Hohenschwangau Castle

King Ludwig II never fit the mold of a stoic monarch.

Born in 1845, he was raised in princely elegance in his father Maximilian II's castle, Hohenschwangau, where the young royal, quote, "enjoyed dressing up and took pleasure in play acting," according to his mother, Marie of Prussia.

From an early age, Ludwig had a vivid imagination and a flair for the dramatic.

Hohenschwangau, built in 1832 in the Gothic style, was decorated with paintings drawn from medieval German legends and poetry, and young Ludwig particularly identified with Lohengrin, a legendary knight of the Holy Grail who traveled on a boat pulled by swans.

When Maximilian II died suddenly in 1864, Ludwig, then 18 years old, was thrust into power.

Unprepared for any serious political leadership, one of the first things Ludwig did as king was to invite his musical idol, Wagner, to come to Munich for an opera festival.

It was then, historians believe, that Ludwig decided to retreat into a fantasy kingdom in the Alps dedicated to Wagner, an alternate reality in which he could play out his operatic daydreams full of Christian knights and magical swans.

Ludwig already had the perfect location picked out, a rocky promontory near his childhood castle with 360-degree views of pristine alpine lakes, lush valleys, and towering peaks.