Bavaria - In the Footsteps of King Ludwig II | Discover Germany

This memorial cross at Lake Starnberg marks the spot where King Ludwig II of Bavaria lost his life in the summer of 1886. The circumstances are still shrouded in mystery. On the anniversary of his death, people regularly assemble on the shores of the lake. King Ludwig, who lived to be only 40, remains alive in many of their hearts. Ludwig II is still seen as a fairytale figure. He left us the palaces. Through them, Bavaria has become a bit more beautiful and attractive, and we're grateful that we had him. The trip to the fairytale king's castles and palaces begins on Chiemsee, Bavaria's largest lake. During his lifetime, he was criticized for his expensive building projects. But today they serve as major tourist attractions. A boat takes us to an island that Ludwig bought for his most important building project. The Herren Insel offered the shy monarch the seclusion he wanted. He started to build Herren Chiemsee Palace in 1878. But he only had the opportunity to stay there for a few days. After his death, all construction work discontinued and the building was open for the public. A magnificent stairway leads to the royal bedchamber. Ludwig admired the absolute monarchs of France and was especially fascinated by the court of Louis XIV, the Sun King. Herren Chiemsee Palace was meant to be a perfect replica of Versailles. But the Bavarian king's palaces had no official function. They were just for him alone. His hall of mirrors was illuminated by almost 2,000 candles in the evening. King Ludwig spent a total of 10 days here in the palace in late 1885, at the end of September. When it got dark, 35 servants had to light all the candles in the palace. Afterwards, the servants all had to disappear and the king was all alone here in the palace. Many rooms in the vast palace remain unfinished to this day. Farther west, in the Allgäu region, lies the most famous castle in Bavaria, Neuschwanstein. The castle attracts about 1.3 million visitors annually, more than any other. Its location on top of a rocky mountain makes it unique. With Neuschwanstein, Ludwig wanted to create his ideal medieval castle. He was enthralled by tales of the Middle Ages. His minstrel's hall was meant to be a tribute to chivalry. But behind the medieval appearance were modern conveniences. There was even a telephone. Neuschwanstein had running water on all its floors and hot water in the kitchen. The automatic spit was also very modern for its time. Not far away, near Ettal, stands the only one of Ludwig's palaces completed during his lifetime, Lindehof. Lindehof is also the only palace Ludwig lived in for a longer period of time. It was finished in 1874 in baroque style, surrounded by a large park. The park boasts an artificial limestone cave, the Venus Grotto. Built into the hillside, the grotto had a heated pool and one of the first electric lighting systems in the kingdom. More of a hideaway than all his castles and palaces, and reachable only by foot, the king's house on Schachen. High in the mountains near Garmisch-Partenkirchen, at an elevation of 1900 meters, King Ludwig had an old hunting lodge remodeled. You wouldn't know it from the simple living quarters, but he established a fantasy world here as well. The Turkish Room, a touch of the orient in the mountains of Bavaria. Ludwig retreated here on his birthday every year, draped in oriental robes with a water pipe and tea. The fairy tale king certainly left his mark on Bavaria, with his castles, palaces and love of the mountains.