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Thenyear was 1886. Bavaria’s king, Ludwig II, had been declared legallyninsane. (He was, everyone acknowledged, “deeply peculiar,” butnpeople are STILL arguing about whether or not he was actuallynclinically insane.) He was removed from the throne and sent to livenin a castle by a lake. Just a few days after the insanity ruling, henwent for a walk with his psychiatrist. They never came back, andnafter hours of searching, the servants found both men’s bodiesnseemingly drowned in the shallow waters of the lake.
Thenyear was 1886. Bavaria’s king, Ludwig II, had been declared legallyninsane. (He was, everyone acknowledged, “deeply peculiar,” butnpeople are STILL arguing about whether or not he was actuallynclinically insane.) He was removed from the throne and sent to livenin a castle by a lake. Just a few days after the insanity ruling, henwent for a walk with his psychiatrist. They never came back, andnafter hours of searching, the servants found both men’s bodiesnseemingly drowned in the shallow waters of the lake.n
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nWerenthe deaths accidental? Their bodies were found in only waist-deepnwater, and the official autopsy report stated that there was no waternin Ludwig’s lungs. Some say that Ludwig probably died of naturalncauses; on the other hand, there were indications that he wasndepressed and suicidal—but, in either of these cases, how did thenpsychiatrist die? There were signs that it was murder-suicide ornmurder-and-accident—with Ludwig killing his psychiatrist and thenndrowning himself on purpose or by accident. But there were alsontheories and rumors that the men had both been murdered by enemies.nWas Ludwig trying to escape his castle prison? Some people said thatnloyalists were making plans to put him back on the throne; if thesenrumors were true, the psychiatrist could have fought Ludwig as hentried to swim out to the loyalists’ boat.
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nInguess we will never know.
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HowevernKing Ludwig died, many in his kingdom were relieved that he was nonlonger on the throne. He had been spending money like crazy, buildingnamazing fantasy castles with lavish furnishings and splendid gardens.nAlthough he had paid with his own money—and ruined himselfnfinancially—King Ludwig had also borrowed more and more money, andnhis massive debt posed a financial danger to the entire kingdom. Whennhe died, the work order for yet another crazy-ornate throne and othernas-yet-undone furnishings were immediately canceled. And, after justnover one month, the castles began to be opened to paying tourists!
HowevernKing Ludwig died, many in his kingdom were relieved that he was nonlonger on the throne. He had been spending money like crazy, buildingnamazing fantasy castles with lavish furnishings and splendid gardens.nAlthough he had paid with his own money—and ruined himselfnfinancially—King Ludwig had also borrowed more and more money, andnhis massive debt posed a financial danger to the entire kingdom. Whennhe died, the work order for yet another crazy-ornate throne and othernas-yet-undone furnishings were immediately canceled. And, after justnover one month, the castles began to be opened to paying tourists!n
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nAsnit turns out, Ludwig’s castles have become very profitable. Withnadmissions fees and merchandise, the castles have paid for themselvesnmany times over and have attracted millions and millions of touristsnfrom all over the world!
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n(Justnone of the castles, Neuschwanstein, attracts 1.3 million visitors anyear!)
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nCelebratenfantasy castles!
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nTakena tour of all of King Ludwig’s castles.
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nHerenis a long video of Neuschwanstein, the castle that inspired WaltnDisney’s Sleeping Beauty’s Castle.n It might be tough to watch the entire 13 minutes of this slow,nreverent look at the castle, but just watching the first bit isnlovely, and maybe you can daydream if you find the middle partnrepetitive—because at about the nine minute mark, the video camerasngo inside the castle. Not only is this unusual—video camerasnare normally forbidden inside this castle—it’s also prettynawesome!!
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nMynfavorite of King Ludwig’s castles is Linderhof, partly because ofnthis grotto. The furnishings of Linderhof are varied and opulent and even a littlenbit crazy! (Here’s an example of crazy: Apparently King Ludwig becamenso private, he didn’t even want his servants seeing him, so he had annelaborate lift put in so that the servants could set the dining tablen(for one, naturally), serve the food, pour the wine, and then hoistnthe fully-laden table up into the private dining room! (Now that’sndoing things the hard way!) Check out this assortment of images ofnLinderhof.
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| When walking around Linderhof, you always see the unexpected–like this “Moroccan House,” a guest house tucked away among the trees. |
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nChecknout this short video, which includes 3-D renderings of Ludwig’s plansnthat didn’t get built.
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nAlsonon this date:
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nBirthdays of environmental artists Jeanne-Claude and Christo
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nSamurai Miyamoto Musashi’s birthday n
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