Few places on Earth look more like storybook illustrations than Neuschwanstein Castle. With its towers, turrets, frescoes, and throne hall, it looks like it was plucked straight from your favourite fairy tale. And it is. Walt Disney visited the castle with his wife, and was so inspired it became the castle in Cinderella, along with the castle that features in the title credits of every Disney movie. But the story behind this over-the-top palace nestled in the Bavarian Alps is less idyllic. King Ludwig II of Bavaria commissioned the cliffside castle in 1868 after losing his rule during the Austro-Prussian War. He quickly retreated into a private fantasy world, surrounding himself with opulent…