Bavaria's most popular castles and magnificent buildings

Not only palaces and castles were included in the visitor ranking, but also cultural monuments and theaters, such as the Margravial Opera House in Bayreuth. With 102,943 guests, it took tenth place in the visitor hit list. The UNESCO World Heritage Site was built in the 18th century and with its opulent decoration is still as impressive as ever.

The Liberation Hall in Kelheim attracted 116,409 visitors, putting it on ninth place. The memorial commemorates the victorious battles against Napoleon in the wars of liberation that lasted from 1813 to 1815. 18 colossal statues representing allegories of German tribes crown the buttresses of the outer façade. Inside, 34 white marble goddesses of victory hold out their hands.

A monument also made it to 8th place with a total of 140,593 visitors. The Walhalla memorial near Regensburg, one of the most significant German national monuments of the 19th century. The classicist building is modeled on the Parthenon Temple on the Athenian Acropolis and honors German-speaking rulers, commanders, scientists and artists. Their busts embellish the building's interior.

The Imperial Castle (Kaiserburg) rises above the center of Nuremberg, and is the Bavarian city's landmark. It is one of the most important imperial palaces of the Middle Ages in Europe and reached seventh place with 183,678 visitors. Guests can visit the imperial rooms in the palace and climb up the Sinwell Tower (picture), which offers a fantastic view over Nuremberg.

In 1664 Elector Ferdinand Maria had Nymphenburg Castle built in western Munich as a gift to his wife. For a long time, the palace served as the summer residence of Bavarian rulers. Together with the castle park, it is one of the most visited sights in Munich. In 2019, some 323,575 guests came to the castle, which puts it in 6th place on the popularity scale.

With 339,121 visitors, Würzburg Residence takes 5th place; built in the 18th century, it served for a long time as the seat of the prince bishops of Würzburg. Today it's a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The palace is a mixture of Viennese Baroque, French palace architecture and Italian architecture. Especially impressive is the magnificent staircase with one of the largest frescoes in the world.

King Ludwig II sat on the Bavarian throne for 22 years, from 1864 to 1886, ruling little but building a total of four palaces. One of them is the Herrenchiemsee New Palace, romantically situated on an island in Lake Chiemsee. The castle was built in the image of Versailles, and is correspondingly magnificent. No wonder it is so popular. With 356,393 visitors, it achieved 4th place.

Linderhof, surrounded by the Bavarian mountains of the Ammergau Alps, was once the favorite castle of the recluse Ludwig II. The building is relatively small, but also magnificently furnished. Here the king spent much time alone. Solitude is no longer found in Linderhof — with 412,849 visitors, the castle landed in third place.

Back to the Bavarian state capital. For more than 400 years the Bavarian dukes, electors and kings ruled from the Munich Residence. In 2019, it set a new visitor record with 521,417 guests, putting it in second place. So which castle is left now? There can be only one.

Probably no other building is as representative for Bavaria as Neuschwanstein Castle. Ludwig II's fairy-tale castle near Füssen in the Allgäu is one of the most famous sights in Germany. It towers picturesquely on a rock with a view over the foothills of the Alps. In 2019, it was visited by 1.44 million guests, the absolute leader among Bavarian castles and sights.