Linderhof Palace

Nestled in the forests of the Bavarian Alps, Schloss Linderhof, or Linderhof Palace, is the perfect setting for a fairy-tale. It’s French Baroque design means elegant exteriors, opulent interiors, and every single aspect of it is designed to be pleasing to the eye, if not necessarily functional. It’s decadence in the style that only the royals can afford, and it’s no accident that it looks like it comes straight out of the collections of the Brothers Grimm.

The man who built it, Ludwig The Second of Bavaria, was known as the Swan King, or the Fairy Tale King by his people; a name he more than earned with his numerous building projects and apparent strange behaviour. He re-built Linderhof to make it his escape, I suspect not only from reality, but into the past. You see Ludwig was born in 1845, but the Baroque style Linderhof was built to reflect was popular in the early 1600s. Within the palace you can see where inspiration was taken from the Palace of Versaille in Paris, and of Munich’s Nymphenburg Palace, Ludwig’s birthplace.

You’ll learn a lot about Ludwig during your tour of Linderhof, because that’s the only way you can get into the surprisingly small palace.

Don’t let it’s size deceive you though, it’s so rich in detail that it could take several lifetimes worth of tours to take it all in.

When you go for your tour, take a moment if time allows to investigate the grounds and gardens. I was part of a tour which included Linderhof, Oberammergau, and Neuschwanstein as part of a full day package, so I didn’t get to see the full grounds. What I did get to see was the gardens just outside Linderhof’s front entrance, which are well worth a stroll.

When you enter you’ll be asked to carry your backpack in front of you if you have one, and while that can be truly annoying, they ask for good reason. Remember that the palace was a getaway for Ludwig, each room can comfortably fit perhaps ten people without anyone having to jostle the others. He even had a special table built in his dining room so that food could be loaded onto it in the kitchen below, and then raised up to him. Conclusion? This guy wanted to be left well alone. If you can imagine what trying to fit a busload of tourists into each of these rooms is like, you can understand why the staff ask you to take a bit of extra care with your backpack.

Among many other treasures you’ll see a one of a kind instrument, a chandelier worth more fortunes than should be paid, and my favourite, a room built specifically for night-time reading!

This fascinating tour will go perhaps faster than you would like, and you can’t take any pictures inside, hence why there are no photos of the interior posted here. Luckily you can buy photo books in the gift shop and there are also some books to be had about Linderhof at Neuschwanstein as well, if you find yourself running to catch your bus.

So listen, learn, and let your eyes wander to enjoy every elegant detail of this beautiful fairy-tale palace!

Have you every been to Linderhof? What part of it is your favourite? Let me know what you think in the comments!