Without doubt, the most memorable part of our German vacation eleven years ago was visiting the castles in Bavaria that are monuments in the life of King Ludwig, the Swan King.
Ludwig was born in Nymphenburg Palace. Despite its ornate design and miraculous gardens, this was really something of a hunting lodge. A gorgeous palace located on pastoral grounds with lovely lakes that is close to a metropolitan area like Munich, I would guess, would be sufficient for most of us.
However, Ludwig's father, King Maximillian, built a fantasy castle near Swan Lake on the outskirts of Fussen, and that is where Ludwig spent much of his privileged childhood. This gorgeous castle, called Hohenschwangau, includes truly spectacular views of the Bavarian Alps as well as a majestic gothic interior decorated with many heroic German frescoes. Even the most demanding royalty would be satisfied with this, right?
When his father died unexpectedly, Ludwig ascended to the throne of Bavaria at the youthful age of 18. He was a handsome patron of the arts who was loved by his subjects. They called him not Mad Ludwig but rather "Unser Kini" ("Our Darling King").
Foremost among the musicians whose patronage led to greater accomplishments was Richard Wagner, who rose from relative obscurity to produce great works for King Ludwig. A generous man, Ludwig threw lavish parties attended by Europe's royalty, which of course stimulated the Bavarian economy. The craftsmen, tailors and other townspeople were treated very fairly by the king, who often lavished wonderful gifts on them. Ludwig also traveled in style to other parts of Europe, including the spectacular castle of Versailles in France, to attend royal balls. He began laying out plans for new castles in which to entertain his royal friends.
As Mel Brooks said, "the affairs of state must take precedence over the affairs of state," and after siding with Austria against militarist Prussia, Ludwig was essentially forced by Prussian Minister President Bismarck to sign the Kaiserbrief in 1870, adding Bavaria to a federation as part of greater Germany. For that, he received certain financial considerations, which came in handy for his construction plans.
Ludwig subsequently built three more castles. Again, this stimulated the economies of his country by employing masons and other members of the building trades, as well as supporting all the familes whose businesses grew up to service the workers. Linderhof is another amazing castle, built in the neo-Rococco French style and featuring fabulous gardens.
Neuschwanstein, for me, is the most amazing among them. It inspired Walt Disney's version of Sleeping Beauty's Castle. Ludwig had a canal built in a cave beneath the castle and would float around in a boat carved to look like a swan while a string quartet played the lilting music of Wagner. This may not sound like much, now that we can wear earbuds to listen to iPods and take all kinds of rides at Disneyland, but it was pretty amazing in the late 1800s.
A fantasy building in a breathtaking setting, Herrenchiemsee was patterned after Versailles, but bigger and more ornate. And completing his first three castles, King Ludwig of Bavaria made plans to build two more castles. He planned a Byzantine palace in Graswangal and a Chinese summer palace in Tyrol. That was apparently more than the treasury could stand, and the government experts were worried that he would surely drive the nation into bankruptcy. They had doctors declare Ludwig to be insane, and the next day he died under mysterious circumstances.
Ludwig did not sire an heir, primarily because he preferred the company of men over women, so that was the end of the line, so to speak. In a way, it seems unfair that one so loved by his people, one who built such amazing monuments which are still huge tourist draws today (not unlike his admirer Walt Disney), should be branded as "Mad King Ludwig" instead of "Our Darling King" as he was known by his subjects, but at least he is remembered by history.
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