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Neuschwanstein Castle

Neuschwanstein Castle in Bavaria line art illustration (click image to enlarge)

Artist's notes:

In the summer of 1989, my friend Mike and I traveled to Europe, and backpacked there for a few months, which is what people did at that time. One of the places I insisted on visiting was this castle, which I had been virtually obsessed with before and after our trip. The visit to castle was amazing, and for many years afterwards it was never far from my thoughts. I drew this illustration in 1990, a year after returning. This particular view is likely taken from a helicopter in front of the castle, as this vantage point isn't possible otherwise.

Information about Neuschwanstein Castle:

The Neuschwanstein Castle is a large impressive castle built on a rugged hill near the town of Fussen in Bavaria, Germany. The castle was built by King Ludwig II as a tribute to Richard Wagner. It is an extremely popular tourist destination, with an estimated 60 million people having visited it. The building was visualized by Christian Jank and realized by architect Eduard Riedel. The palace was built over the ruins of two other castles, which were completed destroyed in the process of construction. It was completed in 1873, at a massive cost to the government and people in which hundreds of craftsmen were employed. During it's construction, the castle was modified and enlarged. As it went up so did the expenses. The king and some of his family moved into the palace in 1884. Richard Wagner, whom the building was dedicated to, died in 1883 and was never able to set foot in the palace. Ludwig himself only was able to live there 172 days, before he died in 1886. The palace was never completed, and the massive expenses incurred by it's construction nearly bankrupted Bavaria. Although the official story has King Ludwig dying of accidental drowning, some theories exist that he was in fact murdered by orders of some members of the government. Ludwig was obsessed with swans, and the interior and exterior is decorated with dozens of them.