When most people think of Walt Disney World and the Magic Kingdom, the iconic Cinderella Castle always comes to mind. The castle immediately catches your eye upon entering the park and walking down Main Street, U.S.A.
The chief designer of the castle was Herbert Ryman, who based the design on not only the castle in the film Cinderella and Sleeping Beauty’s Castle in Disneyland, in Anaheim, CA, but several castles in Europe including the Fontainebleau, Versailles, and Neuschwanstein.
After 18 months of construction, Cinderella Castle was completed in July 1971. The castle is 189 feet high, more than 100 feet taller than Sleeping Beauty Castle, and the use of forced perspective makes the castle appear larger than it actually is. The castle is surrounded by a moat, rose bushes, a wishing well (where yours truly was engaged in 2001!), and there are a total of 27 turrets on the castle. On most evenings, the castle provides a spectacular backdrop for the Magic Kingdom fireworks shows.
The walkway on the inside of the castle contains mosaic murals made of colorful glass and 14-karat gold and silver pieces. Also located in the castle are the Cinderella’s Royal Table restaurant, where guests can dine with the princesses, and the Bibbidi Bobbidi Boutique, where boys and girls are magically transformed into princesses and pirates!
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