Construction began in 1869 at the behest of Ludwig II of Bavaria, who wished to escape court life and create a refuge inspired by German medieval legends and Wagner's works. The castle was never intended as a fortress, but as a personal homage to an idealized Middle Ages.
Instead of an architect, Ludwig entrusted the initial designs to Christian Jank, a theater set designer. It was then the engineers Eduard Riedel and Georg von Dollmann who transformed those sketches into a real castle, 200 meters above the Pöllat gorge.
When Ludwig died under mysterious circumstances in 1886, only 14 rooms were finished. Seven weeks later, the castle was opened to the public to recoup costs — and quickly became one of Europe's most visited monuments, as well as inspiring Walt Disney's Sleeping Beauty castle.
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