The Bavarian Royal Castles of Neuschwanstein, Linderhof and Herrenchiemsee attract more than 2.7 million visitors each year, all enchanted by their sumptuous magnificence and fascinated by the bizarre, mysterious and romantic personality of their creator, Ludwig II. These castles and also the royal hunting lodge on the Schachen were for him a private world of dreams an fairytales, where he used to seek solitary refuge from the outside world and abandon himself to wild, majestic fantasies. In 1886, at just 41 years of age, Ludwig died, in circumstances which still today remain shrouded in mystery. Yet his dream worlds live on in his fantastic castles. With over 100 illustrations, this informative book uncovers the never-ending fascination of the storybook King Ludwig and his castles.