Neuschwanstein Castle

1869

Country

Germany

City

Schwangau

Heritage designation

architectural heritage monument in Bavaria

Architect

Christian Jank

UNESCO World Heritage

Yes

Neuschwanstein Castle is a 19th-century historicist palace on a rugged hill of the foothills of the Alps in the very south of Germany, near the border with Austria. It is located in the Swabia region of Bavaria, in the municipality of Schwangau, above the incorporated village of Hohenschwangau, which is also the location of Hohenschwangau Castle. The closest larger town is Füssen. The castle stands above the narrow gorge of the Pöllat stream, east of the Alpsee and Schwansee lakes, close to the mouth of the Lech into Lake Forggensee. Since 2025, the castle is part of the UNESCO World Heritage Site "The Palaces of King Ludwig II of Bavaria: Neuschwanstein, Linderhof, Schachen and Herrenchiemsee". According to Guinness World Records, at 65 metres, it is the tallest castle in the world.