Castles, Alps and Ludwig lore

The "Mad King" and royal intrigues provide colorful architecture and history

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The castles of Ludwig II are among the most popular sights for tourists of today. Actually there are dozens of palaces and castles extending from Munich to the Austrian border, whether Gothic, baroque or neoclassical. Some are open to the public.

Beginning in Munich, a small group of us set out to examine some of these sumptuous constructions of the past few hundred years, cramming as many as we could into a week's time. It was rather like dining on beer, sausage and "apfelstrudel" daily -- but a Bavarian feast for the eyes instead of the stomach.

Our eyes did glaze over when we tried to grasp the complicated family tree of the rulers of Bavaria, including the royal relationships with their wives, husbands, mistresses and lovers. So we did our best to concentrate on the art and architecture.

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MUNICH, Germany » Winter was cold and dark in the Bavarian Alps during the mid-19th century. Still, a few people who ventured outdoors at night sometimes saw a mysterious bright glow gliding silently through the pines and firs.

If You Go ... Accommodations » Munich: Maritim Muenchen, Goessthestr 7, 80336 Muenchen; call +49-89-552350; www.maritim.de. From 120 euros ($170). » Prien: Yachthotel Chiemsee, Harrasser Strasse 49, 83209 Prien am Chiemsee; call +49-80-516960; www.yachthotel.de. From 75 euros ($110). » Fuessen: Treffhotel Luitpold Park, Luitpoldstrasse, 87620 Fuessen; call 08-3629040; www.luitpoldpark-hotel.de. From 79 euros ($115). Dining Munich: » Ratskeller Muenchen: Marienplatz 8, 80331; www.ratskeller.com » Metzgerwirt: Auffahrtsallee 69, 80638; www.metzgerwirt-muc.de » Restaurant Eisbach: Marstallplatz 3, 80539; www.eisbach.eu Prien: » Restaurant zur Linde: 83256 Fraueninsel (on Fraueninsel Island); www.inselhotel-zurlinde.de Fuessen: » Restaurant Mueller: Alpseestrasse 16, D-87645 Hohenschwangau; www.hotel-mueller.de Attractions » Schleissheim New Palace and Lustheim Palaces: Max-Emanuel-Platz 1, Oberschleissheim; www.schloesser.bayern.de/englisch/ palace/objects/schl_ns.htm. 3 euros ($4). » Nymphenburg Palace and Gardens: Eingang 19, 80638 Muenchen; www.schloesser.bayern.de/englisch/ palace/objects/ny_schl.htm. 5 euros ($7). » Amalienburg Palace: Eingang 19, 80638 Muenchen; www.schloesser.bayern.de/englisch/ palace/objects/ny_amal.htm. 2 euros ($2.75). » Herrenchiemsee New Palace: 83209 Herrenchiemsee; www.herrenchiemsee.de/englisch/ n_palace/index.htm. 7 euros ($10). » Oberammergau Passion Play Theater: Theaterstrasse 16-A 82487 Oberammergau; www.oberammergau.de/ot_e/ passionplay/passionplay_theater.htm. Guided tours in English 11 a.m. and 2 p.m. daily, except November and December. 6 euros ($8). » Hohenschwangau Castle: Alpseestrasse 12, D-87645 Hohenschwangau; www.hohenschwangau.de/556.0.html. 9 euros ($12). » Neuschwanstein Castle: Schlossverwaltung Neuschwanstein, Neuschwansteinerstr 20, 87645 Schwangau; www.neuschwanstein.de. Guided tours in English. 9 euros ($12). Combination tickets for Hohenschwangau and Neuschwanstein for 17 euros ($23); under 18 admitted free. More information » German National Tourist Office: 122 E. 42nd St., New York 10068; phone (212) 661-3377; www.cometogermany.com » Bavaria Tourism: Leopoldstrasse 146 80804, Munich, Germany; www.bayernby/en/index.html

That would have been Ludwig II, the youthful king of Bavaria, traveling in his elaborate sleigh -- undoubtedly the only sleigh in the world equipped with an electric light. It was powered by a large battery placed under the seats.

Winter or summer, Ludwig II was known to spend much of his waking hours moving around the countryside between dusk and dawn. In his short lifetime, Ludwig II was declared officially insane, and he is widely known today as the "Mad King" of Bavaria. Part of the evidence given for his psychotic condition was that he spoke openly of his belief that man would someday fly.

A sensitive and poetic romanticist, he was also talked out of trying to construct a cable car at the mountaintop castle he was building. It would have connected to another nearby castle, one built by his parents and the summer home he knew and loved as a child.

Ludwig II cared nothing for the affairs of state. He commissioned avant-garde art and experimental music, much of which was just too advanced for the time. These included the operas of his socially inept and generally unpopular friend, Richard Wagner.

On top of everything else, the king was homosexual, and unfortunately trapped in an age when none dared emerge from that condemned closet.

Today he might be considered an artistic eccentric, and one who would fit neatly enough into respected elements of society. But this is now and that was then, and he ended up dying tragically and mysteriously.

He was found dead, floating in a shallow lake on June 13, 1886. A strong swimmer, the king did not drown. Many believe he was shot, simply as a result of political intrigue. He was 40 years old.

Thousands of visitors today hike through the Mad King's unfinished Neuschwanstein, the most famous castle in Germany if not the world.

A few highlights of our trip:

Munich

The incredibly large and opulent Baroque palace of Nymphenburg, arguably Munich's most popular attraction, was built to celebrate the 1664 birth of a royal heir, Max Emanuel, a long-awaited baby who eventually grew up to become the great-grandfather of Ludwig II. The palace continued to be occupied by the royal family for several generations.

Ludwig II was born there, and his grandfather King Ludwig I dallied there.

A popular room in the palace is devoted to dozens of proud portraits of the first Ludwig's mistresses -- trophies in oil of conquests which included the notorious Spanish dancer, Lola Montez. She was the inspiration for the song "Whatever Lola Wants, Lola Gets" -- or so we are improbably told by our guide.

I was more impressed with the fact that Mozart played in the palace at age 7, not with toys or blocks of course, but on the piano.

Three other Munich palatial visits we made were at Amalienburg, with its hall of mirrors, Schleissheim, now the official state gallery for Baroque paintings, and Lustheim, which contains a beautiful collection of Meissen porcelain.

Prien

From this attractive Bavarian village of the shores of Lake Chiemsee, we took the passenger ferry to the small island of Herreninsel to see another of Ludwig II's "mad" creations, the unfinished palace that he was building in an attempt to duplicate the French palace of Versailles.

On display among the gold, porcelain and cherub-bedecked chambers is Ludwig's king-size golden bed with its moon-shaped night light, which once contained a single candle. There is a secret spiral staircase which led from his bed to an indoor swimming pool on the floor below. Construction on the palace was halted after his death, and today the unfinished portion is almost as interesting as the rest of it.

Oberammergau

The fairy tale-like village is famous for its Passion Play, performed every 10 years since the early 17th century. The theater, built expressly for that purpose, is an interesting tour itself. Next year, 2008, ticket sales will begin for the summer performances in 2010.

A half-hour's drive from Oberammergau is Castle Linderhof, the only one of the Ludwig II palaces and castles that was completed during the king's lifetime. Like Herreninsel, this too was Ludwig's homage to France's King Louis XIV, with many elements copied from Versailles. The surrounding gardens are as famous as the palace itself.

Fuessen

The village of Fuessen is the usual headquarters for visits to two nearby castles, the aforementioned Neuschwanstein and the neo-Gothic Hohenschwangau. The latter, the childhood summer home of Ludwig II, is credited to Ludwig's father, Maximilian II, who succeeded in renovating a 12th-century fortress, keeping the medieval style but modernizing it to comfort standards of the early 19th century.

In later years, Ludwig II used the castle to keep a telescopic watch on his construction of Neuschwanstein. Today, Neuschwanstein is famous for serving as the model for the Sleeping Beauty castles of Disney amusement parks.