WEBVTT - BrainStuff Classics: How Did a Mad King Design Disney's Castle?

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<v Speaker 1>Welcome to BrainStuff, a production of iHeartRadio. Hey, BrainStuff. I'm

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<v Speaker 1>Lauren Vogelbaum, and this is a classic episode of the podcast.

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<v Speaker 1>In this one, we look into the weird and perhaps

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<v Speaker 1>surprisingly spooky history behind Disney's iconic Sleeping Beauty Castle. It's

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<v Speaker 1>based on a real one in the Bavarian Alps with

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<v Speaker 1>a tragic backstory. Hey, BrainStuff. Lauren Vogelbaum here.

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<v Speaker 2>You can thank a mad Bavarian king for the opening

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<v Speaker 2>credits to every Disney movie. Before Walt Disney built Disneyland,

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<v Speaker 2>he and his wife Lillian toured Europe, including a stop

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<v Speaker 2>at the magnificent Neuschwanstein Castle in the Bavarian Alps of Germany.

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<v Speaker 2>Disney was so impressed with the skyscraping turrets and towers

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<v Speaker 2>of this faux Romanesque structure that he used it as

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<v Speaker 2>the model for Sleeping Beauty's castle, the centerpiece of Disneyland,

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<v Speaker 2>and now the ubiquitous logo of Walt Disney Pictures. But

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<v Speaker 2>if Disney had known the real story of Neuschwanstein and

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<v Speaker 2>its fairy tale king, an eccentric opera fan who was

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<v Speaker 2>declared a madman before dying under mysterious circumstances, he might

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<v Speaker 2>have chosen a different castle. Neuschwanstein Castle is one of

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<v Speaker 2>the most visited tourist destinations in Europe, welcoming more than

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<v Speaker 2>6,000 visitors on busy days in the summer. But the

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<v Speaker 2>man who dreamed up the fantastical castle never intended for

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<v Speaker 2>it to be open to the public. It began as

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<v Speaker 2>an architectural love letter to the German composer Richard Wagner

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<v Speaker 2>and evolved into a refuge for a reclusive king who

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<v Speaker 2>slowly lost his grip on reality. King Ludwig II never

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<v Speaker 2>fit the mold of a stoic monarch. Born in 1845,

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<v Speaker 2>he was raised in princely elegance in his father Maximilian

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<v Speaker 2>II's castle, Hohenschwangau, where the young royal, quote, enjoyed dressing

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<v Speaker 2>up and took pleasure in play acting, according to his mother,

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<v Speaker 2>Marie of Prussia. From an early age, Ludwig had a

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<v Speaker 2>vivid imagination and a flair for the dramatic. Hohenschwangau, built

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<v Speaker 2>in 1832 in the Gothic style, was decorated with paintings

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<v Speaker 2>drawn from medieval German legends and poetry, and young Ludwig

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<v Speaker 2>particularly identified with Luhengreen, a legendary knight of the Holy

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<v Speaker 2>Grail who traveled on a boat pulled by swans. When

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<v Speaker 2>Maximilian II died suddenly in 1864, Ludwig, then 18 years old,

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<v Speaker 2>was thrust into power. Unprepared for any serious political leadership,

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<v Speaker 2>one of the first things Ludwig did as king was

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<v Speaker 2>to invite his musical idol Wagner to come to Munich

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<v Speaker 2>for an opera festival. Wagner was also obsessed with German

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<v Speaker 2>medieval legends and an even written opera version of the

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<v Speaker 2>Luhengreen story in 1850. Wagner, who was in dire financial straits,

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<v Speaker 2>eagerly accepted Ludwig's invitation, and the young king became one

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<v Speaker 2>of the composer's chief patrons. When they met, Wagner didn't

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<v Speaker 2>know what to make of the otherworldly Ludwig. Wagner wrote,

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<v Speaker 2>Wagner couldn't have predicted it, but just two years later,

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<v Speaker 2>in 1866, Bavaria and Austria suffered a humiliating defeat to

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<v Speaker 2>Prussia in the Seven Weeks War, and Ludwig was stripped

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<v Speaker 2>of all real power. It was then, historians believe, that

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<v Speaker 2>Ludwig decided to retreat into a fantasy kingdom in the

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<v Speaker 2>Alps dedicated to Wagner, an alternate reality in which he

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<v Speaker 2>could play out his operatic daydreams full of Christian knights

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<v Speaker 2>and magical swans. Ludwig already had the perfect location picked out,

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<v Speaker 2>a rocky promontory near his childhood castle with 360-degree views

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<v Speaker 2>of pristine alpine lakes, lush valleys, and towering peaks. He

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<v Speaker 2>wrote a letter to Wagner describing his plans to build

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<v Speaker 2>a far more ambitious version of his father's Hohenschwangau. Quote,

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<v Speaker 2>the location is one of the most beautiful to be found,

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<v Speaker 2>holy and unapproachable, a worthy temple for the divine friend

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<v Speaker 2>who has brought salvation and true blessing to the world.

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<v Speaker 2>To bring his vision to life, Ludwig enlisted a theatrical

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<v Speaker 2>set designer and scene painter from Munich named Christian Jung

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<v Speaker 2>to make some appropriately dramatic drawings of the new Hohenschwangau,

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<v Speaker 2>as Ludwig called it. It was meant to be an

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<v Speaker 2>idealized version of a medieval castle, inspired by a visit

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<v Speaker 2>to the legitimately medieval Wartburg Palace, but cranked up to

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<v Speaker 2>an 11. Ludwig wanted 200 well-appointed rooms, a cavernous singer's

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<v Speaker 2>hall for opera performances, ornate walled gardens, and even a

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<v Speaker 2>knight's bath akin to the ritual baths used by the

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<v Speaker 2>Knights of the Holy Grail. But rather than being a

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<v Speaker 2>complete throwback, the castle was to include the latest technological comforts,

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<v Speaker 2>including electric lighting, flush toilets, central heating, and an electric

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<v Speaker 2>buzzer system for summoning servants. The first stone of Ludwig's

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<v Speaker 2>dream castle was laid in 1869— He had written to

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<v Speaker 2>Wagner that he hoped to move in in three years,

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<v Speaker 2>but construction was still ongoing when Ludwig finally moved into

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<v Speaker 2>the first completed section 15 years later. By that point,

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<v Speaker 2>the scale of the castle had been pared down significantly,

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<v Speaker 2>and the project had taken on a distinctly chaotic feel. Ludwig,

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<v Speaker 2>a deeply pious Christian, had begun to identify himself more

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<v Speaker 2>and more with the Arthurian hero Parzival, another knight in

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<v Speaker 2>the quest of the Holy Grail. In the castle, a

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<v Speaker 2>space originally planned as an audience room for receiving guests

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<v Speaker 2>was turned into a high-toned throne room without a throne. Instead,

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<v Speaker 2>its gilt walls and murals would serve as a hall

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<v Speaker 2>of the Holy Grail. Ludwig grew increasingly reclusive. He slept

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<v Speaker 2>during the day and wandered the castle at night. He'd

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<v Speaker 2>hire musicians and actors for private concerts and operas. And

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<v Speaker 2>during Bavaria's snowy winters, journey out for nighttime sleigh rides

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<v Speaker 2>in an elaborate custom-made sleigh, sometimes in medieval costume. By 1885,

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<v Speaker 2>the still-unfinished castle had gone wildly over budget, and Ludwig

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<v Speaker 2>had tried the patience of his foreign creditors. When he

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<v Speaker 2>couldn't repay his debts, the foreign banks seized the property

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<v Speaker 2>and threatened to bankrupt the state of Bavaria. Ludwig's ministers,

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<v Speaker 2>largely to protect state assets, accused the king of insanity

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<v Speaker 2>and removed him from the throne. Ludwig had clearly shown

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<v Speaker 2>some borderline delusional behavior, and his obsession with building his

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<v Speaker 2>new Hohenschwangau, plus four other lavish personal palaces and homes,

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<v Speaker 2>was all-consuming. Whether or not he had any mental disorder

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<v Speaker 2>that would be diagnosable by today's standards is still debated.

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<v Speaker 2>Ludwig's ultimate fate is also shrouded in mystery. Days after

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<v Speaker 2>Ludwig was deemed insane by the state-appointed psychiatrist and locked

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<v Speaker 2>up in a drab castle, he was found dead, apparently

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<v Speaker 2>drowned in waist-deep water. Ludwig's death at only 40 years

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<v Speaker 2>old would have been ruled a suicide if not for

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<v Speaker 2>one gruesome detail. His psychiatrist was floating dead next to him.

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<v Speaker 2>No one knows exactly what happened. The castle was renamed Neuschwanstein.

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<v Speaker 2>a German for New Swanstone, after Ludwig's death as an

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<v Speaker 2>homage to the tragic and eccentric figure known as the

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<v Speaker 2>Fairytale King. Ironically, the debt-ridden castle, opened to the public

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<v Speaker 2>just seven weeks after Ludwig's death in 1886, has paid

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<v Speaker 2>for itself many times over thanks to the 1.4 million

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<v Speaker 2>tourists who visit every year. Today's episode is based on

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<v Speaker 2>the article Neuschwanstein Castle, The Real Story Behind the Fairy

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<v Speaker 2>Tale Fortress on HowStuffWorks.com, written by Dave Ruse. BrainStuff is

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<v Speaker 2>a production of iHeart Podcasts in partnership with HowStuffWorks.com and

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<v Speaker 2>is produced by Tyler Klang. For more shows from iHeart Podcasts,

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<v Speaker 2>visit the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you listen

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