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The fairy tale king´s dream castles
King Ludwig II., the fairytale king, loved nature. And castles. He only built them at Bavaria’s most beautiful locations. It is true that people say that the king was a little bit crazy, but it is also true that his castles reflect his good taste. And his fantasy.
On the erstwhile frontier of Bavaria, Tyrol and Swabia stands the most famous legacy of King Ludwig II; the awe-inspiring Castle Neuschwanstein. The mighty royal castle is located high up in the mountains of the legendary municipality of Schwangau. It was the express wish of the king that the castle be built in the “style of the old German knight's castles”, hence the countless towers, battlements and gables.
The King´s House on the Schachen too, is no ordinary castle. King Ludwig II. commissioned this stately home to be built in the “Swiss Chalet Style” amid the mountains of Garmisch-Partenkirchen, at an altitude of 1866m. While the façade of the building was kept surprisingly simple, the luxurious “Moorish Courtroom” presents a stark contrast; with its divans and central, indoor fountain, here a world of red, gold and blue awaits the visitor. The royal house is open from Whitsun to the beginning of October.
Linderhof Castle, at the foot of the Ammer Mountains, manages to surpass all of the other castles of the “fairy-tale king” both in terms of architecture and gardens. Behind the “Royal Villa” the opulent castle interior wallows in the style of the second Rococo. The castle's appeal also owed to the artfully laid out, 50 hectare landscape garden, with its terraces and waterfalls. The visual centrepiece is a gilded fountain, with a 30m high water jet. Other attractions in the park: the “Little Royal House”, the old Royal Linden Tree, the Moorish Kiosk with Peacock Throne, the Moroccan House and the man-made grotto, which has an “Open Sesame” rock face. This stalactite cave can be lit and heated electrically – magical!
