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The foundation stone was laid in 1869, the gatehouse was completed in 1873, and the castle in 1884. Work continued, with the king constantly altering the plans, until his death in 1886. The keep and Ritterbad (knight’s bath) were never completed.

Gold, saints, and a touch of Byzantium: the throne hall is modelled in part after Munich’s All Saints Church and the Hagia Sophia in Istanbul. Originally, the throne was to stand – like an altar – in the apse.

In contrast to the romanticism of the living quarters, the bedroom was designed in a Gothic style complete with elaborately carved oak panelling. Scenes from Wagner’s Tristan and Isolde decorate the walls.

Altar and murals depict Ludwig IX, the beatified king of France and namesake of the fairy-tale king of Bavaria.

Ludwig’s study is filled with pictures from Wagner’s opera Tannhäuser . On his desk is a fanciful pen-and-ink set in the shape of Lohengrin .

Influenced by the ceremonial hall of the Wart-burg in Eisenach, this is the castle’s largest room. The walls are decorated with scenes from the legend of Parzival and his quest for the Holy Grail.

Going between the living room and study, visitors pass through a grotto, where a small waterfall flowed during the king’s lifetime. The larger Venus grotto, complete with an artificial lake, is located in the park of Linderhof Castle.

Dishes were transported in an elevator from the kitchen three stories below to the dining room, where the shy king took most of his meals on his own. Murals depict the tradition of the minstrel’s song.

Adjoining the grotto, the winter garden affords a spectacular view of Allgäu through a large window.

Ludwig spent part of his childhood and youth in this summer palace, which is located in wildly romantic scenery. His father, Maximilian II, restored the palace fully in 1832. Hohenschwangau’s coat of arms bears a swan – later often depicted as Lohengrin’s swan, which is a constantly recurring motif throughout Neuschwanstein.