The Neuschwanstein Castle is annually visited by about 1.2 million tourists and is considered to be one of the most beautiful and famous castles in the world. King Ludwig II of Bavaria erected a memorial for himself when he commissioned this fairy-tale castle in 1869. The ruler was only able to occupy the castle for a few months before his death in 1886. Due to the tremendous expense involved in finishing the project as originally planned, work on the castle was discontinued and to this day has not been completed.