Bavaria deposed Ludwig II as insane over his castle debts, he died in a lake the day after his arrest, and Neuschwanstein opened to paying visitors within weeks

Ludwig II became King of Bavaria in 1864. The foundation stone of Neuschwanstein was laid on 5 September 1869, and he moved in in 1884. It cost 6.2 million gold marks, nearly twice the estimate. He also built Linderhof and Herrenchiemsee. By 1883 he owed 7 million marks. When the debts reached 14 million, he still refused to stop building. In June 1886 the government obtained a psychiatric report from Bernhard von Gudden and three other doctors^†, based on statements gathered from others. None of them examined the king. He was declared incapable on 9 June. On 10 June he had the first commission sent to Neuschwanstein arrested at the gatehouse. A second commission, led by Gudden, took him from the castle on the night of 11 to 12 June. On 13 June Ludwig and Gudden were found dead in shallow water in Lake Starnberg. The cause has never been settled. Within about six weeks the Prince Regent Luitpold opened Neuschwanstein to paying visitors. The monarchy ended in 1918. Under the 1923 settlement between the Free State of Bavaria and the Wittelsbachs, Neuschwanstein, Linderhof and Herrenchiemsee went to the state. Hohenschwangau, the castle next door, went to the Wittelsbacher Ausgleichsfonds, a foundation whose income supports the family. In 2026 the Bavarian Palace Department runs Neuschwanstein, which draws more than 1.3 million visitors a year. The fund reported about €444 million in assets in 2018.