During our driving tour in Germany, we had the chance to visit several impressive castles and palaces, including three of the famous “Mad King’s Castles.” Today we want to talk about the charming Linderhof Palace, located about 100km southwest of Munich, in Bavaria. If you are considering a route through this area of Germany, do your best to make your way through there. The whole Palace and its surroundings left us impressed. From the luxury of its interior to the rural surroundings, everything there exudes beauty.
A brief history of the Mad King and his castles
Let’s put ourselves in context. Who was the famous Mad King? Born in 1845 as Ludwig Otto Friedrich Wilhelm, the crown prince of the Bavarian crown, dreamed all his childhood of being a fairytale king and showed great admiration for traditional legends such as Tristan and Isolde. His great idol was Richard Wagner, indeed the character that marked his life. At the age of 18, recently proclaimed King Ludwig II of Bavaria, he decided to become his patron. The first fruit of this patronage was, precisely, the premiere of the opera Tristan and Isolde in Munich (1865). However, that same year the monarch was forced to send him into exile under pressure from the government, who blamed the controversial composer for exerting a bad influence on him.
It is said that Ludwig II then fell into a deep melancholy and was about to surrender to follow Wagner, whom it is presumed that he may have loved. Be that as it may, from those years onwards, the king began to pay less and less attention to his duties and decided to shut himself up in his fairytale world. To this end, he had three castles built: Neuschwanstein, Herrenchiemsee, and Linderhof Palace, our protagonist today. And what became of the Mad King? Unfit to rule and diagnosed with schizophrenia, Ludwig II was spending his days in retirement with his psychiatrist, when on June 13, 1886, they went for a walk on Lake Starnberg. Seeing that they did not return, several men went out to meet them. After hours of searching, they finally found their lifeless bodies floating in the water. The strange circumstances of their deaths raised all kinds of suspicions and theories, but it was never known what exactly happened.
Linderhof Palace
Linderhof Palace is one of the three so-called Castles of the Mad King and was the only one that saw Ludwig II completed. Very close to where the Palace stands today, his father Maximilian II had a small house he used to use when he visited his private hunting ground. The ensemble that we can see today results from numerous constructions and reconstructions conceived by Ludwig II between 1867 and 1886, the year of his death. Louis II was a great admirer of Louis XIV, the famous “Sun King,” and his idea of absolute monarchy (which he could not achieve, by the way). He inspired him to build his lavish castles and palaces. Linderhof, in particular, is heavily influenced by Versaill
The entrance to Linderhof Palace has several modalities, being free access to the garden area and the park. The total ticket includes the guided tour inside the Palace (about 30 min.), which is only available in English or German. Even if you don’t understand these languages, we think it is worth it if you have a minimum interest in this kind of place. Unfortunately, we can not show you pictures of the interior of Linderhof, as it is forbidden to take pictures, but on the official website, you can make a small tour of all the rooms. The two Tapestry Rooms, the Audience Chamber, the Hall of Mirrors, the Bedroom each room is more luxurious and ornate than the previous one, reflecting all of them the eccentricity of the Mad King.
Gardens and surroundings of the Palace
The visit to Linderhof Palace by no means ends inside. On the contrary; as much or more interesting than the Palace itself is its gardens, the vast park that surrounds it, and the different buildings that are part of the complex, which can be entered with the full ticket or with a specific one (we do not think it is worth the savings). One of the most spectacular areas in the gardens located south of the Palace, with its pond, its water jet of up to 22 meters, and several levels of terraces. At the top, the small Temple of Venus crowns the ensemble and offers magnificent views of the castle and the natural surroundings.
There is also a beautiful garden, with Neptune’s Fountain and a small waterfall that flows gently down the hill. Once you have seen all the gardens, it is highly recommended to take a pleasant walk through the park visiting other highlights. Perhaps the most popular is the Grotto of Venus, one of the Mad King’s most delirious whims, a technological challenge in its time. Inspired by the opera Tannhäuser – by his friend Wagner – this cave was designed for the king to listen to his favorite composer. It lacked nothing: artificial lighting, heating, and even special effects to produce waves and recreate a rainbow.
