King Ludwig II.

Ludwig II was able to complete his Royal Villa, the only one of his buildings, and it was his declared favorite place. Ludwig II realized his dream worlds in the solitude of the Graswang Valley, where his father had already owned a hunting lodge. Behind the baroque facade, Rococo unfolds based on motifs from the defunct, absolutist French monarchy - the form of government that Ludwig II greatly admired. At the same time, he adopted many elements of the southern German Rococo of his ancestors. This is how rooms of the greatest opulence and preciousness were created in Linderhof. 

Even in the palace gardens, one of the most beautiful of the 19th century, one can admire the king's built dreams. The Venus Grotto, a unique artificial stalactite cave, was created according to Richard Wagner's stage directions for his opera Tannhäuser. Two other stage sets from Wagner's music dramas, also built in the park, are Hunding's Hut (Die Walküre) and Gurnemanz's Hermitage (Parsifal). Linderhof Palace, along with Neuschwanstein Castle, the Royal Lodge on the Schachen, and Herrenchiemsee, is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Built by Ludwig II in 1868 high above his father's Hohenschwangau Castle in familiar surroundings and never completed, Neuschwanstein was for him a monument to the culture and royalty of the Middle Ages, which he revered and wanted to understand. The castle, which was designed and equipped in medieval form but with the most modern technology of the time, is one of the world's most famous buildings and is a main symbol of German idealism. The interiors show cycles of murals from Old Norse and chivalric legends. The singers' hall reverently cites two halls of the Wartburg, the throne room - a cult room of the rulers - Byzantine and early Christian church rooms.

In a magnificent location in front of the high alpine Wetterstein massif, Ludwig II had a small castle built at an altitude of over 1800 m. Simple from the outside and inside on the ground floor, the wooden house hides oriental splendor on the upper floor. The king used to celebrate his birthday and name day in the seclusion of the mountains in the lavishly decorated Turkish Hall, which was equipped with divans and a fountain. The royal family can only be reached on foot via Elmau or Garmisch-Partenkirchen.

Construction of this monument to absolutism began in 1878, intended to rival its model, Versailles, in the splendor of its furnishings. The state bedroom in the Grand Apartment is considered the most expensive room of the 19th century. The porcelain furnishings of the Small Apartment represent the largest single commission ever received by the Meissen manufactory. The textile embroidery is unparalleled in its abundance and quality. Ludwig II invoked the monarchy in this palace with unwavering conviction and by any means necessary. It remained unfinished, as did the surrounding park, modeled after Versailles with its magnificent water features, which was meant to encompass most of the island and is now surrounded by nature and important biotopes.

In the castle, the extensive Ludwig II Museum documents the life and work of this “only true king of the 19th century,” as Paul Verlaine called him in 1886.

The Baroque palace complex in Munich, together with its park pavilions Amalienburg, Badenburg, Pagodenburg, and Magdalenenklause, is a world-class Gesamtkunstwerk (total work of art). Ludwig II was born in this summer residence of the Bavarian Electors and Kings on August 25, 1845, the feast day of Saint Ludwig. The following day, he was baptized in the Stone Hall of the main palace. Ludwig II's authentically preserved birth room can be visited as part of the Queen's Apartment. The portrait of his mother, Marie, belongs to King Ludwig I's famous Gallery of Beauties in the palace. Amalienburg was one of the king's most important sources of inspiration.