King Ludwig II of Bavaria. The Swan King. The Fairytale King. Mad King Ludwig.
There’s a lot that makes Bavaria’s most infamous king such an enigmatic figure in history – from his eccentric personality to his dreamlike castles to his tragic and mysterious end.
Was he really insane, as his own ministers claimed?
Did he commit suicide or was he murdered?
We will likely never know.
What we do know is that Ludwig more than made his mark not only in Bavarian history, but quite literally on the Bavarian landscape itself.
Keep reading to see what places you can visit to follow in the footsteps of Mad King Ludwig!
Table of Contents
Who was Mad King Ludwig?
Ludwig was born in 1845 to King Maximillian II of Bavaria and his wife, Marie of Prussia. From his earliest days, the young prince displayed a sensitive nature; he preferred to spend time alone and daydream, laying the foundation for his later, even stranger behavior.
At the age of 18, Ludwig ascended to the throne after the unexpected death of his father. But instead of governing his kingdom, Ludwig let loose his obsession with the composer Richard Wagner (Wagner’s greatest work, Der Ring des Nibelungen, or the Ring cycle, would never have been written without Ludwig’s support) and threw himself wholeheartedly into his artistic projects.
Ludwig’s most enduring legacy, however, is his castles. It was into three spectacular castles (with unrealized plans for several more) that the king poured all his dreams, obsessions, and imagination.
Eventually, Ludwig’s obsession with his passions would cause his downfall. His cabinet, exasperated by his lack of interest in affairs of government and his wild spending (although he financed his projects through his private funds and not with state money), decided to replace Ludwig before he could replace them.
Ludwig was declared insane, even though none of the doctors who read the report ever examined him directly, and arrested.
On June 13, 1886, accompanied by his doctor, Ludwig inexplicably went out for a walk in the rain.
The two men were never seen alive again.
Their bodies were discovered in the water later that night. The doctor’s body exhibited signs of a struggle. Ludwig, who had been a strong swimmer, was found in shallow water and was declared to have drowned. The autopsy showed no water in his lungs.
Today, Ludwig remains one of Bavaria’s most beguiling figures. No one knows exactly what to make of his eccentricities, fanciful castles, and mysterious death – and that’s probably exactly how he would have wanted it.
Places associated with Mad King Ludwig
Nymphenburg Palace
Location: Munich, Germany
Association with Ludwig: His birthplace
About: Originally a gift from Bavarian Elector Ferdinand Maria to his wife Henriette Adelaide of Savoy to celebrate the birth of their son, Nymphenburg was used by the Wittelsbach family as their summer residence.
Ludwig was born in the Queen’s Bedchamber, which can be visited today and which has remained largely unchanged since the 19th century. Busts of Ludwig and his brother Otto are also kept in the room.
Travel tip: Get the combination ticket, which includes both Nymphenburg Palace and the Marstallmuseum (carriage museum), which contains some of Ludwig’s ornate sleighs and carriages. You can even see the taxidermy of his favorite stuffed horse, Cosa Rara.
Hohenschwangau Castle
Location: Hohenschwangau, near Füssen, Germany
Association with Ludwig: His childhood home
About: The castle was built by Ludwig’s father Maximillian II in the Gothic revival style. Its walls were decorated with scenes from medieval mythological figures such as Lohengrin and Parzival, which exerted a strong influence on the young Ludwig.
As an adult, Ludwig would build his own medieval-style castle and sponsor Wagner’s opera, Parsifal.
Travel tip: Neuschwanstein Castle, built by Ludwig himself, is nearby, so it’s easy to visit both castles on the same day.
Neuschwanstein Castle
Location: Hohenschwangau, near Füssen, Germany
Association with Ludwig: The crown jewel of Ludwig’s fairytale castles
About: Conceived by Ludwig as an authentic medieval German knight’s castle, Neuschwanstein was built on a hilltop at the foot of the Alps.
Ludwig himself was heavily involved in the castle’s design. The result was an ode to medieval historicism. Inside, scenes from the medieval Germanic stories Lohengrin and Parzival decorate the walls of the Hall of Singers, Ludwig’s favorite room, just as they did in his childhood home.
The castle was never completed. Ludwig himself barely lived here, spending only lived 172 days in his most famous creation.
Travel tip: Neuschwanstein makes an easy day trip from Munich. For a hassle-free experience, I recommend this tour.
Linderhof Castle
Location: Ettal, Germany
Association with Ludwig: Another of his castle creations
About: Linderhof was formerly a hunting lodge of Ludwig’s father. After he became king, Ludwig, who was never fond of hunting, replaced the old lodge with a Rococo-style palace.
Linderhof was the only one of Ludwig’s creations that was completed during his lifetime and the one in which he spent the most time.
Travel tip: Linderhof is a little complicated to visit using public transportation. This tour, which includes a visit to Neuschwanstein and the village of Oberammergau, makes it easy.
Herrenchiemsee Palace
Location: Herreninsel, near Prien am Chiemsee, Germany
Association with Ludwig: The last of his palace projects
About: Ludwig was a constitutional monarch, but he admired the absolutism of French king Louis XIV (with whom he shared a name, Ludwig being the German form of Louis).
To emulate his hero, Ludwig built Herrenchiemsee Palace, his own version of Versailles, Louis XIV’s magnificent palace outside of Paris. The Hall of Mirrors here is even larger than the one that inspired it.
Travel tip: Don’t miss the Ludwig II Museum on the ground floor (to the right of the ticket office). There you can find original robes, furniture, and portraits, among other objects. One of the most interesting exhibits is the one describing Ludwig’s unrealized projects, including a Byzantine palace and Chinese retreat.
Votivkapelle Gedächtniskapelle St. Ludwig (Votivkapelle Memorial Chapel St. Louis)
Location: Berg, Germany
Association with Ludwig: Where he allegedly died
About: This little chapel, Romanesque in style, was built ten years after Ludwig died as a memorial to him.
Nearby stands a stone funeral lamp, the original memorial to Ludwig built by his mother shortly after his death.
Travel tip: The chapel is open from Tuesday to Sunday in the summer months, but you can look at it from the outside all year round.
Directly opposite the church, in the lake, a cross stands at the supposed spot where Ludwig died.
St. Michael’s Church
Location: Munich, Germany
Association with Ludwig: His burial place
About: Originally constructed as a Jesuit church, it came into possession of the Bavarian royal family after the suppression of the Jesuits in the 18th century.
In addition to Ludwig, his brother Otto and Napoleon’s stepson Eugène de Beauharnais are buried in the crypt.
Travel tip: The church is free to enter, but the crypt, where Ludwig is buried, is not. The crypt also has more limited opening hours than the rest of the church.
Honorable mention: Bayreuth Festspielhaus (Bayreuth Festival Theatre)
Location: Bayreuth, Germany
Association with Ludwig: He funded its construction
About: Ludwig was a total Wagner fanboy. He even considered abdicating the throne just to follow Wagner around. The composer convinced him to stay on the throne and finance his projects instead. The result was that Ludwig paid for the construction of the Bayreuth Festival Theatre, which was to serve as a venue for staging Wagner’s operas.
Travel tip: The annual Bayreuth Festival, a homage to Wagner and his works, is still held every summer at the theater. Tickets can be difficult to come by (in the past, the wait was about 5 to 10 years), but have eased in recent years.
Want to see more In the Footsteps of? Check out my In the Footsteps of Mary, Queen of Scots.
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