SUNDAY MEMORIES
Judy Wills
LINDERHOF
1968 – on our trip to Bavaria
We visited quite a few castles while in Germany – and some in other countries. But I think our favorites were the ones built by Ludwig II – named “Mad King Ludwig” by many. Mad he may have been, but boy did he know how to build castles!
While Linderhof may have been the smallest of the castles he built, it seemed to me to be the most ornate, and actually somewhat gaudy to me. Mind you, it is really gorgeous, and has many, many precious things in it, but the word opulent comes to mind when I think of it.
Credit Google Search – an example of gold used
However, we thoroughly enjoyed touring it, and were grateful for the opportunities we had to visit it. We always made sure to take visitors to see it with us.
Of course, we found the gold statue in the middle of the pool to be fascinating. She sits demurely most of the time, but when it is time for the fountain to geyser, she is in the middle of the geyser.
1968 – on our trip to Bavaria
And there is a most interesting thing about that geyser – it is completely natural! There is nothing mechanical or technical about it. You see, the castle itself sits at the bottom of a hill, with a cascade carved in the hill behind it, that the water flows over. The water goes down the cascade, under the castle itself, and gravity pressure makes the geyser shoot up at least 80 feet in the air. It is amazing! Ludwig placed his bedroom at that point in the castle to get the cool breeze coming down the hill and with the water to cool his room. Smart man, hmm?
1968 – the cascade is behind the castle
1982 – the Cascade behind the castle
There is a LOT of gold overlay within the castle. He also had a lot of Meissen porcelain in various arrangements. Apparently Meissen porcelain was his favorite. It is quite ornate and beautiful.
1982 – Meissen porcelain chandelier
Ludwig had a fascination with swans and peacocks. He had a Moorish Kiosk built on Linderhof grounds that had three peacocks surrounding a divan within. This kiosk was originally designed for the World Exhibition in Paris in 1876.
Credit Google Search and Wikipedia
We also found fascinating that in the dining room, the table disappears into the floor, going to the kitchen below where it was loaded with food and sent back to the dining room. The advantage of this technology was that the King did not have to see his servants.
Credit Google Search – The dining room
The Kings bed chamber was quite something to see – there is a giant sized bed for a large-than-life King. Ludwig liked ornate drapes in his bedroom.
Credit Google Search – the King’s bedroom
Ludwig and composer Richard Wagner were friends, and Ludwig built a grotto (a cave) for the performance of Wagner’s “Der Ring des Nibelungen.” It’s sometimes call “The Blue Grotto” or “Neptune’s Grotto.”
Credit Google Search and Augsburger Allegemeine
~~~~~~~~~~To Be Continued~~~~~~~~~~
Judy is living in Central Florida with her retired U.S. Air Force husband of 50+ years. Born in Dallas, Texas, she grew up in the Southwestern United States.She met her husband at their church, where he was attending the university in her town. After college and seminary, he entered the Air Force, and their adventures began.They lived in eight of our United States, and spent six years in Europe, where their oldest daughter was born. She was a stay-at-home mom for many years .
Judy has always been involved with music, both playing the piano and singing. Always interested in exercise, she was an aerobic dancing instructor, as well as a piano teacher for many years, and continues to faithfully exercise at home.
After moving to Central Florida, she served as a church secretary for nearly nine years.Her main hobby at this point in time is scanning pictures and 35mm slides into the computer. She also enjoys scrapbooking.She and her husband have two married daughters and four grandchildren, including grandtwins as well as a great-grandson. She and her husband enjoy the Disney parks as often as possible.
Old Things R New 
Linderhof is one of the things I remember best.
LikeLike