Bavarian Castles: Fabulous Creations of the Moon King

2024 Author: James Gerald | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 14:00

King Ludwig II is known in Bavaria no less than Peter I in Russia. But unlike the latter, Ludwig went down in history not because of his political deeds, but as the creator of the famous Bavarian castles. Every year tourists from all over the world come to Germany to look at the famous Neuschwanstein, the miniature Linderhof and the grand Herrenchiemsee.

Ludwig II (1845 - 1886) earned himself a reputation in Germany as a fairytale king thanks to his lyrical image, desire for solitude, passion for the arts and music, and, of course, primarily because of his luxurious castles.

Linderhof - French Baroque and Rococo

His first project - Linderhof Castle - was the only one fully completed during the king's lifetime. The castle stands in the Alpine mountains, in the Ammergebirge nature reserve, 8 km from the village of Oberammergau, and amazes with its diminutiveness and lush decoration. Linderhof was conceived by Ludwig in memory of the French king Louis XIV. That is why the symbol of the latter - the Sun, as well as the famous saying “the state is me”, are repeatedly repeated in the interior of the castle.

No less than the castle itself, visitors are attracted to the park by the famous Venus grotto, inspired by Wagner's opera Tannhäuser. The Grotto of Venus is an artificial cave 10 meters high with the largest artificial stalactites in the world at that time. The grotto was equipped with the latest technology: air and water were heated so that the king could swim, a special machine created the effect of waves, and the walls were illuminated in different colors - red, pink, green and the king's favorite color - blue. Scenes from Wagner's operas were staged in the grotto, and the singers appeared from the depths in a special boat in the shape of a shell. More often than not, the king himself was the only spectator.

Linderhof was conceived as a place for a secluded royal rest and was often used for its intended purpose. Here Ludwig II spent a lot of time, confusing day with night, for which he earned the title of "moon king".

Neuschwanstein - decoration in stone

The second castle, for the construction of which Ludwig began, was the famous Neuschwanstein, which today is the most popular attraction in Germany and receives more than a million tourists annually. It was decided to build it near the town of Füssen, not far from the residence of the Queen Mother of Hohenschwangau, where Ludwig himself spent a lot of time as a child. For the construction of the castle, by the decision of the king, a special plateau was created by means of an explosion.

Theatrical decorators were involved in the work on the castle.

If Linderhof sang the sun king Louis XIV, then Neuschwanstein is dedicated to the composer Wagner, the “divine friend” of King Ludwig, whose operas he admired and patronized. Theatrical decorators were involved in the work on the castle, and the king himself was directly involved in the construction plans and the design of the interiors and approved everything down to the smallest details.

In the interior of the castle, illustrations for Wagner's operas and old Germanic legends are repeatedly reproduced. Another recurring motif - swan - is associated with the heraldic symbols of Ludwig's ancestors. Since the main construction was completed in the last years of the king's life, Ludwig II managed to spend some time in the castle, enjoying walks to the Maria Bridge, from which he could see the candlelit windows of the castle. Unfortunately, during the lifetime of the king, Neuschwanstein was not completed completely, and the main tower with a church 90 meters high was never erected. This did not stop Neuschwanstein, however, from becoming the prototype of the Sleeping Beauty castle at Disneyland. It was here that Pyotr Tchaikovsky once conceived the idea of the ballet Swan Lake.

Herrenchiemsee - Bavarian Versailles

Herrenchiemsee, a country residence on the eponymous island in Lake Chiemsee, is Ludwig's third and last building, but the largest of all. This castle, like Linderhof, was dedicated to the sun king and, according to Ludwig's plan, should be an exact miniature copy of Versailles. Ludwig II, as before, delved into all the details of the construction and carefully monitored the implementation of his plan. So, he flew into a rage when, in the mirror gallery, two paintings were mixed up. Especially for the king, a small railway with a locomotive was built on the island so that he could travel around the island and admire the views. The king stayed at Herrenchiemsee only once. On this occasion, more than 2,000 candles were lit in the mirror gallery, as if there were hundreds of guests in the hall, and not just one lonely king. Today, the castle houses the King Ludwig Museum with rare exhibits including his baptismal gown and death mask.

Despite the fact that the king built castles from his own budget, his debts soon exceeded three times his annual income. Together with other factors, this caused discontent with the government, which found a reason to declare Ludwig mentally ill and to arrest him. The ensuing mysterious death of Ludwig in Lake Starnberg gave rise to many conjectures and remains unclear to this day.

Meanwhile, the construction of castles stimulated the economic development of the regions and provided local residents with jobs. In addition, the fabulous king, although he was addicted to legends and exploits of bygone days, was keenly interested in technological innovations and sought to use many of them in his castles. Only while Ludwig's ancestors erected castles for greatness and admiration for others, Ludwig II built only for himself. And the idea that now they are all open to the general public, the moon king would hardly have liked.