King Ludwig II of Bavaria, often simply called the fairy tale king, shaped the Allgäuer Königswinkel all around Füssen in the Allgäu like no other and is still extremely popular today, far beyond 100 Jahre after his death. He went down in history above all as a passionate castle builder who left posterity with magnificent buildings such as the Neuschwanstein, Herrenchiemsee and Linderhof castles, which are now world-famous sights.
There are more myths and legends surrounding the life and also the mysterious death of Ludwig II than almost any other monarch. The king, who was considered eccentric and shy of people, often preferred to withdraw into his dream worlds and indulge in his passion for legends and fairy tales rather than worry about day-to-day political business. He dedicated himself to the planning and construction of magnificent castles, which were of no use to the Bavarian state at the time, but which became world-famous sights after his death. Ludwig II loved art and culture - especially the works of his friend Richard Wagner, whom he supported wherever he could - and was considered a passionate hiker who often retreated to the lonely mountains around Füssen to pursue his thoughts and dreams. The fairytale king was an introverted ruler and no one really knew what was really going on inside him.
When he accumulated more and more debts due to his expensive, magnificent buildings and was rarely seen at public events, his ministry quickly declared him mentally incompetent and initiated his incapacitation. A little later the fairytale king died and after his death a cult grew around him that continues unchanged to this day. Its castles are unparalleled tourist attractions, numerous films, plays and books are dedicated to the mysterious life of Ludwig and in southern Germany there are even King Ludwig associations that are still active today. In Bavaria it is affectionately called “Kini” and is considered the epitome of the good old days. Hardly any other German king attracts as much interest as Ludwig II of Bavaria - the legendary fairytale king.
Ludwig II was born on August 25 1845 as the eldest son of King Maximilian II and his wife Marie. Ludwig spent large parts of his childhood and youth at Hohenschwangau Castle, which served as the royal family's domicile for most of the year. Even before his accession to the throne 1864 , Ludwig developed a great passion for theater and opera. He was particularly fascinated by the works of the composer Richard Wagner. After his enthronement, Ludwig heavily supported the indebted Wagner and had plans for the realization of magnificent palace buildings, while he conducted government business from a distance or left it to his ministers. In the year 1867 he briefly became engaged to Sophie in Bavaria, but he canceled the planned wedding. The longer his reign lasted, the more Ludwig II withdrew to his castles. Although he was popular with the people, he had numerous opponents in his ministry.
Before Ludwig II moved into his magnificent castle Neuschwanstein, he spent a lot of time in castle Linderhof, which was considered his favorite castle. On Neuschwanstein he lived only 1886 days until his death. His death on Lake Starnberg is considered just as mysterious as his life. To this day it is not clear whether the cause of death was murder, suicide or an accident.
King Ludwig II is a mystery and, especially because of his dream castles, he will always be unforgettable. The pompously furnished magnificent buildings Neuschwanstein, Herrenchiemsee and Linderhof attract millions of visitors every year and will continue to maintain the fascination of Ludwig II.
