NEUSCHWANSTEIN

elaborate castle built atop a rock ledge over the Pllat Gorge in the Bavarian Alps (near Fssen, Ger.) by order of Bavaria's King Louis II, called Mad Ludwig. Begun in 1869 and left unfinished at Louis's death in 1886, this lavish stronghold is an eccentric romantic reconstruction of a medieval castle, complete with walled courtyard, indoor garden, spires, towers, and an artificial cave. Its two-story throne room is modeled after a Byzantine basilica; stars decorate its blue vaulted ceiling, which is supported by red porphyry columns. Louis was a patron of Richard Wagner, and wall paintings throughout the castle depict Wagnerian themes: the life of Parsifal in the 4th-floor Singers' Hall; the Tannhuser saga in the study; Lohengrin in the great parlour. Neuschwanstein became a popular tourist attraction in the 20th century.