An eternal mystery
The myth was formed during the king's lifetime. “I want to remain an eternal mystery to myself and others,” Ludwig once wrote to his teacher, and this mystery still fascinates people today.
The poet Paul Verlaine called Ludwig II the "only true king of this century." The shy dreamer, the antithesis of a citizen king, is still present today as "the Kini" and is worshiped as an idol.
His castles, which no stranger should ever enter, have been visited by more than 130 million people since the death of Ludwig II. They are stone witnesses to the ideal alternative world that the king built for himself, turning away from the present.
Ludwig II ultimately failed in his attempt at self-realization in the historical, the poetic and the ideal. He probably preferred death to returning to reality.