Ludwig II built Linderhof Palace in a remote valley 30 km southwest of Oberammergau. He built it not as a seat of power but as a private fantasy, a retreat where he could be alone. Linderhof is the smallest of his three palaces and the only one he lived to see completed. Construction began in 1869 and finished in 1886, the year of his death. The palace sits at 1,000 metres elevation in the Ammergau Alps and the setting, surrounded by forest and mountain meadows, is the real luxury.
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The Palace: A Franco-German Rococo Fantasy
The main building is 20 metres wide and 30 metres deep, modelled on the Petit Trianon at Versailles. The interior is rococo, executed in red, gold, and blue. The Hall of Mirrors, the largest room at 16 metres long, has a mirrored ceiling that reflects the crystal chandeliers and the porcelain flowers on the central table. The Dining Room, 5 metres by 7 metres, uses a disappearing table: the table was lowered through the floor to the kitchen below so that Ludwig could dine alone without seeing servants. The table was prepared and raised fully set. The Bedroom, the largest room in the palace at 10 metres by 8 metres, contains a four-poster bed flanked by gilded pillars. The elaborate crown of the bed canopy weighs 200 kg. The palace has 12 rooms in total, all decorated, and is heated by 18 fireplaces.
The Gardens: Fountains, Grotto, and the Moroccan House
The gardens cover 50 hectares and were designed in the French formal style by Carl von Effner. The central fountain has a golden statue of Neptune at its centre and the water jet reaches 30 metres. The gardens include a cascade of 30 marble steps, a floral parterre of 20,000 plants maintained annually, and a Temple of Venus, a circular open-air pavilion inspired by the Temple of the Sibyl at Tivoli. The Venus Grotto, a man-made cave of 10,000 cubic metres, uses electric lighting in 24 colours controlled by a switchboard built in 1878. The wave machine, a mechanical device that created artificial waves on the grotto lake, was powered by a steam engine. From April to October, a boat floats on the lake and guests row across the grotto.
How to Get There and What It Costs
Linderhof is accessible by car from Oberammergau (30 minutes) or by bus from the Garmisch-Partenkirchen station (Route 9622, 45 minutes, 7 euros one way). The palace tours run from 9am to 4.30pm in winter and 9am to 6pm in summer. The tour lasts 25 minutes and covers 9 rooms. The entrance fee is 10.50 euros for adults. The combined ticket for Linderhof, the Konigshaus am Schachen, and the Herrenchiemsee Castle is 25 euros. No photography is allowed inside the palace. The gardens are free to enter. The Venus Grotto requires a separate 3 euro ticket. The palace receives 500,000 visitors a year, making it the most visited of Ludwig’s three palaces.
Would you have built a golden grotto with electric waves and coloured lights in a remote mountain valley if you had the money, or is that the definition of too much of a good thing?
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