Castles & Palaces

Neuschwanstein is probably Germany‘s most famous castle. The iconic fairytale castle towers over the Alpsee in a breathtaking location. It was built by Ludwig II. of Bavaria as an idealized representation of a knight's castle from the Middle Ages, combining architectual motifs from the Wartburg with those of castles from medieval book illustrations. The picture cycles of Neuschwanstein were inspired by the operas of Richard Wagner, to whom the king dedicated the castle. The pictures were not however directly modelled on Wagner's works, but on the medieval legends that the composer had also taken as the basis for his works. Neuschwanstein is said to have been the inspiration for Disney’s Sleeping Beauty castle.

In a striking location on a hill, set against a green forest, the world-famous ruins silhouette dominates the old town centre of Heidelberg. Each year, Heidelberg Castle attracts around a million visitors from all over the world. Since the early 19th century, these impressive ruins have been synonymous with Romanticism. The rich and eventful history of the castle is reflected in the different architectural styles and the magnificent interiors. The castle also houses an important pharmacy museum with unique exhibits - an absolute must for visitors interested in pharmacology.

The ancestral seat of the Prussian royal family and the princes of Hohenzollern is located on the edge of the Swabian Alb and still owned by the family today. It is not a museum in the conventional sense, but a place steeped in history and at the same time extremely lively, attracting hundreds of thousands of visitors from all over the world each year. Highlights of the castles include the magnificent halls, an impressive art collection, including important paintings, precious silver and porcelain as well as the Prussian royal crown.

Almost 1000 years old, Wartburg Castle is one of the most famous castles in Germany. It owes its special significance not only to its extraordinary architecture, but also to historical events and personalities closely associated with it. Saint Elizabeth of Thuringia lived in the castle around 800 years ago. And the church reformer Martin Luther hid at Wartburg Castle in 1521/1522, where he translated the New Testament of the Bible from the original Greek text into German. The room he lived in can be visited. Music lovers should attend a performance of Wagner’s great romantic opera Tannhäuser and the Singers' War in the ballroom of Wartburg Castle.

Frederick the Great built Sanssouci as a summer retreat – and until today, Sanssouci has lost none of its special magic and charm. The intimate suites of rooms still have their original elegant designs and furnishings. And the spreading park and grounds, with the stately Neues Palais (New Palace), the Neue Kammern (New Chambers), the Chinese House, Orangery, and the Charlottenhof Palace, are truly impressive and beautiful. A very special experience is „Potsdam – Night of the Palaces “: Once a year in summer, the park is transformed into a vast stage for events. The sounds of classical music and jazz melodies echo through the nighttime park, and the event closes with a spectacular firework display, lighting up the night.

The Würzburg Residence is the masterpiece of southern German Baroque architecture and one of the most important palaces in Europe. UNESCO added it to the list of World Heritage Sites in 1981 as an “exceptional Baroque synthesis of the arts“. Many outstanding architects and artists were involved in the construction and design of the residence, including the plasterer Antonio Bossi and the most important fresco painter of the time, the Venetian Giovanni Battista Tiepolo, who created the largest continuous fresco in the world in the stairwell. The incomparable suite of rooms – vestibule, staircase, White Hall and Imperial Hall – one of the most magnificent in the history of palace architecture, were decorated and furnished by artists and craftsmen in a joint creative undertaking which also produced a style which is known today as "Würzburg Rococo".

Nymphenburg, located in a district of Munich, is one of the largest palaces in Germany and one of the most important in Europe. It was the summer residence of the electors and kings of Bavaria from the House of Wittelsbach from 1715 to 1918. King Ludwig II, the visionary behind Neuschwanstein Castle, was born here. Over the course of two centuries, the originally small country house was transformed into a monumental three-winged complex in the Baroque and Rococo styles. Together with the east-facing rondel, the west-facing park, four castles and numerous canals, the palace forms a unique architectural ensemble. An absolutely highlight is the Amalienburg, part of the palace complex and a typical pleasure palace of the late Baroque period. It is one of the most precious creations of European Rococo and a work of art of exquisite beauty.

Linderhof Palace is a listed building in the Bavarian municipality of Ettal. The single-winged complex was built between 1870 and 1886 by King Ludwig II of Bavaria in the Neurococo style. Marly Castle served as the architectural model. The bedroom, dining room and hall of mirrors are particularly noteworthy. With its baroque parterres, Renaissance terraces and landscaped park, whose origins can be traced back to England, and borrowings from historical gardens such as Marly le Roi in France or La Granja in Spain, the garden and park complex at Linderhof is a prime example of historicist garden design. A special building is the artificial Venus Grotto, which refers to Richard Wagner's opera Tannhäuser and is intended to represent the grotto in the Venusberg.