Cinderella Castle was inspired by a variety of real and fictional palaces. These included Château d'Ussé, Fontainebleau, Versailles and the châteaux of Chenonceau, Pierrefonds, Chambord, Chaumont, Alcázar of Segovia, Neuschwanstein Castle in Bavaria and Craigievar Castle in Scotland.[1] Other sources of inspiration include the spire of Notre-Dame de Paris, the Moszna Castle in Poland, built in the 18th century, and the Tyn Church in Prague, Czech Republic, built in the 14th century. The chief designer of the castle, Herbert Ryman, also referenced the original design for the castle in the film franchise Cinderella and his own well-known creation — the Sleeping Beauty Castle at Disneyland in California[2].[3][failed verification]
Construction
Magic Kingdom
Sleeping Beauty Castle at Disneyland
Cinderella Castle was completed in July 1971, after about 18 months of construction. The castle is 183 feet (56 m) tall, as measured from water-level. Erroneously adding the depth of the of the moat, 6 feet (1.8 m) at the bridge, has led to incorrect quotes of the overall height. Cinderella Castle is more than 100 feet (30 m) taller than Sleeping Beauty Castle at Disneyland in Anaheim, California. A set-building trick known as forced perspective makes the castle appear larger than it is. At higher elevations, its proportions to full scale are reduced for elements such as stones, windows, and doors. This castle and its near-twin in Tokyo were the tallest Disney theme park castles until the completion of the Enchanted Storybook Castle in Shanghai Disneyland Park.
Cinderella Castle is designed to reflect the late-Gothic, flamboyant style of the 1400s. Unlike Disneyland's castle, no gold is used on the exterior; all gold colors are anodized aluminum. Despite its appearance, no bricks were used in its construction; the inner structure consists of six hundred tons of steel-braced frame construction, with a 10-inch-thick (250 mm) reinforced concrete wall encircling the structure to the full height of the outermost stone-like walls. All of the steel and concrete works are supported on a concrete drilled caisson foundation. Much less fiberglass is used than is popularly believed. Rather, most of the exterior is a thick, very hard fiber-reinforced gypsum plaster that is supported by light-gauge metal studs. Most fiberglass work is reserved for the exterior walls of more ornate upper towers. The roofs are not fiberglass, either. They are shingled in the same type of plastic that computer monitor shells are made from, attached to a cone of light gauge steel sheeting over the steel sub-frame. These towers were lifted by crane, then welded and bolted permanently to the main structure. Contrary to a popular legend, the castle cannot be taken apart or moved in any way in the event of a hurricane. It would take months to disassemble, it would be too dangerous to operate the 300-foot (91 m) crane required in windy conditions, and there would have to be a more structurally sound building to keep it in. As with every other building at Walt Disney World, it was simply efficient enough in design to handle a hurricane. It can easily withstand the 125 mph (200 km/h) wind speeds in Central Florida.
Construction
Magic Kingdom
Sleeping Beauty Castle at Disneyland
Cinderella Castle was completed in July 1971, after about 18 months of construction. The castle is 183 feet (56 m) tall, as measured from water-level. Erroneously adding the depth of the of the moat, 6 feet (1.8 m) at the bridge, has led to incorrect quotes of the overall height. Cinderella Castle is more than 100 feet (30 m) taller than Sleeping Beauty Castle at Disneyland in Anaheim, California. A set-building trick known as forced perspective makes the castle appear larger than it is. At higher elevations, its proportions to full scale are reduced for elements such as stones, windows, and doors. This castle and its near-twin in Tokyo were the tallest Disney theme park castles until the completion of the Enchanted Storybook Castle in Shanghai Disneyland Park.
Cinderella Castle is designed to reflect the late-Gothic, flamboyant style of the 1400s. Unlike Disneyland's castle, no gold is used on the exterior; all gold colors are anodized aluminum. Despite its appearance, no bricks were used in its construction; the inner structure consists of six hundred tons of steel-braced frame construction, with a 10-inch-thick (250 mm) reinforced concrete wall encircling the structure to the full height of the outermost stone-like walls. All of the steel and concrete works are supported on a concrete drilled caisson foundation. Much less fiberglass is used than is popularly believed. Rather, most of the exterior is a thick, very hard fiber-reinforced gypsum plaster that is supported by light-gauge metal studs. Most fiberglass work is reserved for the exterior walls of more ornate upper towers. The roofs are not fiberglass, either. They are shingled in the same type of plastic that computer monitor shells are made from, attached to a cone of light gauge steel sheeting over the steel sub-frame. These towers were lifted by crane, then welded and bolted permanently to the main structure. Contrary to a popular legend, the castle cannot be taken apart or moved in any way in the event of a hurricane. It would take months to disassemble, it would be too dangerous to operate the 300-foot (91 m) crane required in windy conditions, and there would have to be a more structurally sound building to keep it in. As with every other building at Walt Disney World, it was simply efficient enough in design to handle a hurricane. It can easily withstand the 125 mph (200 km/h) wind speeds in Central Florida.
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