Neuschwanstein in Bavaria is a castle in the village of Hohenschwangau in the municipality of Schwangau near Füssen in the Allgäu, built in the second half of the 19th century by order of (the later declared insane) King Ludwig or Louis II of Bavaria. It is Louis II's most famous building and one of Germany's most popular tourist attractions with around 1.3 million visitors a year. Construction was started by Ludwig in 1869 and his intention was to erect a medieval knight's castle.