Baku, May 12, AZERTAC Neuschwanstein Castle, German Schloss Neuschwanstein, elaborate castle near Füssen, Germany, built atop a rock ledge over the Pöllat Gorge in the Bavarian Alps by order of Bavaria’s King Louis II (“Mad King Ludwig”). The castle’s construction began in 1868, and was never completed.Louis II spent much of his childhood at Hohenschwangau Castle, a neo-Gothic, medieval-inspired castle elaborately decorated with scenes from legend and poetry.After his accession to the throne in 1864, Louis set out to build a “New Hohenschwangau Castle”—as Neuschwanstein was called until after his death—which he intended to be an even better reproduction of a medieval-style castle in line with his fairy-tale vision of monarchy.Neuschwanstein stands on the site of two smaller castles, the ruins of which were cleared away in 1868. The foundation stone for Neuschwanstein was laid in September 1869.Although Louis expected the entire project to be completed within three years, only the gateway building was inhabitable by 1873. The topping-out ceremony was held on January 29, 1880, but even then the castle was still under construction.According to Encyclopedia Britannica, the technical fittings were completed some four and a half years later, and the castle remained incomplete in 1886, when Louis died by drowning himself.Several weeks after his passing, the unfinished castle was opened to the public as a museum.Despite remaining unfinished, Neuschwanstein Castle became one of the most popular tourist attractions in Europe, receiving about 1.3 million visitors each year. It also served as inspiration for Disneyland’s Sleeping Beauty Castle.