Castle Conundrum

King Ludwig II of Bavaria was one of the great anomalies of European royalty in the late 19th century. Ascending the throne at the tender age of 18, Ludwig II had little use for governing, and increasingly withdrew from the day-to-day affairs of governance in favor of his artistic and architectural projects, including several lavish palaces, much to the chagrin of his ministers.

Born in Nymphenburg Palace (above) in Central Munich, Ludwig II was the oldest son of Maximillian II of Bavaria and Marie of Prussia, who became King and Queen of Bavaria after the abdication of the latter's father, Ludwig I, during the German Revolution of 1848-49. His parents wanted to name him "Otto" but his grandfather, Ludwig I, insisted that his grandson be named after him. "Ludwig" is the German form of "Louis."

As was the custom of the day when royalty governed most of Europe, Ludwig II and his brother Otto were indoctrinated into the regimen of royal duty from an early age. As heir to the throne, Ludwig was both extremely indulged and severely disciplined. He was close to neither of his parents. He did have happy moments living in Hohenschwangau (above), a fantasy castle his father had built near Alpsee in Füssen.

As a youth, he was already becoming something of legend-in-the-making. Handsome, strapping and tall at 6'4, he would become an enigma "to myself and others." Raised to accept the duties as heir apparent to Bavaria, he studied at numerous colleges. He showed little interest in politics but lived for the arts and sciences and excelled as a student. He is said to have commented that he would rather be a professor than king.

Nonetheless, when his father, Maximillion II, passed away suddenly, Ludwig II officially became King of Bavaria. At first, he was quite popular, especially with his subjects. He had a passion for music, particularly anything by Richard Wagner. But he disliked large public functions, avoiding social events whenever possible. Instead, he enjoyed touring the Bavarian countryside and chatting with farmers and merchants.

Two years later, war would alter Ludwig's outlook on life considerably. First, the Austro-Prussion War, followed by the Franco-Prussion War, led to the unification of Germany and Bavaria's loss of independence. Bavaria, reduced to vassal status, would retain its own army. As for Ludwig himself, a healthy allowance funded by the proletariat allowed him to pursue his interests in music, theater and architecture.

Now free to pursue his interests with gusto, Ludwig II wasted little time, delving into sponsoring operas and theater presentations. But even more significantly for Bavaria, he focused his energy on the design and construction of numerous castles, including Schloss Linderhof, Schloss Herrenchimsee and the grandest castle of all, Schloss Neushwanstein, the model utilized by Walt Disney in Disneyland.

Fascinated by the musical dramas and writings of Richard Wagner, Ludwig brought the composer to Munich. However, he left Munich due to government conflict and used his personal fortunes to fund the construction of his elaborate castles. These projects provided employment for many hundreds of local laborers and artisans and brought a considerable flow of prosperity to poor regions where the castles were built.

Despite the fact that Ludwig II financed his many projects with his own funds and not government coffers, his ministers attempted to dispose of him through constitutional means, insisting that he was insane and therefore unfit to rule. The accusations were numerous: pathological shyness aversion to state affairs, homosexuality and expensive flights of fancy.

I guess we'll never know. Under the care of severel psychiatrists, "Mad" King Ludwig and one of his psychiatrists drowned in Lake Stamberg under mysterious circumstances. His death was ruled a suicide. But was King Ludwig really a raving lunatic, or merely a shy genius? Despite being a massive drain on royal finances during his reign, the castles collectively have generated immense economic benefits for Bavaria ever since. He remains popular in Munich.