The Palaces of Ludwig II

In 1864, at the age of 18, Prince Ludwig Otto Friedrich Wilhelm of the House of Wittelsbach ascended to the throne of the Kingdom of Bavaria. The life of Ludwig II was shaped by a complicated childhood split between militaristic training required by his father and his penchant for Teutonic legends instilled, in part, by his doting mother. As modern Germany began to take shape in the mid-19th century through its unification, Ludwig's title became little more than symbolic. Adolescent Ludwig, who first saw the work performed in Munich, was obsessed. The Bavarian royal family had long associated their dynasty with the symbol of the swan, most evident at their summer palace of Hohenschwangau Schloss, where the avian symbol was ubiquitous in the heraldic décor, from chandeliers and upholstery to Romantic murals.