8Neuschwanstein, Germany

Even though many people consider this Bavarian masterpiece the epitome of a German castle, it’s a relatively new creation, erected in the late 1800s at the behest of King Ludwig II.

The Bavarian monarch instructed his architects to design something that would reflect both the operas of Richard Wagner and the romantic ideals of the Middle Ages – as much a fantasy as Sleeping Beauty Castle at Disneyland, but with the snowcapped Alps as a backdrop and the Bavarian plains spread out beneath. Neuschwanstein is also a cinema darling, having appeared in numerous flicks over the years including “Chitty Chitty Bang Bang” and “The Great Escape.”

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