Neuschwanstein Castle, Bavaria, Germany
This castle is familiar to a legion of movie-goers.
You would have seen it in Vulgaria in Chitty Chitty Bang Bang.
Steve McQueen flies over the castle in the The Great Escape.
It figures in The Amazing Race and Spaceballs.
The castle, built by King Ludwig II to honour composer Richard Wagner in the late 1800s, is the most photographed monument in Germany. It was conceived by Christian Jank, who designed sets for the theatre, and hence its fantasy theme.
Neuschwanstein means Castle of the Swan Knight, which figured in Wagner's famous opera Lohengrin.
Some facts you probably did not know:
The Disney corporation modelled Sleeping Beauty's castle at its amusement parks after the castle.
The castle was half finished when Ludwig, who had plans to build several more castles, was arrested and declared insane by the State. He and the psychiatrist, who certified him insane (before even examining him), drowned in a lake near another castle in Munich a few days later.
Photograph: Johannes Simon/AFP/Getty Images
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