GERMANY: King Ludwig II and His Bavarian Castles

King Ludwig II was born in 1845 and at 18 years old ruled Bavaria for 22 years from 1864 to 1886.

When he was younger, he was considered quite handsome and was very popular.

But, as he got older he became “a bit quirky”.

He rarely appeared in public or attended any government functions.

He slept most of the day and stayed awake all night.

He created a fantasy world for himself inside his castles.

And then, he died mysteriously at 41 years old, and, to this day, no one is sure exactly how he died in a lake.

 

I like history and “human behaviour”. King Ludwig II is intriguing. So indulge me..... 

He was born in Nymphenburg Palace outside Munich. He was the first-born son, which made him the Crown Prince.

His father, King Maximilian II, was very strict and wanted his sons to understand the burdens of royal duty. Both his parents were also very “disinterested and distant” to their kids. Ludwig would refer to his mother as "my predecessor's consort", which sounds to me as very cold and unemotional.

He did have some good memories as a kid and his best times were spent in Hohenschwangau Castle.

Originally built in the 12th century, Hohenschwangau Castle was ruined by Napoleon's rampage. Ludwig's father, King Maximillian II, rebuilt it.

The King and the Queen lived in the main building, and the boys lived apart in the annex, creating a strong parental bond. NOT!

Crown Prince Ludwig suddenly became the King of Bavaria at 18 when his father died after a three-day illness. He was not a well-prepared monarch, but his youth and good looks made him popular.

Ludwig was under a lot of pressure to produce an heir. In 1867 Ludwig became engaged to Duchess Sophie Charlotte of Bavaria, his cousin. Later, he canceled the wedding.

Ludwig never married nor had any known mistresses. It is pretty clear through his diary, private letters, and other documents that he was, what they described as, a “homosexual”. Problem was, at that time it was not acceptable, especially if an heir is needed to continue the dynasty. It is also said that he personally struggled with it because of his strict Catholic beliefs.

He became reclusive, disliked large public functions, avoided formal social events and preferred a life of seclusion. After 1871, at about 26, Ludwig largely withdrew from politics and devoted himself to his personal creative projects, most famously his castles, for which he personally approved every detail of the architecture, decoration, and furnishing. 

LINDERHOF

Linderhof is the smallest of the three palaces built by King Ludwig II and the only one which was actually completed. He lived in Linderhof most of the time from 1876 despite it not being finished until 1886.

 

 

Ludwig II’s idol was The Sun-King, Louis XIV. So when Ludwig build Linderhof he used Versailles as his inspiration. 

 

The symbol of the sun can be found in the decorations of the rooms.  

(NOTE: Photos are not allowed inside any of the palaces. There was a museum where I did get some photos. BUT, they are nothing compared to being inside the palaces.)

The bedroom in Linderhof was important to Ludwig II. He slept during the daytime and stayed awake at night. The mirrors in the bedroom dramatically reflected the candle light.

Ludwig II became “a bit” of a hermit. For instance, the dining room had a disappearing dumb-waiter table. This was so that Ludwig could dine alone without being disturbed by servants. Yet the table was set for at least four people because it is said that the king used to talk to imaginary people like Louis XV, Mme de Pompadour or Marie Antoinette while he was eating. 

(NOTE: This is not that table. This is a table in the museum.)

The gardens surrounding Linderhof Palace combine elements of Renaissance and Baroque formal gardens.

Herrenchiemsee

Herrenchiemsee is another of Ludwig’s castles. It is a complex of royal buildings on the island of Herreninsel, about 60 kilometres (37 mi) southeast of Munich.

The island was originally an Augustinian monastery. 

The king had the original monastery converted into a residence (the Old Palace/Altes Schloss) when he started building New Herrenchiemsee Palace (Neues Schloss) so that he could have a place to stay while being actively involved in the building process.

The New Herrenchiemsee Palace was patterned after Versailles, but much smaller, because it was never designed to host a thousand-head royal household for the hermit King.

King Ludwig only had the opportunity to stay at the Palace for a few days in September 1885.

NEUSCHWANSTEIN

When I was a little girl my family visited Neuschwanstein Palace and I still remember it and remember how excited we were when we visited. So needless to say, I was super excited to go back!

King Ludwig I commissioned Neuschwanstein on the remote northern edges of the Alps as a retreat but also in honour of composer Richard Wagner, whom he greatly admired. (Wagner died in 1883 without visiting the building.)

Construction began in 1869 and the king insisted on a detailed plan and on personal approval of each and every draft.

Neuschwanstein Castle is a dramatic fortress with soaring fairy-tale towers. It is situated on an Alpine crag above Ludwig's childhood home, Hohenschwangau Castle. While it was being built he stayed at Hohenschwangau and watched construction through a telescope.

 

 

King Ludwig II devoted the last 17 years of his life to building the castle, so unique that Disney modeled Cinderella’s castle after it.  

 

For about two decades, the construction site was the principal employer in the region. Up to 200 craftsmen worked at the site and at times there were up to 300 workers per day, sometimes working through the night.

Neuschwanstein contained only the reclusive King's private lodging and servants' rooms. This huge castle was for his sole residence! The court buildings were for decorative purposes. The palace was intended as a theatrical setting for King Ludwig II. That was it! For himself, no court, no guests, no one else! Despite all this work and costs, Ludwig II only lived in the palace for a total of 172 days.

COSTS: WHERE DID THE MONEY COME FROM

The costs for the 3 castles, and the plans he had for additional future castles, was exorbitant. The King paid for his construction projects by private means. 

Initially.

Here’s where it gets complicated and starts to spiral out of control.

The King continuously opened new lines of credit. Then, a court counselor pointed out the danger of insolvency. Ludwig has the counselor replaced .

Ludwig borrowed more money, went to family for even more money, and threatened suicide if his creditors seized his palaces. 

Then he went to his cabinet and asked for credit, which was denied. Then he went to his parliament asking for credit, which was denied. This was the final straw that was used against him. He was declared insane!

The Bavarian government then deposed the King and put him under the supervision of Dr Gudden, the Dr who (without examining him) had declared him insane. They next night, both Ludwig and the Dr died under mysterious circumstances! The end of Ludwig's dream castles.

Ironically, the King never intended to make the palaces accessible to the public, yet, 6 weeks after his death, his successor and uncle, Prince-Regent Luitpold, ordered the palaces be opened to paying visitors.

Revenue from visitors to King Ludwig's castles managed to balance the construction debts in 13 years by 1899. For another 14 years, until World War I, Ludwig’s palaces were a stable and lucrative source of revenue for the House of Wittelsbach, perhaps the single largest income source earned by the Bavarian royal family until 1914.

When Bavaria became a republic King Ludwig's palaces became Bavarian state property.

The very castles that Ludwig built for privacy and caused his financial ruin, have paid for themselves many times over by attracting millions of tourists from all over the world to Germany each year.

They have also fueled the imagination of children through Disney’s replication of the castle.

And for me personally, created memories that lasted long after I saw the castle as a little girl. They have now created great memories for John.

 

 (Shhhhh.... I think John is also becoming a bit of a History Geek too)