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neuschwanstein castle
BAVARIA, GERMANY
This fairy tale in stone—the inspiration for the castle in
Walt Disney’s Sleeping Beauty—was the whim of Ludwig II,
the reclusive king of Bavaria, who in 1866 vowed to build a
private retreat that would surpass the castles of the “Ger-
man knights of old.” In the end, he spent just 172 days in
the castle before his death.
Despite its size, Neuschwanstein Castle was built to accom-
modate one man—King Ludwig II of Bavaria. It now receives
1.3 million visitors a year.