Linderhof Palace – Mad King’s Crib
King Ludwig II was deemed to be insane.A He lived in a fairy tale world trying to recreate the operas and stories he was told.A He ate alone and yet had the table set for four people.A Single-handedly, Ludwig II spent most of Bavaria’s money.A However, he knew how to build a palace that would make Donald Trump envious.
In 1863, King Ludwig II had begun the building of Linderhof Palace.A It was patterned after King Louis XIV’s Versailles and cost 8.5 million marks.A The palace only had four rooms that truly served any real function, but don’t fret because there is a manufactured cave with a lake…more on that later.
The Hall of Mirrors is a room that is filled with (you guessed it) mirrors.A The mirrors made the candlelight from the ivory candelabra dance, and it created an interesting effect.A The only other room of the house I am going to speak of is his dining room.A Because the king valued his privacy, his table lowered into a kitchen where the servants could set it and raise it back up to him.
Now, to his garden.A The landscaping features were no weekend project.A The entire grounds are surrounded with marble statues, features and fountains, aAll of which play into his fascination of French royalty.A To give you an idea of the grandeur there is a fountain that is said to be almost 75 feet high.
Finally, onto my favorite part of the entire place.A To appeal to his love of operas, King Ludwig II had a cave fashioned into the hillside.A In this cave, there are fake stalactites and stalagmites and a lake.A There were electric dynamos installed to illuminate the waters.
The king wanted the water to light up in different colors.A Why?A Because he liked to be rowed in his golden boat around this tiny lake.A Hmmm…what the king wants he gets, I guess.
This experience is one that you will never forget.A Just seeing the wasted money on the extravagence is awe-inspiring.A However, after you get past that you will love the quiet beauty.
I used to work at the front desk of a resort about half an hour away from Linderhof and am frequently asked “Which is better? Linderhof or Neuschwanstein?”–I always say Neuschwanstein is better from the outside, but Linderhof is better on the inside. I agree–the cave/grotto is an amazing, but is sometimes closed during the winter, so visitors need to keep that in mind!
@Jennifer – totally agree, Linderhof is awesome from the inside and Neuschwanstein from the inside.
Both worth a visit, especially as they are so close.
Linderhof has a slightly less mass tourist attraction, whereas at Neuschwanstein you get coach-loads of people arriving from all the time. It is also worth checking out Herren-Chiemsee, up on the A8 autobahn. Very nice and on its own island if I remember correctly!
I am upset that Neush…was never finished. I agree with both of you though.