Munich : Linderhof Castle

My previous related post :

King Ludwig II The Bavarian King

Finally we reached Linderhof ground. The video below was taken by me :)

Photo taken by my friendly Russian friend

Was fully Completed in 1878. So, hundred and thirty five years later (135) - I was here, visiting one of the greatest castles in Germany.

Some of the remarkable things about Germany are the castles that you find here.  The most memorable of them are the ones done by King Ludwig II.  The ones he built are Neuschwanstein, that inspired Walt Disney's Magic Kingdom; the Herrenchiemsee, an unfinished palace located on an island in one of the lakes here; and Linderhof, the only castle finished in his lifetime, and also his private retreat.  The castles he lived in were Nymphenburg in Munich, where Ludwig was born, and Hohenschwangau where he spent much of his youth.  Unfortunately, King Ludwig II is also referred to as the "Crazy King" as he became more and more disconnected with the real world and spent more and more time in his fantasy world.  But no matter what anyone else thought of him, the Germans love King Ludwig and the legacy he left behind.

The advantages of taking guided tour. All of us managed to entered the castle. Only 12 persons per entry because of the tiny size of the castle. This is the first time for me to entered an European palaces so the expectation's higher than anything I've ever imagine.

The interior of the castle's really small with heavy furnishing. Baroque and Rococo styles. Ludwig father had already established a hunting lodge in Graswang Valley near the Ettal Monastery but Ludwig II want to build his own luxurious Linderhof Castle. The project was called"Meicost Ettal" an anagram for the French King Louis XIV's famous words L'etat c'est moi - "I am the State".

Of his three new royal palaces, Linderhof  is the only one whose completion Ludwig lived to see. During the last eight years of his life, he often spent long periods here. In homage to King Louis XIV,  called the Sun King, whom Ludwig greatly admired, the castle interior design gleams with the spirit of the French late baroque and rococo. Louis' symbol, a sun with rays, as well as motto Nec pluribus impur (No unequal match for many) are repeatedly in evidence in the castle, is also large dominating equestrian statueof the French King.

My Groups waiting turn to enter the palace

South Terrace Garden

Main Fountain

The park was completed in 1880 under the supervision of Karl von Effner, Director of the Royal Chamber Gardens. An extensive English landscape garden forms a transition between the rigidly stylized arrangements in the French style on the four sides of the castle and the unspoiled nature of the surrounding mountain forests.

The water of the large fountain of Linderhof springs from the center of the glided Flora group by Michael Wagmuller. A three hundred year old linden tree stands at the right of the lower terrace and it is after this that Linderhof Castle is named. The terrace garden is crowned by a ritunda with the marble statue of Venus by the sculptor  Johann Nepomuk Hautmann. Originally, a theater was planned here instead of rotunda.

Grandiose

We were led through a succession of rooms, each somehow more opulent than the next. First stop up the stairs was the West Tapestry Chamber. Talk about spiffy! Every wall, chair and chest of drawers was gilded in gold and a fine mural graced the ceiling. . It strikes with the murals. Paintings and fabric soft furnishings reminiscent of tapestry. They are made in a Paris factory and depict pastoral scenes rococo.  The painting on the wall done by Heinrich von Pechmann's of rococo pastoral scenes in golden frames to resemble tapestries. In front of the rainbow a life-sized peacock of Sevres porcelin stands on a base of intertwined rose boughs executed in bronze. The room was designated to be a music chamber as there is an unusual instrument here which is a combination of a piano and harmonium.

MusicChamber

Next up the Audience Chamber. Quite small, but then again, the king never asked anyone over for tea and crumpets.

Ludwig was an incredible recluse and preferred to study in here, devouring books on art and architecture and thinking up grandiose schemes to glorify his kingdom. Still, I couldn’t imagine a finer setting for an afternoon sandwich with the Queen of Spain or whoever.

Audience Chamber

The splendid interior decorations, selected by the king himself inspired by French court art under Louis XIV and Louis XV were designed in part by painters of Royal Court Theater in Munich. These decorations are executed in second Bavarian rococo style which was especially for the king. The Audience Chamber, designed b Christian Jank in 1870, has carved paneling and stucco work on the ceiling in gold and white and is dominated by a green baldachin which is said to be lined with ermine from the coronation cape of King Otto of Greece, an uncle of Ludwig II.

Lilac Cabinet

The colors of the silk hangings with their elegantly carved rococo frames and of the furniture have given the name to the four cabinets: The Yellow and Lilac Cabinets adjoin the Audience Chamber, the Rose and Blue Cabinets adjoin the dining room. In the Lilac Cabinet (picture shown below), the pastel paintings created for the king in 1872 by Albert Grafle depict Louis XV between the Duchess Marie-Anne de Chateauroux and Madame de Pompadour (the king looking at his mistress hihihi)

The Castle's largest room is the impressive royal bedchamber, also clearly design in the spirit of Versailles. In 1884, the king began the expansion of his bed chamber according to plans by the architect Eugen Drollinger, making the room the largest in the castle. However, only the Bavarian coat of arms in "needle painting" by Dora and Mathlide Jorres on the baldachin over the bed was completed before his death. The bed niche is furnished in blue velvet with rich golden embroidery. Appollo's sun chariot in painting by Ludwig Lesker appears on the ceiling above the bed.

The bed is 2 meters by 2.5 meters wide. A giant sized bed for a large-than-life King. Ludwig liked ornate drapes in his bedroom.

The golden balustrade blocking off the bed had me scratching my chin. Surely a recipe for disaster. Just think of the trips he must have had making midnight runs to the bathroom after a hard day’s night on Bavarian beer!

The tour guide explained that the balustrade was to give the Ludwig’s resting place the appearance of an altar, further glorifying his kingly goodness. Ludwig subscribed to the absolutist school of rule, believing the king was anointed by God and could do whatever the hell he liked.

 Rose Cabinet

The pastel paintings in their richly carved golden frames were designed by Franz Seitz, director of the Munich Court Theather, and serve as the main decoration of the Rose Cabinet as well as of the other cabinets. Among the series of paintings by Albert Graffle 1872 are the potraits of Countess Jeanne Marie Dubarry - mistress of Louis XV, Chancellor Augustin de Moupeou and Duke Cesar Gabriel de Choiseul. The designs for the ceiling in the cabinets as well as the adjoining room with its gilt stucco ornaments and paintings were furnished by Christian Jank, stage designer of Munich Court Theater.

Next up was the dining room, where Ludwig dined alone. I mean really alone. Ludwig had a “magic table” installed which could be lowered and raised to and from kitchen. Even today, the dining room remains one of the great attractions. The king's designs provided for a "magic' self-serving dining table (Tischlein-deck-dich), whcih rose into the dining hall fully set by food and drink so that Ludwig could enjoy his meal completely undisturbed by his servants.  during these lonely meals, he could gaze at a pastel portrait of Madame Dubarry, done in 1872, which hung in the adjacent pink cabinet alongside portraits of Ludwig XV, Madame Pompadour and thirteen members of the french nobility.

The Magic Table

Dining Room

This is the room that I personally likes the most. The color combination are more harmonious with each other.

Leda and Swan (Blue Cabinet)

Blue Cabinet

In the Blue Cabinet the blue silk hangings and mirrors, as well as the painting above the double doors leading to the dining room, are framed by luxurious gilt wood carvings in rococo style. The painting by Julius Frank - Leda and the Swan - is based on a painting by Francois Boucher.


Hall Of Mirrors

Much like its counterpart in Versailles, the Hall of Mirrors is an amazing room that is sure to delight its visitors. It held particular comfort for Ludwig, who had the sleeping habits of a vampire. As he was awake all night, he delighted in the thousands of candlelight reflections in this mirrored hallway.

While most guests won’t be invited to spend the night, you can still take in the luxurious and elaborate decor of this room, which includes lapis lazuli, amethyst, ivory, ostrich plume carpets, and an optical illusion of never-ending hallways.

Tour of the Royal Apartment finish here.

In this castle nestled in the Graswang Valley, the king as usual turned night into day. Normally, he did not arise before 5 o'clock in the afternoon, breakfasted, and then strolled through the grounds to admire the park fountains. He would move on to the southern terrace to visit the larger-than-life size bust of Queen Marie Antoinette, and next to the  circular temple with its statue of Venus. Between 8:00 and 10:00 PM Ludwig heard the cabinet secretary's report and then had his dinner. he usually retired around 2:00 to 3:00 AM.

Depending on his mood, Ludwig might also undertake nocturnal rides. At his disposal were magnificent state couch built to his specifications in 1871 by the royal wagoner Franz Paul  Gmelch in Munich, or a smaller coach, built by royal wagoner Johann Micheal Mayer according to designs by court theater director Franz Seitz.

For more information, as usual you can poke uncle Google.

 

MY LINDERHOF GALLERY

Peeking at the kitchen