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Construction of Castle Linderhof, just a short distance from Ettal was started
in 1870 and completed 1878. The exterior is reminiscent of the Trianon near Versailles castle and the interior is held in mostly Rokoko style, although the gilded frescos and decorations do not reflect the whimsical nature of that period but are rather exagerated in size. Two features of the castle deserve special mention: The "Magic Table" (Ger."Tischlein-Deck-Dich") in the dining room and the "Venus-or Blue Grotto". The dining room table was set on a specially constructed lift, which was lowered to the kitchen one floor below at meal time and where it was set and raised back up to the dining room. Thus, the shy King was able to partake of his meals without being disturbed by servants. (This also assured a hot meal during the harsh Bavarian winters.) The Venus Grotto was a huge artificial cave with stalagmites and stalactites with an artificial lake and artificial waves on which the King paddled in a boat in the form of a swan and Wagnerian Opera command performances were held for the King as sole audience.(Ludwig II. was a great admirer of Richard Wagner, whom he supportet financially for years.) The Grotto was lit and operated by means of three large Siemens generators, supplying light and power for wave-motions. It was heated from outside the cave, where servants stoked fires with wood in ovens built into the cave. For certain performances, the King insisted lighting of a particular blue, which utilized glass of different hues and it took weeks till the engineers got it just right to the King's satisfaction. A Moorish "Kiosk" was also built adjacent to the castle, which houses the Peacock Throne. |
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