Castles of Bavaria

Linderhof Palace

First off, to be clear, Bavaria is the southern region of Germany where I’m living. King Ludwig II ruled from 1864 until slightly before his death in 1886. In that time, he had construction of three castles started, but only completed one, the Linderhof Palace. I was able to visit this beautifully designed castle in August with some friends from work.

Molly, Danny, myself, Tara and Shardae with the castle grounds in the background.

Beautiful day at Linderhof Palace.

Linderhof Palace

Tarah, Molly and Shardae

We look just like the statue, don't we?!

Everything about the palace is extravagant; the king stopped at no expense to create a lavish place to spend time at. The evidence is in the details of the tiling, the chandeliers, the artwork, and much more. He was rather private and was known to avoid crowds, one reason why he did not like to go to Munich. Because of his wishes to live in seclusion, a certain luxury in his home stuck out to me. The table in the dining room was able to be lowered into the kitchen directly below, so that his servants could fix his meals and send the table back up to his private quarters, so that he wouldn’t need to have unnecessary contact with any other people.

Even the grounds surrounding the palace are well-manicured. A Venus grotto also adds to the extravagance of the palace.

Inside the Venus Grotto. King Ludwig II enjoyed being rowed around in a boat in the grotto.

 

Neuschwanstein Castle

I got to witness another spectacular castle of King Ludwig II called Neuschwanstein Castle. It is commonly known as the “Disney Castle,” or the “Cinderella Castle,” for inspiring the castle in Cinderella.

This is the most popular castle of the King, and is one of our most popular tours that guests request to go on at the hotel. I actually got to see it through our tour as well, since there were a few open seats on the bus. Before we arrived at the castle, we got to check out a wood carving shop and a beautiful church, known as the “Little White Church.” A few steps away at a cafe were the most delicious homemade donuts; the perfect morning snack before the castle.

Above: Inside the Little White Church. Right photo: Aleena, myself, Gregg, Drew and Billy outside of the woodcarving shop, mimicking the statue.

Soon after, we pulled up to the castle, which is beautifully nestled into a mountain. At this particular time, it was being renovated so there was scaffolding across the front of the castle. Luckily, when we hiked up to a narrow footbridge, we got an incredible view of the back of the castle, sans scaffolding. We were able to get plenty of pictures there.

Gregg, Drew, Billy and Aleena

Iowa girls!

 Some friends from my original In-processing group - Drew and Gregg

 Billy and me.

 



The smaller castle that King Ludwig II had built for his father.

The inside of the castle did not disappoint, either. Only the best materials were used in the creation of the castle making everything appear very ornate. King Ludwig II definitely lived in luxury. The entire castle is breathtaking. No wonder it is one of his most popular contributions to Bavaria. Next stop: Herrenchiemsee Castle, King Ludwig II's third and final castle, modelled after the Palace of Versailles. 

The group: Billy, myself, Gregg, Aleena and Drew before we grabbed a bite to eat for lunch.