Unless it was just me, I think that when we were younger most girls dreamed about one day living in a castle. This dream is largely because of Disney movies that presented us with images of beautiful castles where girls were princesses and lived happily ever after. So what better place to stop next than Neuschwantein Castle, a real-life castle that served as one of Walt Disney’s most magical inspirations.
The construction of Neuschwanstein Castle began in 1869 for King Ludwig II who designed it in homage to his favourite composer, Richard Wagner. The name Neuschwanstein translates directly to “new swan stone”, a name inspired by the character Swan Knight in one of Richard Wagner’s operas. The castle first opened to the public in 1886 after the king’s death and now over 1.3 million people visit each year.
This beautiful castle looks like something straight out of a fairytale, and for us that’s because it was the inspiration for some of the most popular castles we know. It is said that Walt Disney used this beautiful castle as the inspiration for the castle in the 1959 film Sleeping Beauty. The iconic Cinderella castle in Magic Kingdom is also said to be modeled after the castle in Sleeping Beauty, and therefore Neuschwanstein Castle served as Disney’s indirect inspiration for this well known tourist attraction in Walt Disney World. Below are all three castles, which really do all look very similar.
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| Sleeping Beauty's Castle |
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| Cinderella Castle- Magic Kingdom |
| Neuschwanstein Castle |
The famous castle has been shown in other films, but in Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, there is a scene shot from above the castle that really helps showcase how incredible it is.
