Almost every night King Ludwig II of Bavaria would dine with King Louis XIV of France at his favourite castle — Linderhof. Which was fine, except for the fact that Louis XIV passed away 130 years before Ludwig II was born in 1845. To call King Ludwig II an enigma would be an understatement. He lived for just 40 years and his legacy is shrouded in mystery. He’s been called a recluse, a reluctant monarch; his sanity and sexual leanings have been topics of intense debate.

My tryst with Ludwig’s legacy began at Schloss Linderhof, the smallest of the three palaces he commissioned, and the only one that was actually completed in his time. Ludwig used to accompany his father (King Maximillian II) on hunting trips in the Bavarian Alps and chose to re-imagine a modest hunting lodge into his pet castle. The project took almost two decades to complete and cost over eight million marks. Linderhof is the ultimate tribute to King Louis XIV, a historical figure revered by Ludwig.

The symbols of the sun are all over Linderhof; Ludwig II was in awe of the absolutism of the French monarchy that was almost a utopian ideal in post Industrial Europe. The castle’s design language might be Rococo — that flourished during the reign of Louis XV in France, but many design cues date back to the Palace of Versailles. Not surprisingly, my favourite room in the palace was also Ludwig II’s favourite space in Linderhof. The Hall of Mirrors features a maze of cleverly placed mirrors that create endless illusions — I could well imagine tourists getting in line for ‘mirror selfies’ well. Ludwig stayed up all night — spending hours reading in the Hall of Mirrors, and slept during the day. It frustrated his council of ministers in nearby Munich no end, eventually leading to a bitter conflict that cost him the throne. The other room that caught my attention was the dining room flanked with pink and blue (his favourite colours) cabinets. The room’s most distinctive design element is its Tichlein deck dich (the local term for disappearing dumb-waiter). Almost every night, the table would be laid for four diners and ‘wheeled’ up so that Ludwig could dine alone with his imaginary friends like King Louis XIV and Marie Antoinette. The palace’s rooms have portraits and scenes from their lives but there’s not a single portrait of King Ludwig II.

Walt Disney is believed to have sought inspiration for his Cinderella castle from Ludwig. The setting is dramatic — on a rugged hill near the town of Fussen with a mountain backdrop. Ludwig often fantasised flying over this castle in a balloon. It’s probably the only way to capture the entire panorama. I struggled to capture views as I climbed up the steep path that leads to this castle built in ‘the authentic style of old German Knight’s castles’ in the words of Ludwig II in a letter to Richard Wagner. Ludwig was obsessed with Wagner’s compositions. Neuschwanstein literally means New Swan castle, the Swan Knight is one of the central characters of Wagner’s operas. Neuschwanstein is also one of the most modern palaces anywhere in the world with a central heating system and flushing system. It was here that Ludwig II was finally taken into custody after his council of ministers declared him insane and unfit to rule. He died three days later.

Three weeks after his death the castle was thrown open to the public. He was a very generous king, but he never wanted to share his castles with anybody. A visit to his castles only deepens the allure and the mystery of his curious mind that envisioned this spectacle.

Luxe log

Getting there

Linderhof and Neuschwanstein are about two hours by road from Munich. It’s best to book a full-day sightseeing trip that combine both these castles. Grayline for instance charges 54 euros (plus an additional 23 wuros for entry fees) for a full day trip.

Visa

You will need a Schengen Visa to enter Germany.

Stay

The Mandarin Oriental in the heart of Munich’s old town is also one of the city’s most luxurious retreats ( www.mandarinoriental.com ).

There’s also Westin Grand ( www.westingrandmunich.com ) that’s close to Munich’s iconic English Garden.

Currency

1 Euro = ₹74

Ashwin Rajagopalanis a Chennai based lifestyle and travel writer

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