Posted on 06/14/2011 1:13:25 PM PDT by mojito
A hundred twenty-five years ago, Bavaria's "Maerchenkoenig" (or "Fairy-tale King") Ludwig II died under very mysterious circumstances at the age of 40, his body found floating in Lake Starnberg, south of Munich. Today, Ludwig remains famous for the castles he built and attempted to build, most notably Neuschwanstein Castle, perched high in the Alpine foothills.
(Excerpt) Read more at theatlantic.com ...
I was privileged to see all three of Ludwig’s castles while I was stationed in Germany: Neuschwanstein, Linderhof, and Herrenchiemsee.
Linderhof near Berchtesgaden was the only one that was completed inside and out. A miniature of Versailles, with a bronze heroic of Louis XIV inside the entrance. Ludwig saluted the statue of his favorite monarch whenever he entered.
Herrenchiemsee is largely unfinished on the inside though it has a grand copy of the Versailles hall of mirrors.
Neuschwanstein - what’s to add, except in each castle you will see the unique dining arrangements, since the eccentric Ludwig insisted that his meals be served by dumbwaiter. “The table you set yourself” is how the guides describe them.
And his death? Ludwig bankrupted the Bavarian treasury, Bavarian autonomy had obstructed Bismarck’s consolidation of the new German empire, and eliminating the mad unmarried childless king only made perfect Machiavellian sense.
That pretty well says it all..........
That pretty well says it all..........
This is the area my Father came from Dunnigen near Rottweil.
Great photos!
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