Turret in love with castles?
GermanyThe southern Bavarian region can be your ideal holiday destination, because as These striking images show that it is adorned with fairytale citadels, hilltop fortresses and opulent palaces.
This directory of dream castles includes a “huge fortress”, a “monument to the monarchy” and the longest castle in the world.
There is also a similarity to Versailles, a castle so perfectly preserved that it “looks like a movie set” and “one of the most important baroque palaces in Europe.”
They are forced to leave you Moat-ivated to book an adventure.
Scroll down and head to the comments to declare your favorite…
Hohenshwangau Castle was the childhood home of King Ludwig II. As an adult, the monarch spent summers in the 19th century “sun yellow” castle. Currently the building can be visited by guided tour. Lonely Planet comments: ‘Hohenschwangau has a clearly lived-in atmosphere, where every piece of furniture is a used original’
Perhaps Bavaria’s best-known castle and the rumored inspiration for Disney’s Sleeping Beauty citadel, Neuschwanstein Castle is visited by 1.4 million tourists a year. King Ludwig II built the castle at the end of the 19th century to retire from public life, according to the castle websitewho adds that its ‘environment could not be more idyllic’
Harburg Castle is one of the best preserved historic castles in Germany. Lonely Planet comments: ‘Lovering over the River Wornitz, the 12th-century (castle’s) covered medieval parapets, turrets, turrets, keep and red-tiled roofs are so perfectly preserved that they almost look like a movie set.’
With a length of 1,051 m (3,448 ft), Burghausen Castle, founded before 1025, holds the title of “longest castle in the world.” Visit Burghausen says: “The imposing castle complex dominates the protected old town (of Burghausen).” The tourist office, for its part, describes it as “a unique set of challenging walls and fantastic views.”
Schloss Nymphenburg in Munich dates back to the 17th century, when it served as a royal summer residence. Lonely Planet describes it as an “imposing palace” with “a grand villa and two wings with creaking parquet floors and sumptuous period rooms”, plus “splendid gardens”.
Plassenburg Castle was first mentioned in 1135, according to Discover Bavaria. The tourist office adds: “It towers majestically over the small town (of Kulmbach) and its 26,000 inhabitants and appears on countless postcards on the stalls of souvenir shops.”
The Marienberg Fortress was built in the 1200s and inhabited by princes until the early 1700s. Lonely Planet reveals: “The structure was only penetrated once, by Swedish troops during the Thirty Years’ War in 1631. Enjoy panoramic views of the city and vineyards from this massive fortress.”
Seehof Castle, located northeast of Bamberg and dating back to the 17th century, was used as a hunting lodge and summer residence by royalty. Tourism in Bamberg explains that the castle has been “restored to its former splendor”, impressing visitors with “magnificent interior furnishings” and a “beautiful park”.
Hochstadt Castle is a Renaissance-style citadel consisting of a “powerful four-winged complex built between 1589 and 1602 under Count Palatine Philipp Ludwig,” explains Museums in Bayern
The beautiful Mespelbrunn Castle is hidden in a secluded valley and has survived to this day in its Renaissance form from 1569, he says. Museums in Bayern. German film fans may recognize him from the 1958 musical comedy film The Spessart Inn.
Lonely Planet describes the 17th-century Johannisburg Castle as “a highlight of German palatial architecture of the late Renaissance.” The magnificent building is located in the city center of Aschaffenburg next to the River Main.
The Herrenchiemsee Palace is located on an island in Lake Chiemsee and was “inspired by Versailles”, reveals the castle websitewhich explains: ‘Begun in 1878, it was conceived solely as a monument to absolute monarchy and had no practical function. The architect Georg Dollmann was forced to rebuild rooms that had long ceased to exist in Versailles.
The Versailles-inspired Schloss Linderhof was Ludwig II’s smallest palace and was used by the monarch as a private retreat. Lonely Planet reveals: ‘Completed in 1878, the palace hugs a steep hillside in a fantasy landscape of French gardens, fountains and follies’
The 18th-century Würzburg Residence, declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO, is “one of the most important baroque palaces in Europe,” explains the castle websitewhich adds: “There are a total of more than 40 rooms of the palace to visit, with a rich variety of furniture, tapestries, paintings and other treasures from the 18th century.”