The Palaces of King Ludwig II

These castles are without a doubt some of the most beautiful castles I have ever visited. This summer, I visited Neuschwanstein for the second time, and Linderhof and Herrenchiemsee for the first time. It's important to book tickets in advance (esp. for Neuschwanstein) and to get there in time as the tours all start right on time. The tour guides we had for all three castles were very good.

In Linderhof, I would also recommend walking to the smaller buildings in the garden as they are simply stunning (although some are replicas and many are not located where they were orginally placed due to various reasons). The climb back from the Hunting Lodge to the Castle is quite challenging though, so make sure to wear good shoes and take enough time so that you don't have to hurry back for the guided tour. The Moroccan and Moorish houses are especially stunning, but I was completely taken by surprise by the beauty of the Hunting Lodge.

Herrenchiemsee is beautiful as well. The ferry ride to get to the island is smooth (so no fear for sea sickness) and goes frequently. Alternatively, you can choose for a longer tour that will also bring you to the neighbouring island. After the ferry, you can opt for a carriage ride to take you to the castle or you can walk there. There are a lot of mosquitoes in the forest you need to cross, so bringing bug repellent is a good …

Having read Hubert’s fabulous review, I wanted to add a bit of historical context to the proposed sites. Ludwig II’s main constraint as a monarch was not Bavaria’s constitution and people. The much greater constraint was German unification in 1870, which reduced Bavaria from a kingdom to a mere princely state within the larger German Empire governed by the Prussian King, now the German Kaiser.

To make Ludwig II accept his fate as a secondary prince, Bismarck smoothed the deal with substantial payments from the Prussian treasury to Bavaria; payments that went on to fund the construction of these “dreams in stone.” However, it wasn’t enough, as Ludwig spent lavishly, and several projects remain unfinished.

So far, I have only visited Herrenchiemsee during a company event. Herrenchiemsee is a lesser-known site, but the unfinished staircase gives you a very good idea of the shortcuts (such as using concrete) that Ludwig II took. As stated by Hubert, it pales in comparison to Versailles, its inspiration.

Meanwhile, I inadvertently passed by Neuschwanstein. When heading to Wies, I traveled via Füssen, startled by the crowds on the weekend heading to this sleepy town. It only dawned on me at the Füssen train station what the tourists were visiting. The bus I took to Wies actually stopped at Neuschwanstein and emptied.

OUV

There is a reason why these sites have not been nominated earlier by Germany: Their Outstanding Universal Value (OUV) is debatable and unclear. Neo-Romanticism is a broad …

It seems I'm going to be the party pooper here with my "thumbs down". But now that Palaces of King Ludwig II have been nominated for decision in 2025, one critical view may be appropriate. The nomination was controversial among the local population. In a ballot in the municipality of Schwangau in June 2023, 56% of citizens voted in favour of the nomination (with a turnout of 56%), so not really overwhelming. The residents near Neuschwanstein are mainly concerned about a further increase in visitor numbers. Those in favour of the nomination argue that the number is already 1.5 million per year and that more can hardly be expected.

King Ludwig II of Bavaria is well-known far beyond the Bavarian borders, romanticised as the "Fairytale King", his castles attract visitors from all over the world. He was undoubtedly a fascinating character. His idea of kingship was based on absolutism and the divine rights of kings. But this conflicted with political reality, which saw a change towards a constitutional monarchy. And thus, he dreamed himself back to the past times of Louis XIV and the fictional worlds of Richard Wagner.
In a way, his life reflects this period of political and social change. But does this also mean that his architectural heritage - the Dreams in Stone - is of such outstanding value that it justifies inscription on the World Heritage List?

I have visited three of the four locations twice. First as a child decades ago, then a …

From the three castles, all built (or let's say, tried to be) by King Ludwig II, I have only visited Neuschwanstein and Linderhof. Herrenchiemsee sounds like a great third site but is just far away from the other three so I couldn't fit it into a trip and unsure if I ever will. There is also an unsung fourth site called the King's House on Schachen which is a hunting lodge in the Alps and not easily visited, but also not that exciting from the looks of it. I would think that whenever inscribed it's probably not included.

Neuschwanstein, on the Romantic Road, is a highlight for many, many tourists. It doesn't need world heritage status and already has packed tours every 5-10 minutes in multiple languages, with hordes of Japanese and Chinese tourists making up many of them. It also gotten so bad that heaps of tax exempt shops have cropped up around the village below catering these crowds. Nonetheless the castle itself is a masterpiece. The exterior seems complete but inside you only get a few rooms and one large hall that have been completed. It's unclear how the builders worked back in the days because when you build a house now you don't decorate it room by room, do you? Anyhow, everything besides those rooms is just grey walls or used by the staff including the souvenir shop. The rooms that are complete are masterpieces though, showing Ludwig's love for Richard Wagner.

Linderhof is much …

I think these three castles make a very nice group for a WHT nomination. Of the three I have only visited Neuschwanstein and Herrenchiemsee. I will certainly try to visit Lindenhof too, if only for its camp "Venusgrotte" and its further Wagnerian connections. It seems to have the most interesting park of the three. 

These castles are certainly an oddity and this is part of the reason why they should be inscribed! Neuschwanstein needs the least introduction: Its exterior is iconic and its interior quite unusual in it pseudo Wagnerian pomp. A bit of a killer is the handling of the visitors: You get a time slot and a tour guide and then you get more or less chased through the castle because behind you there is already the next group approaching. You get to see only the parts of the castle where the rooms are decorated and furnished. Supposedly the larger part of the castle is unfinished and empty because Ludwig ran out of money!

While Neuschwanstein is a romanticized medieval castle, Herrenchiemsee is neobaroque and Ludwigs personal (and smaller) copy of Versailles. It is a similar visiting experience then in Neuschwanstein. It is a pity because the interiors are so sumptuous and odd that you would wish for more time to study them. It is at the same time absurd and moving that the whole castle is full of painting of Louis XIV whom Ludwig II admired. It is certainly the only castle in the world …

I visited two of the three castles in this serial property ages ago. They likely deserve full WH recognition purely on the strength of the world-wide fame of Neuschwanstein. Just type "most famous castles" into Google search - and literally the very first picture on top will be that of Neuschwanstein.

The purported inspiration for Disney does look incredibly fetching from distance, but the closer you get to it the more it feels contrived. An over-the-top concoction of a mad king who never got to enjoy his creation. Neuschwanstein is a pretty damning artifact of the royal excesses of the 19th century, but the lack of any other historic significance makes it all the more a theatrical decoration with little substance.

My friends who resided in Bavaria at the time advised me to skip interior tour of the castle, since none of the spaces inside were considered remarkable. I followed their advice, spent a bit of time in the main castle courtyard, which was accessible without a ticket, and then went to and lingered on the Marienbrücke, taking in the iconic perspective of the castle.

Afterwards I drove to Linderhof. The shortest driving route crosses into Austria and goes through delightful Alpine scenery. Linderhof is a proper royal retreat, with a large park full of impressive features, such as the Venus Grotto, a couple of elaborate fountains, and a few other structures worth checking out. The palace itself has relatively intimate dimensions and just a few rooms, …

I finally managed to visit all 3 castles. All of them, especially Neuschwanstein, don’t really need the title for touristic reasons. About 1.5 million visit Neuschwanstein each year. The other 2 castles combined see about the same amount of visitors. Still I personally think need to be on the WH list.

Neuschwanstein

It has the most spectacular location and structure. The castle was inspiration to the Disney Castle. Getting there is pretty easy. Use the highway until Füssen. It’s a short drive from there. The interior of the castle is not too spectacular. You are only allowed to enter by guided tour and no photos are allowed. You can easily visit Hohenschwangau close to the castle (not part of the T-List) and the Wies church.

Linderhof

Schloss Linderhof is the only place where the king actually lived. It’s rather a big house, with nice Baroque and Rococo interior. It has a nice garden and some additional features, like water plays and an artificial cave. Visit in summer. I had my second visit this March (2016) and the cave was closed, all fountains were dry and all statues hidden under massive wooden boxes. Tours only guided and no photos allowed inside. It’s about a 1 hour drive from Neuschwanstein.

Herrenchiemsee

The biggest of King Ludwig’s castles is an unfinished attempt to copy Versailles. Like so many others in Europe. It’s the biggest of the castles with the most impressive interior, but the Versaille-like dull exterior. The castle is built on the …