Linderhof Castle
This is a story about a humble shy country retreat for an unappreciated struggling man, who, give it a moment of thought, was the king of Bavaria for over 20 years. Linderhof Palace can by rightly called a solitary recluse for a dreamer monarch Ludwig II (1845-1886).
The scale of the Palace premises is astounding. All the palaces that Ludwig II built are the part and parcel of the local terrain and nature. The King strove for ideal beauty in his architectural endeavours, but it was nearly impossible without a worthy natural background. Remember the famous Neuschwanstein Castle balancing precariously over a precipice and opening up to staggering views over the high-mountain waterfall. The Herrenchiemsee residence (aka New Palace) on an island in Bavaria’s largest lake surrounded by the majestic Alps. Snugly hidden in a mountain valley among dense forests, Linderhof is a natural extension of the King’s creative binge.
We should mention that the King’s unusual zest for building magnificent palaces was not widely approved by the general public during his reign. Ludwig II was often accused of squandering the public money, blamed for certain aloofness and excessive fascination for culture and arts and of all other mortal sins. Presently, the King’s castles draw enormous herds of tourists to Bavarian Germany and have definitely covered their construction costs.
By the way, Linderhof is not as popular as, for instance, Neuschwanstein, that is why you have a fat chance of wandering in the Palace Park alone and get into the spirit of the hermit-King.
Ludwig’s love for swans is deeply rooted in his childhood when he first read a story about the noble Schwanenritter, the Knight of the Swan, a Bavarian Lohengrin who later on remained a role model and an inexhaustible source of inspiration for the monarch.
Wagner’s Lohengrin performance in Munich theatre on the eve of Ludwig’s 16th birthday set his imagination on fire. All his childhood fantasies came alive enlivened with powerful music of the genius composer. Ludwig became interested in Wagner, started to read his works, learnt his musical pieces and even put Wagner’s bust on his writing table. Then for the first time, Ludwig wanted to meet the composer in person.
All Ludwig II’s palaces have many murals and pictures devoted to Lohengrin. An elegant swan figure is present in many pictures and decorative ornaments of the halls. A flock of swans lives in Linderhof park ponds, you can come quite close and get acquainted with the white birds if you go over the Swan Bridge.
Ludwig II was always an aloof and reserved fellow, he considered long solitary walks in the mountains and forests to be his ideal pastime. Only alone with his thoughts he could transform into his favourite heroes. Day or night, Ludwig tirelessly wandered long halls of the Palace and park alleys, all alone, talking loudly to himself.
Originally, in Linderhof’s premises there was a small hunting hut of Ludwig’s father, Maximillian. Eventually, Linderhof became the only palace finished during Ludwig II’s lifetime. The hunting hut preserved, but was moved to a faraway part of the park, it still stands there, even though hunting never appealed to the King.
The Western Parterre with its colourful particularly decorative flowerbeds is dominated by two gilt fountain figures, Fama, the goddess of fame, and Amor, the god of love, accompanied by dolphins.
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At the bottom of the cascade, which flows over 30 steps and is decorated with stone vases, is a pool with a Neptune group spouting water and a flowerbed in the shape of a Bourbon lily.
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Saint Anna Chapel, built in 1684, is the oldest building in the Linderhof palace complex. The interior was redesigned and fitted with stained glass windows under Ludwig II.
King Ludwig's garden designer, Carl von Effner came from an old family of court gardeners with a record of service dating back to 1625. Effner received comprehensive training, which he completed in cities with famous gardens such as Vienna, Potsdam, Geneva and Paris. With his talent for colourful, decorative and effective garden design, Carl von Effner satisfied Ludwig II's requirements to such an extent that the king rewarded his landscape gardener with a personal title in 1877.
In summer, these alleys turn into cosy green tunnels made of grapevines.
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In the northern part lies a big wooden Music Pavillion.
At the top end of the cascade, a large wooden Music Pavilion looks across the palace and gardens from the north to the Temple of Venus.
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The Venus Grotto is a must-see artificial dripstone cave with a lake and a waterfall; it is located a bit to the side from the Palace. Here, away from the hustle-bustle of the court life, the King of Bavaria could devour his beloved Wagner’s music. You can visit the Grotto only accompanied by a tour guide and at a specific time, so think about the appointment in advance. In the silence of this cave, you can see a scene modelled from the first act of Wagner’s opera "Tannhäuser". The Venus Grotto features a "royal seat", a Lorelei rock and a gilt boat in the shape of a shell. This natural stage, built in 1876/77 by the landscape sculptor A. Dirigl, was lit by arc lights. The electricity was generated by 24 dynamos in the machine house 100 metres away, it was one of the first electricity works in Bavaria.
One more unusual edifice of Linderhof is the Moorish Kiosk bought by Ludwig II in 1876 from the “railway king" Henry Strousberg, who had gone bankrupt. The Kiosk was originally built in 1867 as the Prussian contribution to the World Exhibition in Paris.
The interior of the Moorish Kiosk shatters all your firm beliefs; you could never have expected to see this lavishly oriental splendour in cold and prudent Bavaria.
You can walk in the parklands for eternity.
The path accidentally brings you to the so-called Forbidden Gate. It was opened solely for the King and led to the road to Ettal.
Hunding’s Hut, or the hunting hut is located on the shores of a lovely lake. The interior is furbished to reconstruct Hunding’s abode from the first act of Wagner's The Valkyrie.
The pompous, splendid Temple of Venus is a round Greek rotunda with a larger than life-sized marble figure of Venus, flanked by two putti.
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You can see the terraces of the Palace from the top of the hill.
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The bust of the Queen of France, infamously beheaded beautiful Maria Antoinette.
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