Located in the Alpine foothills of Germany, this castle was built for solitude. King Ludwig II of Bavaria built the palace after losing his power in 1866 during the Austro-Prussian war, as a place to hide from public life. Ludwig II felt great defeat by this, and set out to bolster his confidence and show off his monetary power by commissioning  his own castle, then known as Hohenschwangau Castle, and planning his own kingdom. As he became more immersed in his reclusion, he placed more value on the power he felt his castles gave him. 

The space was incredibly special to Ludwig II. The foundation for the castle was always one of his favorites places to play as a child, so it had significant sentimental meaning for Ludwig II to build there. He dedicated the palace to his good friend, composer Richard Wagner. Many of Wagner’s story elements inspired the fantastical theme of the castle, like knights and legends. 

“Conceived by the stage designer Christian Jank, whose works included sets for Wagner’s operas, and realized by the architect Eduard Riedel, Neuschwanstein was really the creation of Ludwig himself, who constantly edited Riedel’s work until the fairy-tale castle he had in mind took shape,” writes Alan Stein and Nancy Virts in their latest book “The Conservatory: Gardens under Glass”. (pg 134)

The castle is very romantic yet classic of the Middle Ages, while also incorporating Gothic and Romanesque features, like geometric design and delicate embellishment. The castle took over two decades to build. 

Most importantly, the conservatory at the castle is quaint but matches the theme well. It is connected to a complexly designed grotto. Opera singers were to perform for the king here while he boated around his indoor lake. The large windows of the conservatory provide panoramic views of the German Alpine foothills. 

Ludwig met an untimely demise after falling into a deep debt and then being deposed from the Bavarian government. From there he was ruled mentally unstable and was no longer allowed to rule. He was later found drowned in a shallow lake along with his psychiatrist who had been in charge of his mental health issues.