Set 21063 Neuschwanstein Castle is the latest to be announced by the LEGO® Architecture theme, and is available from 1 August 2025. With 3455 pieces, this is the second-largest set in the LEGO Architecture theme so far – 21061 Notre-Dame de Paris still sits at the top of the size chart, with 4383 pieces.
Neuschwanstein Castle is a popular tourist destination in southern Germany, but does it work in LEGO form? Read on.
Products in this article were gifted by The LEGO Group; the author's opinions are their own.
This article contains affiliate links to LEGO.com; we may get a small commission if you purchase.
21063 Neuschwanstein Castle
- Release date: 1 August 2025, pre-order available now from the links below
- Pieces: 3455
Price and link to pre-order/buy:
- US$ 279.99 on LEGO.com US
- CA$ 349.99 on LEGO.com Canada
- GB£ 239.99 on LEGO.com UK
- AU$ 399.99 on LEGO.com Australia
- NZ$ 449.99 on LEGO.com New Zealand
- DE€ 269,99 on LEGO.com Deutschland
- NL€ 269,99 on LEGO.com Nederland
- FR€ 269,99 on LEGO.com France
- PLN 1149.99 on LEGO.com Polska
- NOK 3299,90 on LEGO.com Norge
- DKK 2099.95 on LEGO.com Danmark
Background
Schloss Neuschwanstein (Neuschwanstein Castle) is a 19th-century palace commissioned by King Ludwig II that sits atop a hill in the Bavarian Alps, close to the Austrian border. Ludwig II had spent his childhood at Hohenschwangau Castle, one of 3 castles that overlooked the villages in the foothills during the Middle Ages. In the 19th century, only ruins remained of the other two castles, and the King planned to replace these with Neuschwanstein Castle.
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| Cezary Piwowarski, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons |
The architecture of Neuschwanstein Castle is mainly Romanesque Revival, as the thick walls and rounded arches are reminiscent of the Romanesque style. However its towering turrets and pointed spires are in the later Gothic style, while the colourful murals and mosaic draw from the earlier Byzantine period. This mix of styles relates to King Ludwig’s own dreams to build a dreamlike castle as a tribute to the German medieval past, and to the operas of Richard Wagner.
It was built at a time when castles were no longer strongholds and, despite its romanticised design, the king also required it to have all the newest technological comforts. The castle was equipped with central heating, hot and cold running water, flushing toilets, central heating, electric bells, telephones and more.
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| Photograph by Bernhard Johannes. Public domain. |
Construction started in 1869 but building the castle took longer than the king expected due to the difficulties of building on a mountainside, as well as the grand ideas the king wanted implemented. He died before completion in 1886; the image above shows the castle at the time of his death.
Subsequently, the decision was made to simplify the remaining construction and open it up to the public. The original plans showed 200 rooms, but in the end only 14 were completed and today these can only be viewed as part of a guided tour.
Neuschwanstein Castle is a popular tourist destination and welcomes almost 1.5 million visitors per year. It was the inspiration for Disneyland's Sleeping Beauty Castle, as well as featuring in a couple of movies. As castles go, it is definitely impressive looking – but it's really one rich man's fantasy world.
New elements
There are no new moulds and no recolours. Do not despair, as there are quite a few very interesting new printed pieces to drool over.
There are 9 new prints distributed across 240 elements; this total includes the 3 spare 1x1 half-circle tiles that are included.
- 134x (plus 1x spare) Tile Round 1 x 1 Half Circle with double window print in White (6544473)
- 16x (plus 1x spare) Tile Round 1 x 1 Half Circle with single window print in Dark Red (6544475)
- 10x (plus 1x spare) Tile Round 1 x 1 Half Circle with double window print in Tan (6544474)
- 19x Brick 1 x 2 with single window print in White (6544472)
- 36x Brick 1 x 2 with triple window print in White (6544478)
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- 8x Brick Round 2 x 2 with two windows print in Tan (6544471)
- 6x Brick Round 2 x 2 with one window print in White (6544470)
- 7x Brick Round 2 x 2 with three windows print in White (6544476)
- 1x Tile 1 x 8 with 'Neuschwanstein Castle' in Black (6544477)
Rare elements
Appearing in one other set:
In two sets:
- 2x Window 1 x 2 x 3 Flat Front in Dark Bluish Gray (6468352 | 3662)
- 1x Wedge Plate 4 x 2 Right in Olive Green (6484785 | 41769)
- 2x Tile 1 x 2 with Stud Notch Left in Tan (6536100 | 5091)
- 2x Tile 1 x 2 with Stud Notch Right in Tan (6491421 | 5092)
- 3x Geode / Rock with Crystal in Dark Bluish Gray (6544761 | 49656)
- 1x Slope 1 x 4 with 1 x 2 Cutout in Black (6577238 | 5654)
Elements in bulk
With 3455 elements, there's quite a few parts supplied in bulk. Not counting the new printed elements, there are a further 11 elements are supplied with a quantity greater than 50. Having said that, 5 of those are different colours of 1x1 flowers which together add over 250 elements, so this may not necessarily represent a good bulk parts pack.
- 64x Plate 1 x 2 in White (302301 | 3023)
- 88x Brick 1 x 1 in White (300501 | 3005)
- 149x Brick Special 1 x 1 with Headlight in White (407001 | 4070)
- 87x Slope 45° 2 x 1 with Bottom Pin in Olive Green (6064670 | 3040)
- 61x Slope 65° 2 x 1 x 2 in Olive Green (6024692 | 60481)
- 60x Plant, Flower with 5 Petals in Green (6135287 | 24866)
- 60x Plant, Flower with 5 Petals in Orange (6214234 | 24866)
- 60x Plant, Flower with 5 Petals in Dark Green (6446790 | 24866)
- 54x Plant, Flower with 5 Petals in Bright Light Orange (6209681 | 24866)
- 60x Plant, Flower with 5 Petals in Dark Red (6458394 | 24866)
- 63x Tile 1 x 2 with Groove in Light Bluish Gray (4211414 | 3069)
Inside the box
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The box contains a 354-page instruction book, 23 bags of parts and 3 larger plates floating freely. There is no sticker sheet. The instruction book has some background information about Neuschwanstein Castle and points out some of the interior details. While there are also a few little details included during the building process, it would have been very useful to include a floor plan of Neuschwanstein Castle, to better understand what you are building.
The build
The initial part of the build constructs the hilltop and rocky outcrops that surround the castle. There's quite a variety of olive green, dark tan and dark bluish grey slopes used. I think the designers struck a good balance between detail and using large enough slopes to make good progress.
Approximately three-quarters of the base is built before construction moves to the gateway building.
Access road angles
The angles use 1x4 hinge plates (1927) while 1 x 4 with 1 x 2 cutout slopes (5654) create the gradient of the access road itself. The castle's manicured gardens are denoted in green to contrast with the more natural shade of olive green for the landscape surrounding the castle.
Castle sections
Windows
First, a quick word about windows.
The huge amount of tiny windows in Neuschwanstein Castle presumably meant that 1x1 brick solutions were not sufficient at this scale. There are a few solutions used; the 1x1 headlight brick (4070) features strongly, using all 3 of its 'apertures'; also 1x1 Technic brick (6541); and then all the delicious new window prints.
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The printed 1x1 rounded tiles are attached to 1x1 headlight bricks and also to the 1x2 brick with central stud (86876); the only issue being that this makes the windows project slightly out from the wall itself, as shown in the righthand 2 options above. The second option from the left using the rear aperture of a 1x1 headlight is a flush solution, but does not depict the arch of the windows. So while the 1x1 rounded tiles are not perfect, they do mimic the (ironically recessed) arched brickwork and arched windows of Neuschwanstein Castle.
Gateway Building
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| Cmcmcm1, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons |
The Gateway Building is the first section of the castle to be completed.
It utilises the new 1 x 1 half circle with single window print in dark red (6544475) for the windows. The actual gateway building has a mixture of single windows on the lower level and double windows on the upper level; the graphics printed simplify all the windows to single.
The two tan 1 x 2 wedge tiles also seem slightly out of place when comparing with the image of the actual gateway; perhaps dark red would have been a better choice here?
On the subject of dark red, it certainly seems to be a darker, richer colour than the actual stonework. I wonder if dark orange was considered too? In any event, dark red is a lovely colour and looks good even if the shade is not quite right.
The fortified wall and manicured grass area in front of the Gateway Building is very plain and doesn't quite match the level of detail.
Bower
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There's a number of nice techniques used to achieve the angles of the Bower section. It was satisfying to neatly attach the angled portion of the building, which uses espresso bars (32828) inserted into 1x1 round plates with hole (28626). The sections are built and then the Bower is inserted into the foundation base build.
A view of the Bower section in position shows an interesting detail in the upper courtyard, added by the set designers as a nod to the castle's history. The white tiles have been positioned to mark out the intended area of the central keep, something that was on King Ludwig's plan but never actually built.
Square Tower
The Square Tower sits behind the Gateway Building at the other side of the lower courtyard, and architecturally is inspired by Roman watchtowers and medieval castles. In the actual castle, the Bower and the Square Tower are simplified versions of the originally planned buildings imagined by Ludwig II, and were 2 of the final sections to be completed in 1892.
The LEGO version uses Technic 20-tooth bevel gears in tan (32198) and a pulley wheel (49750) to represent some of the architectural details.
Palas
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West of the courtyard lies the Palas, the castle's main residential area. It housed the King's stateroom, servants quarters and served as the castle's central living area.
This is one of two areas in the set with some interior details. The gable end of the roof has a copper lion statue which is represented by a minifigure statuette (90398). I wonder if a frog element might have been better, as the same statuette represents a knight on the other side of the castle.
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A unique grotto, styled after the Hörselberg in the Tannhäuser legend, sits between the study and salon. This cave featured a waterfall and coloured lights. A sliding glass door in the grotto leads to the Conservatory offering clear Alpine views.
There is also a swan which symbolises the purity Ludwig II sought, represented by a white rounded 1x2 plate (35480), 1x1 cheese slope and cow horn (67258). The castle is microscale of course, so fitting any interior details in is a challenge. Perhaps this is why there are only two areas with interiors.
Western Palas
The Western Palas of Neuschwanstein Castle, also known as the main building, is where the opulent Throne Hall is located. It is slightly angled in relation to the rest of the structure. The angle is achieved in the same way as the angled access road, using 1x4 hinge plates (1927).
The Throne Room takes up two floors of the Western Palas and was inspired by Byzantine churches. A throne was planned, but remained unbuilt after the death of Ludwig II. The throne room is the second of two areas with interior details in the set.
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The 2-storey balcony on the Western Palas has views over the Alpsee lake and is represented by the 2 rows of 1x1 headlight bricks (4070). The support for the balcony has a nice technique using 2x2 wedge plates. The buttresses use 1 x 4 with 1 x 2 cutout slopes (5654) to good effect once more. The chimneys are represented by forks (79741).
These little portions of the castle build are attractive on their own; I enjoyed taking the photographs of each section.
Stair tower
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The Stair Tower is the tallest tower and features architectural influences from the Ottoman Empire. As with other sections of the castle, 1 x 4 with 1 x 2 cutout slopes (5654) and 18° 2 x 1 x 2/3 slopes (5404) are used to form the angled buttresses. The decorative architectural features are again denoted with various round elements like Technic 20-tooth gear (18575) and pulley wheel (49750), but also the 2 x 2 plate with octagonal frame (75937).
Changing seasons
The final part of the build adds the trees to the landscape, and there are quite a few to build.
There no denying that this is one repetitive part of the build. Each of the 58 bars with 6 stems (19119) used to create the deciduous trees requires 6 flowers to be attached before building up the trees.
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There are three different types of tree; one evergreen and then two deciduous trees that have a summer and autumnal colour scheme.
Completed model
It benefits from being a 360 degree build with no 'bad side'. No matter which way you decide to pose Neuschwanstein Castle on your shelf, it will look good, assuming your shelf accommodates its 46 cm x 31 cm x 20 cm dimensions.
It was an enjoyable build with some interesting techniques to keep my mind happy. The build time is relatively fast as there's a lot of smaller parts, as expected with a microscale build. I loved the new printed window elements and I'm sure microscale and architecture builders will be pleased to see more small window options.
Conclusion
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At US$279/ £239/ €269.99, set 21063 Neuschwanstein Castle is not cheap. The 3455 pieces gives a price per piece of 8.1c/6.9p/7.8c, below the so-called golden rule of under 10c, but remember there are a lot of 1x1 elements in the set. The 240 new printed elements in the set are highly alluring, and almost make up for the 250-plus flowers.
There are no recolours or other new elements in the set so it's probably not a "parts pack"; perhaps waiting for the new prints to appear on Pick a Brick or the secondary marketplaces is a better option?
For fans of castles, this is a tricky one as it is definitely a castle but more of a dreamy romanticised castle than a medieval fortification. For architecture fans, Neuschwanstein Castle has some interesting architectural features but it has more of a tourist feel than a true architectural icon in my opinion.
There's minimal interior design and a questionable architectural background to the real-life castle, but there's no doubt that this is an attractive looking set that will certainly look very pretty from all angles.
Link to LEGO.com to preorder or buy
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Is there some structural reason why the windows weren't printed on 1x1 bricks instead of tiles? It would have required fewer parts and seems to me it would have looked better. I find the projecting tiles very distracting.
ReplyDeleteI suppose they wanted to capture thedetail of "filled vault" around the twin windows, represented by the accurate shape of 1x1 D tile. I associate it primarily with Medici Palace facades, although it appears endlessly in historical (and historicist, as here) arhcitecture. But I agree with you: the shape should not protuberate from the wall. This makes them look like weird window bays, and is quite opposite to the structural logic of the real detail.
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