Bavaria hopes Ludwig's fantasy castles will at last make UNESCO list

The fantasy castles of Bavaria's Mad King Ludwig are to be considered for inclusion on the World Heritage Sites list administered by UNESCO, the UN's cultural body, after lobbying by the state of Bavaria for the past quarter century.

"Neuschwanstein, Linderhof, Herrenchiemsee and the King's House on Schachen have inspired people from all round the world," Maria Böhmer, head of the German UNESCO commission said on Sunday.

"Architecture, art and nature meld together here into an imposing backdrop," she added.

The UNESCO World Heritage Committee has begun meeting in the French capital and will discuss additions to the list up to July 16.

Around 30 locations have been nominated this year, including Jamaica's sunken Port Royal, which was destroyed by a tsunami in 1692, the modernist centre of Gdynia in Poland and memorials in Cambodia that recall the Khmer Rouge and its victims.

The committee will also discuss the status of sites already on the list of around 250 sites. Some sites are endangered by war, climate change, natural disasters or construction work.