Minecraft - Neuschwanstein Castle

Whew, three months of work & we come to this, Neuschwanstein Castle in Germany.
Scale is 1:1 of the real castle.
Might change one or two things, just have the interior to do.
Overall I'm very happy with how this turned out, continuous R&D has worked wonders for this build even though it took longer than most.

Historical Info:

Situated on the Alpine foothills surrounded by the pristine forestry of Southern Germany, stands a magnificent castle known in German as Schloss Neuschwanstein, meaning New Sandstone Castle in English, but it is simply called 'Neuschwanstein'. This amazing castle was built to be the residence & retreat of one of history's most enigmatic kings, whose fame is cemented into every facet of the castle.

The castle was the vision of King Ludwig II of Bavaria (1845 - 1886) intended to be his private retreat. By nature, Ludwig II was reclusive who disliked formal social occasions focusing his internal energy on many creative projects largely funded by his own private fortune rather than state taxes. He was also a devoted admirer of the operas of composer Richard Wagner (1813 - 1883) who's Die Walkure (The Ride of The Valkyries) is famed the world over. His creative ambition led him towards a palace built on an elevated area making it hard to reach on foot or horse & cart.

Neuschwanstein is a beautiful example of the Romanesque style of architecture. This style is, at it's core, built upon the principles of Roman & Byzantine architecture borrowing many of it's features, including semi-circular arched windows, round towers topped by coned drums & very thick masonry walls. In the case of Neuschwanstein, it uses many of these features, along with influences of the Gothic style, namely on the interior. Construction began in 1869 on the foundations of two castles from the Medieval Ages which were demolished for the new palace. The skeleton of the castle is built from brick but was plastered in limestone to give it a smooth, polished finish. Inside the castle is a maze of nearly 200 rooms, corridors, halls, & vaulted ceilings. The palace rooms contain the most decoration in the castle & can still be admired today for their sense of opulence.

Fate was to play a cruel hand. Before his beloved castle was finished, Ludwig II died mysteriously in a lake in 1886. By then Neuschwanstein was in it's final stages of it's completion. The circumstances surrounding his death are still a mystery to this day. Despite his death however, the castle was completed in 1892. Immediately thereafter, it was opened to the public to marvel at it's external & internal grandeur.

Today, this mighty castle is one of Germany's most popular tourist attractions. In addition, it inspired the castle in the Disney movie The Beauty And The Beast. Neuschwanstein has become one of the worlds's most endearing castles, & is deserving of the accolade of being a wonder of the world.