The real-life Disney castle – Hohenschwangau, Germany

In the south of Germany, near the border of Austria, you can spot a Disney-like castle in a gorgeous landscape. This castle is called Neuschwanstein. Its white towers with dark grey roofs contrast with the blue sky and the green landscape. It really is a beautiful sight. That’s probably also what Walt Disney thought when he visited Neuschwanstein and decided to base Sleeping Beauty’s castle in Disney World on this one.

Not only the castle itself is beautiful, the surroundings are also wonderful. The castle is located at the foothills of the Alps, from where you look over the hilly German landscape. Near the castle, there’s a large bridge from where you have amazing views. Under the bridge is a waterfall and you can see the castle from the south side.

   

The castle was built in 1864 by the king of Bavaria, a German province. In this period of time, people had a taste for fairytale-like and picturesque castles. The king was very involved with the design and construction of the castle, which is why he usually gets more credit than the actual architects.

Unfortunately, I didn’t take any pictures of the interior of the castle, but it is just as fairytale-like as the exterior. Lots of gold chandeliers and gorgeous frescoes. I’d definitely recommend going inside and taking a tour. We had an audio tour in Flemish and since this accent sounds a little funny to Dutch people, we sometimes giggled out of nowhere and people around us were wondering why.

It’s important to buy your tickets for the castle in the village below the castle, Hohenschwangau. The tickets are 12 euros and there’s free admission to people under 18. The castle is open everyday except on Christmas and aroud New Year’s. And during high season, it’s best to reserve your tickets in advance, as they may be sold out for a certain day.