Description of the attraction
In the midst of a harsh mountain landscape, in the solitude of the Graswangtal valley, Linderhof Castle was built at the direction of King Ludwig II.
The original ideas were born to the king after visiting Versailles in 1867. Already in 1869, he acquired possessions around Linderhof, where his father, Maximilian II, owned a hunting lodge. Under the leadership of the royal architect Georg Dolman, the Royal Villa (1870 - 1878) was built not as a representative building, but rather as a personal refuge, as a place of solitude for the king who had retired from the world.
The western Tapestry Room, otherwise called the Music Room, is striking in the multicolored wall painting and seating furniture. The tapestry-like paintings depict scenes from high society and shepherd life in the Rococo style. Next to a richly decorated musical instrument - an unusual combination of piano and harmonium - stands a life-size peacock made of painted Sevres porcelain. The proud and shy bird was reputed, like the swan, the king's favorite animal.
Two marble fireplaces with equestrian figurines of Kings Louis XV and Louis XVI are inscribed in the precious lining of the walls of the reception room. Between the fireplaces is the king's desk with a gilded writing set.
The royal bedroom is the central and most spacious room of the castle, illuminated in the old days by a 108-candle crystal candelabrum. Marble sculptures, stucco moldings and ceiling paintings give a penchant for the images of ancient mythology.
The dining room, aged in bright red, is oval in shape. In the middle of the room is a retractable “cover table!” Decorated with a Meissen porcelain vase.
A favorite in 18th century German palace construction, the motif of the mirror cabinet manifests itself in the unrestrained splendor of the Hall of Mirrors designed by Jean de la Pikes. Large mirrors mounted in white and gold wall cladding create the illusion of an endless row of rooms. They shatter the fire of a crystal chandelier, reflect the matt luster of a carved ivory chandelier, copy precious ornaments and lengthen the space indefinitely.
The lime-vaulted galleries directly behind the castle lead up the steep northern slope from the strictly ornamental carpet garden in the form of the Bourbon line. The water flows down here in cascades, along thirty marble steps, into a pool with a fountain, decorated with a sculptural group of Neptune.
An impressive 300-year-old linden tree has survived to this day, as a memory of the peasant Linder's yard, which used to stand on this site, and gave the palace its name (Linde - linden).
King Ludwig II, with a penchant for everything oriental, acquired in 1876 the Moorish pavilion, formerly belonging to the Zbiro castle in Bohemia. A year later, it was erected, already restored and partly expanded, on a small hill in the park of Linderhof Castle.
In the twilight light of colored glass windows and colored lamps, the splendor of an exotic interior is revealed. A peacock throne made for the king in 1877 by Le Blanc-Grandeur in Paris was installed in the rounding of the apse.
In 1876-1877, the "landscape sculptor" August Dirigl created an artificial stalactite cave for the king - the grotto of Venus. And Franz Seitz built a golden boat out of shells. Underwater lighting, artificial waves, lighting effects provide a fabulous illusion.
Linderhof was the only castle that was completed during the king's lifetime. It remained the king's favorite residence until his tragic death on June 13, 1886.
