After around a quarter of a century of preparation, the application for the designation of the famous castles of Bavaria’s King Ludwig II as a World Heritage Site is on the home stretch. According to information from the German Press Agency, the Federal Republic’s application was submitted to UNESCO on time. New World Heritage applications must always be submitted to the UN organization in Paris at the beginning of February. According to current plans, the World Heritage Committee will then decide in mid-2025 whether the fairy tale king’s buildings will receive the coveted designation.
The Bavarian authorities completed the World Heritage application “Built Dreams” in December and forwarded it to the Conference of Ministers of Education and Cultural Affairs. The Foreign Office in Berlin was then responsible for submitting it to UNESCO. The application includes the castles of Neuschwanstein, Herrenchiemsee and Linderhof as well as the Royal House at Schachen. “As total works of art that allow a unique insight into the staging phenomena of the 19th century, the royal palaces are without question among the most important artistic creations of this time,” is how the Bavarian Palace Administration explains the application.
The then Bavarian chief monument conservator, General Conservator Michael Petzet, had already suggested in 1997 that Neuschwanstein be proposed to UNESCO. “Neuschwanstein Castle, one of the main attractions of Bavarian tourism with around 1.3 million visitors every year, is a famous monument of the era of historicism, which, given its global importance, could also be included in the list of world cultural heritage with good reasons,” he explained at that time. Later, an application concept was developed with the three other buildings of the “Kini”. Last year the application was in danger of failing or at least stalling.
In Schwangau, citizens were concerned that even more tourists might make a pilgrimage to the magnificent Neuschwanstein building after it was declared a world heritage site. The municipality therefore decided to hold a referendum to obtain the residents’ vote. A majority of those eligible to vote then gave the green light. If there had been a rejection in Schwangau, at least the current schedule would probably no longer have been possible. Because UNESCO requires the support of local people in World Heritage projects.