Splendor and Decadence

A King in Wonderland

Imagine a panoramic view of the alps with mountaintops still snow covered, freshly repainted generously laid out country houses with oversize balconies and red geranium pouring over richly carved wooden rails. Immense naive wall paintings depicting scenes from the Catholic belief still practiced regularly by most Bavarians. Now add to this fairy tale-like setting three luxurious castles all built by King Ludwig the II of Bavaria and you find yourself in wonderland. Ludwig the II left many mysteries and to this day the legends live on about his bizarre death. He was known to detest regular folks only to be loved even more by them. In 1860 while the rest of the world opened its doors to democracy and modernism, the beloved King played monarch and spent the country's fortune in building medieval castles and a small copy of Versailles in the middle of the Chiemsee. While the Sun King said "I am the state" Ludwig opted for "I am the taste", a leitmotif he decided to play back relentlessly.

Neuschwanstein

You most likely have seen this castle before; it inspired Walt Disney in designing fantasy world, movie makers staged historical and crazy ("Around the World in 80 Days") scenes in this unique location and children's books spin off their accounts on its behalf. Like an eagle's nest it oversees the Hohenschwangau valleys to the North while the backside is protected by steep mountain ranges. King Ludwig's unbendable instinct had the construction site opened in 1869, an epoch in which the European industrialization was already in full swing. Nevertheless the King waited 16 years to move into his castle and spend some time in his favorite place: the swan grotto. During the tormenting construction years he spent hours watching the progress made via telescope from the opposite hill (a great place to take a fantastic photo). Hundreds of craftsmen from around the world executed his wildest dreams. The ballroom, for example, is decorated in the theme of "Parsifal", an opera composed by the much admired composer Richard Wagner who remained an important source of inspiration throughout his life. Today Neuschwanstein is Bavaria's most visited historical monument; enjoy your visit and "keep on counting those swans".To see more pictures.

Linderhof

Probably King Ludwig's preferred castle, a true rococo jewel case. It resembles the "petit Trianon" (Versailles) and is the only one of the three castles that was actually completed. Located close to Neuschwanstein, the King often retired to Linderhof to indulge in his "loneliness". Italian, French and English style gardens extend to the front; in the middle a fountain emits a 100 foot high jet bathing the golden statue of Flore. But it's the castle itself that holds the boldest of Ludwig's fairy tale realizations: the Venus grotto made entirely of cement with artificial arc lighting, rainbows, wave machines (and heating) to recreate what is described in Wagner's Tannhäuser. You can also find a bronze statue of the much admired Sun King and an elevator-table which disappears below the ground into the kitchen to be filled with succulent foods only to reappear completely set.
To see more pictures.

Herrenchiemsee

One more jewel in Ludwig's crown of castles. Beautifully set on a small island (with a beergarden) in the Chiemsee and what a surprise to the locals it must have been. In the midst of pre-alpine Bavarian countryside a French royalist Versailles style castle, incomplete but nevertheless equipped with the famous 100 yard long hall of mirrors, longer than the one in Versailles. It takes about 15 minutes to light the 2200 candles. The nice part is that concerts are held at night to bring the place alive. The king spent a fortune, 20 Mio DM at the time, considering he spent only a week living there. Currently parts of the castle are being renovated and plans are to refurbish all the incredible clocks in the castles.
Enjoy more photos of the castle and its interiors.