neuschwanstein Castle, which is located in the foothills of the Alps in the very south of Germany close to the border with Austria, attracted over one million visitors in 2024, according to the Bavarian Palace Administration. It is also said to have been the inspiration for Disney's world-famous Cinderella Castle. It was built between 1869 and 1892 by King Ludwig II of Bavaria. Image: Peter Widmann/imago images Even though King Ludwig II died in 1886, he was still able to live at Neuschwanstein for at least six months despite it still being a building site. The Singers' Hall gives an indication of the castle's modest furnishings. King Ludwig II never wanted to open it to the public but six weeks after his death the doors were opened to visitors. Image: Stefan Puchner/dpa/picture alliance Linderhof Palace is the smallest of the three palaces built by King Ludwig II. However, it is the only fully developed palace and also the only one that was inhabited by King Ludwig II for a substantial period of time. Perhaps that is why it attracts so many visitors. With over 350,000 visitors, it ranks second — by a fair margin — to Neuschwanstein. Image: Guenter Graefenhain/imageBROKER/picture alliance A special feature of Linderhof Palace is the Venus Grotto. King Ludwig II had the largest artificial grotto of the 19th century built in just two years (1875-1877) for his sole use. In the 90-metre-long and up to 14-metre-high artificial stalactite cave, he was able to recreate faraway places and opera scenes with clever lighting effects. Image: Sven Hoppe/dpa/picture alliance From 1878 to 1886, King Ludwig II had the New Herrenchiemsee Palace built on the Herreninsel in Lake Chiemsee, which explains the name. Versailles Palace near Paris served as a model. In terms of visitor numbers, it ranks third of the four sites, with just over 300,000 visitors last year. However, it tops the list for construction costs. Image: Karl-Josef Hildenbrand/dpa/picture alliance The construction of Herrenchiemsee cost more than Neuschwanstein and Linderhof residencies combined. More than 4.5 kg of gold leaf was used in the magnificent bedroom and the other rooms. It was a rather expensive pleasure considering King Ludwig II only lived in Herrenchiemsee Palace, his last major building project, for a few days. Image: Sunny Celeste/Bildagentur-online/picture alliance King's House on Schachen is not only smaller than the three residencies, it also attracts fewer visitors: last year, there were just under 7,000 visitors to the site. This could also be due to its location: 1,866 meters up in the Wetterstein mountains. It was built from wood between 1869 and 1872. Image: Angelika Warmuth/dpa/picture alliance There are five living rooms on the first floor of the King's House on Schachen and the Turkish Hall on the upper floor. This was modeled on a hall in the palace of Eyüp. To make it look authentic, the servants were placed in the hall in oriental dress, where they had to smoke hookahs and drink tea. Every year on August 25, King Ludwig II celebrated his birthday there. Image: Frank Leonhardt/dpaweb/dpa/picture-alliance 07/12/2025 July 12, 2025
Local Germany
21 hours ago
- Local Germany
'Fairytale' Neuschwanstein castle becomes UNESCO heritage site
Three other royal residences, also constructed in the late 19th Century under the famously arts-obsessed King Ludwig II of Bavaria, were also added to the coveted list: Herrenchiemsee, Linderhof and Schachen. Neuschwanstein, perched on a rocky, 200m-high Alpine crag, is Germany's most visited castle, with almost 1.5 million people flocking there every year. "A fairytale comes true for our fairytale castles: We are #WorldHeritage!" Bavaria's governor, Markus Soeder, wrote on X after the announcement. Neuschwanstein combines an idealised medieval exterior with architectural techniques considered cutting-edge at the time. Its main rooms are adorned with paintings of German and Nordic legends, the same stories that inspired composer Richard Wagner, for whom Ludwig was a generous patron. Peter Seibert of the Bavarian Castles Administration (BSV) told AFP that the UNESCO listing "is a very great responsibility, but also recognition... for the work we have done so far in preservation". Philippe, a 52-year-old visitor from Canada, was surprised that the castle was not already a World Heritage Site. "We're lucky to still be able to experience this," he said, calling the listing "a very good idea". Herrenchiemsee meanwhile evokes a Versailles in miniature on a lake between Munich and Salzburg, an homage to absolute monarch Louis XIV of France, whom Ludwig admired. Indeed Ludwig nicknamed Herrencheimsee "Meicost-Ettal", an anagram of Louis XIV's alleged aphorism "L'Etat, c'est moit" ("I am the state"). Advertisement 'Part of Bavarian identity' The third site in the UNESCO listing is the small castle of Linderhof, completed in 1878, the only one to have been finished in Ludwig's lifetime. It mixes elements of French Baroque architecture from the reign of Louis XIV with touches of the Rococo style developed in southern Germany. Its park boasts an artificial cave inspired by Wagner's opera Tannhaeuser, 90 metres long and up to 14 metres high, which houses a grotto of Venus and was designed as a personal retreat for Ludwig. The electric lighting system used in the cave was state of the art at the time, with glass discs used to illuminate the grotto in different colours. The last of the four sites on the list is Schachen, a royal house in the style of a large Swiss chalet, where Ludwig liked to celebrate the saint's day of his namesake St Louis on August 25. Advertisement It is located at 1,800 metres above sea level, not far from Neuschwanstein. The four castles have become "part of Bavarian identity" says Seibert, "iconic and perfectly embedded in a beautiful landscape". Ironically, while Ludwig's architectural legacy is today a source of pride in Bavaria -- not to mention tourist revenue -- they were part of the reason for his own downfall. The ruinous construction costs of the lavish residences led the Bavarian government to depose him, declaring him insane. Interned in Berg Palace, he died shortly afterwards in mysterious circumstances at Lake Starnberg.
