Neuschwanstein Castle is most famously nicknamed the "Fairytale Castle" due to its ethereal, towering white spires and its stunning location perched on a rugged hill in the Bavarian Alps. This nickname is reinforced by the fact that the castle served as the primary visual inspiration for Walt Disney when he designed Sleeping Beauty Castle at Disneyland. In German, the castle is sometimes called the Schloss des Märchenkönigs (Castle of the Fairytale King), referring to its reclusive and eccentric commissioner, King Ludwig II of Bavaria. Another, less common historical nickname is the "Swan Castle," as the name Neuschwanstein literally translates to "New Swan Stone," a tribute to the swan knight Lohengrin from the operas of Richard Wagner, whom Ludwig deeply admired. Despite its massive, medieval appearance, the castle was actually built in the late 19th century with then-modern technologies like central heating and flushing toilets. Today, it remains one of the most visited and photographed landmarks in Europe, embodying the very image of a "storybook" palace for millions of international travelers every year.