Königschloss Linderhof
Griaß di! Wia gäts da? A bit of a Bavarian greeting for you, visitor. It is with great pride that I offer this section of my Ludwig shrine to his castles. There certainly are plenty of wonderful shrines to Ludwig II's splendid castles. If you look hard enough, you may even take a cyber tour through the many rooms and gardens. Once you've seen them you will fall in love with those castles as much as I have. They are truly the most wonderful gift the king could leave on earth and the way I consider him alive in his country. Thousands of people travel great distances to see the splendour that are his castles, Neuschwanstein, Herrenchiemsse, Nymphenburg, and Linderhof. Each one of them is equally beautiful and most are featured in You's manga, but Linderhof is my most favourite. I have yet to go there, but it is one of my greatest dreams to visit this castle before I die. If God is merciful, it will be Team Bonet's graduation trip- soon! This is the castle that is said to have been Ludwig II's favourite home and the place where You draws out most of her novel.
Linderhof is a truly marvellous castles with all of its golden details and many mirrors and walls were even the tiniest places have a tiny vase. I must admit that the fountain in the front with those golden angels is not my favourite. The size of the water spray is amazing even if the castle itself is very small. The garden and greenery around it make up for its size, though, and the splendour found inside leave the visitor breathless. What I love the most about this castle is that somehow it makes me see Ludwig II inside its rooms, almost as if I could feel him in the halls and looking outside its balconies and windows. Whenever I picture Ludwig in his happiest and silliest I see him in this castle. Die Spiegelsaal -The Hall of Mirrors is one of my favourite rooms. You took the time to draw detailed rooms and tons of panels that feature the elaborate details found in this room. Most of the other rooms in Linderhof look like this one. The hall was designed by Jean de La Paix in 1874, and has a Rococo style, probably based on the Palace of Versailles with many, diminutive, golden arabesques with plant motifs. It lies opposite to the bedroom and is the most elaborate room in the castle. The most fantastic feature is that its mirrors create illusions specially of the size and monumentality of the room. I can picture the king finding himself lost in all those mirrors.
Yet, my most favourite room in Linderhof is Das Schlafzimmer- the king's bedroom. It was designed by the painter Quaglio and is the largest rom in the castle. It was modelled after that of Louis XIV's and is decorated with the royal blue and is lit by a candelabra with 108 candles. The paintings in the walls and the stucco doors are from ancient mythology. In fact, most of Ludwig's castles fill their walls with various mythological paintings, specially from the Operas of Wagner. Above the king's bed is the painting The Allegory of the Morning by Ludwig Lesker. This room can be seen clearly in the manga in volume three in what is one of Ludwig's and Hornig's last, passionate moments. I get a sense of sadness when i look at the pictures of this room, at those candles and the deep blue of the silk canopy, with its unfinished Bavarian coat of arms, and the bed. This was were he slept, this was were his majesty might have written in his diary beside Hornig and where he might have dreamed all the wonders he left behind.
You also features plenty of drawings of the the Moorish Kiosk. The Kiosk is not inside Linderhof but to its eastern side, plenty of steps away. In the manga, Ludwig takes visitors and Hornig to view the splendours inside it. This part of the castle looks oriental and the king renovated it after purchasing it from the Zbiro Castle in Bohemia. Inside there are many designs of peacocks, golden elaboration, and oriental motifs. I do not understand why You draws a crystal dome over the Kiosk in the manga, but otherwise this is where Ludwig and Hornig share their first passionate moment, when Hornig still does not much like the king. It is inside the Kiosk where the king build the Venus Grotto. This grotto, created by August Dirigl out of artificial stalactite and stalagmite, is often seen in the manga. It is where Ludwig spends a lot of time alone, floating in the swan shaped boat, and where You has him spend the first love moments with Hornig. Once, my best friend and fellow Team Bonet member took me on a ride on a swan shaped boat in Lake Eola just because of those swan boats. The grotto is very pretty and I am sure it must have been very special for Ludwig, perhaps his private "place" where he retreated to be by himself. It is said that only a few people ever went down there, one of those being Hornig. Sadly, I find this grotto a bit too artificial.
Neuschwanstein is my second most favourite castle. Secluded in mountains, this castle is a real beauty. It is the castle that Disney used to create his own, and now equally famous Cinderella's castle. Oh, the joy I feel when I touch the walls of that castle when Team Bonet goes (a lot, we live 1 1/2 hours away) to Walt Disney World. Just knowing that it resembles Neuschwanstein so much. I feel glad also when I drink from my Ludwig II mug which features the castle, and when I touch my Ludwig II stein. This castle is truly wonderful. It creates the image of Ludwig as the Fairy Tale King in my head and I cannot image what it must have been like to see the king's carriage drive up to it. It was built in 1869-1886 and it was Ludwig II's first castle. It is also said to be the last castle where he lived before he was taken to Castle Berg accused of lunacy. It is located between the rivers Alpsee and Schwansee where Ludwig spent a lot of his childhood. This is the castle that You presents tons of times in the manga, probably her favourite. The photo I show here is Sängersaal -Minstrel Hall, because it's one of my ffavourite rooms in the castle. With paintings from the legend of Percival, it was used as a concert hall from 1933-9. What wonderful chandeliers, no? Sadly, during Ludwig's life, this hall was never used. How can it be that such a splendid hall was never even used during a lifetime?
There are various drawings in the manga of another of my favourites, Der Thronsaal- the Throne Room. This room was designed with a Byzantine style with porphyr columns and paintings in the walls. The ceiling must be something awesome to look up to, specially with that chandelier. The view from those windows must be equally beautiful. I can see the king here, even though he seems sad and a bit accosted in my mind, surrounded by the court. But, somehow, I can hardly ever see him happy or with Hornig. Nonetheless, this hall is pretty.
The last place in Bavaria I really admire and love is the cross, seen in the manga when Elizabeth rides beside it, the Bavarians have erected in Starnberger Lake where they found Ludwig's drowned body. It is a cross in the middle of the lake and once it was even chopped away. People can swim in this lake and can even go there and touch it. This cross makes me feel very, very sad. It makes me feel water in my eyes and a sharp freezing in my chest, but I feel very happy at the same time. I even wrote a letter to the king and mailed it to Bavaria so my friend could place it on his grave. I cannot even picture it there, but I hope it is there, with his grave. I would love to go to this lake and swim there. I would take a wonderful evening to just swim here and try to touch the cross, and remember that day when he died in June 1886. What did he think about that day? Why did he have to die so tragically...?
Sadly, that concludes my small shrine and tour of Ludwig castles. I could feature tons of pictures from the countless ones I own, but I do not have to. There are thousands of better and guided sites where you can see great pictures of the many rooms. Please, visit those. Look beyond this place for Ludwig's marvellous castles and the legends and stories behind their walls. If you get the chance, go walk in them and feel Ludwig close to your spirit.
The pictures in this page come from travel brochures of Linderhof and Neuschwanstein, King Ludwig II sent to me from Bavaria by my dear friend Stephanie Werner. Ich liebe Dich, meine Liebe. All the historical information comes from King Ludwig II, The Mad King of Bavaria written by Greg King found in the University of Central Florida library. All of these things were used with revered honour and respect. Team Bonet hopes you have enjoyed them ...