Majestically, Neuschwanstein Castle rises above the wintry mountain landscape of Schwangau, surrounded by a blanket of snow and many scaffolding. The world-famous fairytale castle of King Ludwig II has a variety of beauty flaws: cracks in the outer walls, unstable stained-glass windows, faded wall paint, damaged parquet flooring. And through the skylights the rain is chilling.

Almost two years ago, the renovation of the monument began - during ongoing operation. "We are witnesses to a measure that has never been seen before," says Schlossverwalter Johann Hensel. For the first time in 130 years, the interior has also been completely restored: 93 rooms and more than 2300 individual objects - including paintings, furniture, textiles, windows, doors, walls.

For the Bavarian Palace Department it is one of the largest and most complex interior restoration in its history. The cost for the Free State of Bavaria: 20 million euros .

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Neuschwanstein Castle is restored: scaffolding de luxe

In the staircase to the fourth floor, the smell of fresh wood fades. The singer's room, the largest room next to the throne room, is currently filled with almost half of the scaffolding. Hensel calls it "scaffolding de luxe" because it is freestanding and thus does not damage any walls.

A tarp hangs between the wall and the scaffolding on which the original murals are printed. In some places it is transparent, so that visitors can catch a glimpse of the work behind it - for example, one of the restorers. In the wool sweater he kneels on the floor, the temperature in the room is just five degrees. With brushes and scalpels, he retouches the wall mounts.

Breathing air of tourists harms the rooms

Despite the construction work, there are still guided tours of the famous castle. Every five minutes a new group wanders through the hall. The opinions of the guests are mixed: one finds the construction site "exciting", the other "disturbing". Schlossverwalter Hensel emphasizes the advantages: "Through the exchange with the restorers, the guides gather more knowledge, which in turn benefits the guests." Nevertheless, one third of the rooms accessible to visitors will be affected by the works over the next few years.

The approximately 1.5 million tourists a year are a reason for the restoration: once touch here, cut out a gemstone with the nail file there. The castle, which was built by the despicable Ludwig II as a retreat, triggers daily up to 8,000 guests.

To date, there have been 60 million visitors - and these have left their mark. Especially damaging to the historic interiors is the humidity that they bring in, including through their breathing air. Like a damp film, it lays on the interior and the masonry, with time lime textiles and wall colors fade.

Beauty treatment will probably take until 2022

A new ventilation system should help: it absorbs moisture and leads to dry fresh air. As a result, the equipment and building fabric can be preserved permanently.

Helpful is the historical pipe system. It was originally used to blow warm air into the rooms. Now the new ventilation system can be found here: "Since we can not simply slot into the listed walls, we use the hot air ducts," explains Heiko Oehme from the building department of the Palace Department.

The complete beauty cure is expected to last until 2022. The scaffolding at the historic gate will be dismantled in the middle of the year. As long as tourists have to come to terms with one or the other blemish in their photos. But even fairy-tale castles have to clean themselves every now and then.