Neuschwanstein Castle is a 19th-century Romanesque Revival palace on a rugged hill above the village of Hohenschwangau.
The palace was commissioned by King Ludwig II of Bavaria as a retreat and as a homage to Richard Wagner.
Contrary to common belief, Ludwig paid for the palace out of his personal fortune and extensive borrowing.
The palace was intended as a personal refuge for the reclusive king, but it was opened to the paying public immediately after his death in 1886.
Since then over 60 million people have visited. More than 1.3 million people visit annually, with up to 6,000 per day in the summer.
The palace has appeared prominently in several movies and was the inspiration for Disneyland's Sleeping Beauty Castle.