Neuschwanstein Castle

A scene from a fairytale

Famous across the globe, Germany’s Neuschwanstein Castle in Bavaria is the incomplete architectural masterpiece of King Ludwig II. Originally used as a private retreat by its reclusive inventor and builder, the site attracts 1.5 million fascinated visitors annually. The castle is a breathtaking sight, even from many miles away. After dark, skillfully placed lighting pays homage to Germany’s most celebrated monument.

Lighting design specialist, Walter Bramberger, and his engineering firm studied the castle’s history to create a lighting solution that highlights the many architectural details at night. Bramberger says, “The intricacy and attention to detail of the architecture is both fascinating and challenging. The big challenge was to come up with a lighting design that has the same impact on the observer from many miles away.”

Bamberger’s solution: to use light and shadow to their maximum effect and highlight the details, as though Neuschwanstein Castle were coated in a fine layer of icing. Targeted placement of shadows makes the castle look even more lifelike at night. With their wide range of distribution and light output options, BEGA small- and large-scale floodlights were the perfect solution for creating spatial depth and diverse illumination for the project.

Disappearing into the night

The lighting design exceeds expectations with a unique spectacle which happens nightly. Walter Bamberger experimented with a one-of-a-kind closing scenario at night: “The lights shouldn’t just go out,” explains the engineer.

The center of the castle is the first to disappear into the night, the light carefully dimmed to darkness, and causing the two main towers to appear as separate castles.

In the final scenes of the show, Neuschwanstein Castle finally goes to sleep for the night.