1 00:00:01,920 --> 00:00:07,120 Speaker 1: Welcome to Brainstuff production of I Heart Radio. Hey, brain Stuff, 2 00:00:07,160 --> 00:00:11,719 Speaker 1: Lauren Bogelbam. Here you can thank a mad Bavarian king 3 00:00:11,880 --> 00:00:16,079 Speaker 1: for the opening credits to every Disney movie. Before Walt 4 00:00:16,079 --> 00:00:19,720 Speaker 1: Disney built Disneyland, he and his wife Lillian toward Europe, 5 00:00:19,920 --> 00:00:22,720 Speaker 1: including a stop at the magnificent Neusch von Stein Castle 6 00:00:22,760 --> 00:00:26,280 Speaker 1: in the Bavarian Alps of Germany. Disney was so impressed 7 00:00:26,320 --> 00:00:29,320 Speaker 1: with the skyscraping, turrets and towers of this faux Romanesque 8 00:00:29,320 --> 00:00:31,880 Speaker 1: structure that he used it as the model for Sleeping 9 00:00:31,880 --> 00:00:35,880 Speaker 1: Beauty's Castle, the centerpiece of Disneyland and now the ubiquitous 10 00:00:35,880 --> 00:00:39,960 Speaker 1: logo of Walt Disney Pictures. But if Disney had known 11 00:00:40,000 --> 00:00:42,720 Speaker 1: the real story of Neusch von Stein and its fairy 12 00:00:42,760 --> 00:00:45,960 Speaker 1: tale king, an eccentric opera fan who was declared a 13 00:00:46,000 --> 00:00:49,600 Speaker 1: mad man before dying under mysterious circumstances, he might have 14 00:00:49,680 --> 00:00:54,120 Speaker 1: chosen a different castle. Neusch von Stein Castle is one 15 00:00:54,200 --> 00:00:58,120 Speaker 1: of the most visited tourist destinations in Europe, welcoming more 16 00:00:58,120 --> 00:01:00,680 Speaker 1: than six thousand visitors on busy day das in the summer. 17 00:01:01,560 --> 00:01:04,880 Speaker 1: But the man who dreamed up the fantastical castle never 18 00:01:04,920 --> 00:01:07,399 Speaker 1: intended for it to be open to the public. It 19 00:01:07,480 --> 00:01:10,480 Speaker 1: began as an architectural love letter to the German composer 20 00:01:10,600 --> 00:01:14,000 Speaker 1: Richard Wagner and evolved into a refuge for a reclusive 21 00:01:14,120 --> 00:01:18,880 Speaker 1: king who slowly lost his grip on reality. King Ludwig 22 00:01:18,880 --> 00:01:21,840 Speaker 1: the Second never fit the mold of a stoic monarch. 23 00:01:22,480 --> 00:01:25,200 Speaker 1: Born in eighteen forty five, he was raised in princely 24 00:01:25,240 --> 00:01:29,600 Speaker 1: elegance in his father, Maximilian the Seconds castle Hohenschwangau, where 25 00:01:29,760 --> 00:01:33,319 Speaker 1: the young royal quote enjoyed dressing up and took pleasure 26 00:01:33,319 --> 00:01:37,200 Speaker 1: in play acting. According to his mother Marie of Prussia, 27 00:01:37,520 --> 00:01:40,319 Speaker 1: from an early age, Ludwig had a vivid imagination and 28 00:01:40,360 --> 00:01:44,360 Speaker 1: a flair for the dramatic owen Schwangau, built in eighteen 29 00:01:44,400 --> 00:01:47,560 Speaker 1: thirty two in the Gothic style, was decorated with paintings 30 00:01:47,640 --> 00:01:51,160 Speaker 1: drawn from medieval German legends and poetry, and young Ludwig 31 00:01:51,200 --> 00:01:54,800 Speaker 1: particularly identified with Luhang Green, a legendary knight of the 32 00:01:54,840 --> 00:01:57,640 Speaker 1: Holy Grail who traveled on a boat pulled by swans. 33 00:01:58,600 --> 00:02:02,840 Speaker 1: When Maximilian the Second died suddenly in eighteen sixty four, Ludwig, 34 00:02:02,880 --> 00:02:06,920 Speaker 1: then eighteen years old, was thrust into power unprepared for 35 00:02:06,920 --> 00:02:10,240 Speaker 1: any serious political leadership. One of the first things Ludwig 36 00:02:10,360 --> 00:02:13,679 Speaker 1: did as king was to invite his musical idol Wagner 37 00:02:13,960 --> 00:02:17,480 Speaker 1: to come to Munich for an opera festival. Wagner was 38 00:02:17,560 --> 00:02:20,720 Speaker 1: also obsessed with German medieval legends and an even written 39 00:02:20,760 --> 00:02:25,200 Speaker 1: opera version of the Luhan Green story in eighteen fifty. Wagner, 40 00:02:25,360 --> 00:02:29,680 Speaker 1: who was in dire financial straits, eagerly accepted Ludwig's invitation, 41 00:02:30,080 --> 00:02:33,160 Speaker 1: and the young king became one of the composer's chief patrons. 42 00:02:33,840 --> 00:02:36,240 Speaker 1: When they met, Wagner didn't know what to make of 43 00:02:36,240 --> 00:02:40,400 Speaker 1: the other worldly Ludwig, Wagner wrote, today, I was brought 44 00:02:40,440 --> 00:02:44,480 Speaker 1: to him. He's unfortunately so beautiful and wise, soulful and 45 00:02:44,560 --> 00:02:47,280 Speaker 1: lordly that I fear his life must fade away like 46 00:02:47,320 --> 00:02:50,920 Speaker 1: a divine dream. In this base world. You cannot imagine 47 00:02:50,919 --> 00:02:53,560 Speaker 1: the magic of his regard. If he remains alive, it 48 00:02:53,560 --> 00:02:57,800 Speaker 1: will be a great miracle. Wagner couldn't have predicted it, 49 00:02:58,040 --> 00:03:01,160 Speaker 1: but just two years later, in eighteen six six, Bavaria 50 00:03:01,240 --> 00:03:04,000 Speaker 1: and Austria suffered a humiliating defeat to Prussia in the 51 00:03:04,040 --> 00:03:07,720 Speaker 1: Seven Weeks War, and Ludwig was stripped of all real power. 52 00:03:08,560 --> 00:03:12,160 Speaker 1: It was then historians believe that Ludwig decided to retreat 53 00:03:12,200 --> 00:03:15,359 Speaker 1: into a fantasy kingdom in the Alps dedicated to Wagner, 54 00:03:15,720 --> 00:03:18,160 Speaker 1: an alternate reality in which he could play out his 55 00:03:18,200 --> 00:03:23,080 Speaker 1: operatic daydreams full of Christian nights and magical swans. Ludwig 56 00:03:23,200 --> 00:03:26,880 Speaker 1: already had the perfect location picked out, a rocky promontory 57 00:03:27,000 --> 00:03:30,000 Speaker 1: near his childhood castle with three hundred and sixty degree 58 00:03:30,080 --> 00:03:34,200 Speaker 1: views of pristine alpine lakes, lush valleys, and towering peaks. 59 00:03:34,880 --> 00:03:37,480 Speaker 1: He wrote a letter to Wagner describing his plans to 60 00:03:37,520 --> 00:03:42,840 Speaker 1: build a far more ambitious version of his father's Hoenschwangau. Quote, 61 00:03:43,040 --> 00:03:45,440 Speaker 1: the location is one of the most beautiful to be found, 62 00:03:45,760 --> 00:03:49,320 Speaker 1: wholly and unapproachable, a worthy temple for the divine friend 63 00:03:49,360 --> 00:03:52,040 Speaker 1: who has brought salvation and true blessing to the world. 64 00:03:53,600 --> 00:03:56,640 Speaker 1: To bring his vision to life, Ludwig enlisted a theatrical 65 00:03:56,680 --> 00:03:59,640 Speaker 1: set designer and scene painter from Munich named Christian Young 66 00:04:00,080 --> 00:04:03,800 Speaker 1: make some appropriately dramatic drawings of the new hohen Schwangau. 67 00:04:03,960 --> 00:04:06,640 Speaker 1: As Ludwig called it, it was meant to be an 68 00:04:06,680 --> 00:04:10,000 Speaker 1: idealized version of a medieval castle, inspired by a visit 69 00:04:10,080 --> 00:04:13,560 Speaker 1: to the legitimately medieval vartboard palace, but cranked up to 70 00:04:13,560 --> 00:04:18,400 Speaker 1: an eleven. Ludwig wanted two hundred well appointed rooms, a 71 00:04:18,440 --> 00:04:22,320 Speaker 1: cavernous singers hall for opera performances or nate walled gardens, 72 00:04:22,480 --> 00:04:25,200 Speaker 1: and even a night's bath akin to the ritual baths 73 00:04:25,320 --> 00:04:28,400 Speaker 1: used by the Knights of the Holy Grail, But rather 74 00:04:28,480 --> 00:04:31,120 Speaker 1: than being a complete throwback, the castle was to include 75 00:04:31,120 --> 00:04:35,960 Speaker 1: the latest technological comforts, including electric lighting, flush toilets, central heating, 76 00:04:36,240 --> 00:04:40,440 Speaker 1: and an electric buzzer system for summoning servants. The first 77 00:04:40,440 --> 00:04:43,720 Speaker 1: stone of Ludvig's dreamcastle was laid in eighteen sixty nine. 78 00:04:44,279 --> 00:04:46,159 Speaker 1: He had written to Wagner that he hoped to move 79 00:04:46,200 --> 00:04:49,280 Speaker 1: in in three years, but construction was still ongoing when 80 00:04:49,360 --> 00:04:53,320 Speaker 1: Ludwig finally moved into the first completed section fifteen years later. 81 00:04:54,160 --> 00:04:56,479 Speaker 1: By that point, the scale of the castle had been 82 00:04:56,520 --> 00:04:59,560 Speaker 1: paired down significantly, and the project had taken on a 83 00:04:59,600 --> 00:05:04,360 Speaker 1: distinct the kiotic feel. Ludvig, a deeply pious Christian, had 84 00:05:04,360 --> 00:05:07,120 Speaker 1: begun to identify himself more and more with the Arthurian 85 00:05:07,200 --> 00:05:10,080 Speaker 1: hero Parceval. Another Night in the Quest of the Holy 86 00:05:10,120 --> 00:05:14,039 Speaker 1: Grail in the Castle of Space, originally planned as an 87 00:05:14,080 --> 00:05:17,159 Speaker 1: audience room for receiving guests was turned into a high 88 00:05:17,240 --> 00:05:21,880 Speaker 1: domed throne room without a throne instead, its guilt walls 89 00:05:21,880 --> 00:05:24,640 Speaker 1: and murals would serve as a whole of the Holy Grail. 90 00:05:26,040 --> 00:05:29,680 Speaker 1: Ludwig grew increasingly reclusive. He slept during the day and 91 00:05:29,720 --> 00:05:32,919 Speaker 1: wandered the castle at night, had hire musicians and actors 92 00:05:32,960 --> 00:05:36,839 Speaker 1: for private concerts and operas, and during the various snowy winters, 93 00:05:37,240 --> 00:05:40,080 Speaker 1: journey out for night time sleigh rides in an elaborate 94 00:05:40,200 --> 00:05:46,440 Speaker 1: custom made sleigh, sometimes in medieval costume. By the still 95 00:05:46,520 --> 00:05:50,160 Speaker 1: unfinished castle had gone wildly over budget, and Ludwig had 96 00:05:50,200 --> 00:05:53,160 Speaker 1: tried the patience of his foreign creditors. When he couldn't 97 00:05:53,200 --> 00:05:56,359 Speaker 1: repay his debts, the foreign banks seized the property and 98 00:05:56,400 --> 00:06:00,760 Speaker 1: threatened to bankrupt the state of Bavaria. Ludwig's ministers, largely 99 00:06:00,800 --> 00:06:04,080 Speaker 1: to protect state assets, accused the king of insanity and 100 00:06:04,120 --> 00:06:08,080 Speaker 1: removed him from the throne. Ludwig had clearly shown some 101 00:06:08,160 --> 00:06:11,640 Speaker 1: borderline delusional behavior, and his obsession with building his new 102 00:06:11,640 --> 00:06:15,240 Speaker 1: ho and Schwangau A plus four other lavish personal palaces 103 00:06:15,240 --> 00:06:18,560 Speaker 1: and homes was all consuming. Now. Whether or not he 104 00:06:18,600 --> 00:06:22,200 Speaker 1: had any mental disorder that would be diagnosable by today's standards, 105 00:06:22,320 --> 00:06:27,200 Speaker 1: is still debated. Ludwig's ultimate fate is also shrouded in mystery. 106 00:06:27,880 --> 00:06:31,000 Speaker 1: Days after Ludwig was deemed insane by the state appointed 107 00:06:31,040 --> 00:06:33,800 Speaker 1: psychiatrist and locked up in a drab castle, he was 108 00:06:33,839 --> 00:06:38,360 Speaker 1: found dead, apparently drowned in waist deep water. Ludwig's death 109 00:06:38,360 --> 00:06:40,360 Speaker 1: at only forty years old would have been ruled a 110 00:06:40,400 --> 00:06:44,280 Speaker 1: suicide if not for one gruesome detail. His psychiatrist was 111 00:06:44,320 --> 00:06:47,839 Speaker 1: floating dead next to him. No one knows exactly what happened. 112 00:06:49,160 --> 00:06:52,560 Speaker 1: The castle was renamed Neich von Stein, a German for 113 00:06:52,880 --> 00:06:56,440 Speaker 1: new Swanstone after Ludwig's death, as a homage to the 114 00:06:56,440 --> 00:07:01,000 Speaker 1: tragic and eccentric figure known as the fairy tale King. Ironically, 115 00:07:01,279 --> 00:07:03,800 Speaker 1: the debt ridden castle, opened to the public just seven 116 00:07:03,839 --> 00:07:06,600 Speaker 1: weeks after Ludwig's death in eighteen eighty six, has paid 117 00:07:06,640 --> 00:07:08,720 Speaker 1: for itself many times over thanks to the one point 118 00:07:08,760 --> 00:07:17,160 Speaker 1: four million tourists who visit every year. Today's episode was 119 00:07:17,200 --> 00:07:19,960 Speaker 1: written by Dave Ruse and produced by Tyler Clang. Brain 120 00:07:20,000 --> 00:07:22,880 Speaker 1: Stuff is production of iHeart Radio's How Stuff Works. For 121 00:07:22,960 --> 00:07:25,080 Speaker 1: more on this and lots of other mythic topics, visit 122 00:07:25,080 --> 00:07:27,720 Speaker 1: our home Planet, how Stuff works dot com and for 123 00:07:27,760 --> 00:07:29,880 Speaker 1: more podcasts. For my heart Radio, visit the I heart 124 00:07:29,960 --> 00:07:32,560 Speaker 1: Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you listen to your 125 00:07:32,560 --> 00:07:33,280 Speaker 1: favorite shows.