The village of Hohenschwangau was overlooked by three ruined castles, amongst which the King Maximilian bought the Schwanstein castle and transformed it into a neo-gothic palace, now known as the Hohenschwangau castle.
The Vorderhohenschwangau and the Hinterhohenschwangau stood on a rocky promontory with lakes underneath was ruined by the 19th century.
And this turned out to be the Ludwig´s spot to build his dynasty.
Close to his childhood castle, with the scenery of the valley which is beyond beautiful, and the lakes Alpsee and Schwansee running at the foot made this it a fairy-tale castle setup.
The twin castles were demolished and the foundation stone for the new Hohenschwangau castle was laid in September, 1869.
Ludwig´s immoderate enthusiasm for opera of Richard Wagner was the major inspiration for the interiors and architectural designs. The king was a fan of extensiveness and elaborateness which also lead to his obsession of making the castle to minute details and calling it as its own creation.
The cuboids, semi-circular arches, the delicate embellishments, the Byzantine architecture; the Throne Hall, the exteriors all merge into an eccentric work of art in the 19th century.
King Ludwig wished to have 200 guests´ rooms, Singers´ Hall for musical nights and opera, knights´ bath for the ritual baths used by the Knights of the Holy Grail.
The castle was also planned to include modern interiors and technologies. But soon the project ran out of funds.
The King had dreamt of living in the castle within 3 years of foundation, but could do so only after 15 years, where he lived in a section of the castle.
The sudden and mysterious death of the King in 1886, din´t give him a chance to see the final castle whose work continued till 1892. But the castle was opened to public right after the death of the King.