My Castle wish-list: German edition

In my last castle wish-list I focussed on France, and I thought that was as good as it's going to get. Until...I discovered some German castles on Pinterest!

These are the absolute dream castles. Trust me they're not photoshopped! It's too much for a girl to handle.

Lichtenstein Castle, Baden-Württemberg:

Situated on a cliff, this castle reminds me of the one at the start of Beauty and the Beast and it is absolutely stunning. There has been a castle on the site since 1200, but it fell to ruin as it was destroyed in several wars. In 1802 the land was bought by King Fredrick I who built a hunting lodge, and his son built the castle afterwards in 1840. It is now open to the public and is owned by the "Dukes of Urach". Anyone else up for a hostile takeover?

Neuschwanstein Castle, Bavaria:

It's unlikely you'll ever be able to get directions to this place, due to the name being unpronounceable, but there isn't much I wouldn't do to get a glimpse of this one! King Ludwig II of Bavaria built this as a place he could hide away in, but it was donated to the public after his death in 1886. Apparently it was the inspiration for the Sleeping Beauty Castle too! You can see why, as it houses an amazing Throne Hall and lots of bedrooms (although all of the intended bedrooms weren't completed).

Eltz Castle, Trier:

A beauty of a medieval Castle! It's unusual as most medieval Castles in Europe are demolished then built on, so this is a complete novelty. The same family from right back in the 12th century still lives there! The Castle is nestled in the hills, and is even more unique as it was divided into sections so that every son in the family had a place to live and the family was able to afford it, rather than relying on the head of the family. It almost looks like a combination of the previous two!

Linderhof Palace, Southwest Bavaria:

Sorry about the caption here....

I can't begin to explain how excited I got about finding this one. It was the inspiration for the palace of Versailles, but the interior also houses....AN INDOOR LAGOON!! (known as the Venus Grotto) This little Grotto has a boat you could sit in and relax and is decorated beautifully. I want to live here! The interior also has a Hall of Mirrors and other functioning rooms, but the rest is apparently quite private and homely. Interesting fact: It was built by King Maximilian of Bavaria, who apparently used to have several place settings made up at dinner, as he used to imagine he was speaking to famous people at the time such as Marie Antoinette.....

Mespelbrunn Castle, near Frankfurt:

Mespelbrunn is known as a "water Castle", which means it is surrounded by a moat/looks like it is floating! Only the round tower has survived from the original medieval castle, and the family still in a wing of the castle. Why this hasn't been featured in every single episode of Game of Thrones I don't know...

Rheinstein Castle, Rhineland:

There are just so many! Rheinstein is perched on a cliff, overlooking a river. Originally, the site was built on in 1316, but was officially made into this beautiful Castle in the 19th century. Heartbreakingly, it's not open to the public but is private for the family. Booo!

There were a few more, but my eyes couldn't take so much envy!

I promise another one soon, as Europe has SO much to offer by way of Castles and history. Let me know in the comments if there is anywhere you would like to see.