The König Ludwig Museum

The König Ludwig Museum that occupies the ground floor of the south wing of Schloss Herrenchiemsee, gives a summary of the king’s life, and outlines his building projects: Herrenchiemsee, Neuschwanstein, and Linderhof are the only projects that were partially completed before his death at age 40 in 1886. Raised in isolation at Hohenschwangau, Ludwig began his reign with great promise at the young age of 18. Before long, though, his interest in politics diminished and, in a vain pursuit of happiness, he embarked on his monumental building spree of fairy-tale castles. The expense of the program and Ludwig’s erratic behavior alarmed the government, who feared (probably justifiably) that the king might bankrupt the country with his wildly extravagant projects, so they declared him unfit to rule by reason of insanity. Four days later, Ludwig was found drowned under mysterious circumstances—supposedly suicide, but the world still wonders, “Who done it?” Whatever the truth of the matter, today the tourist benefits, as all of Ludwig’s palaces are now museums. Be prepared for long lines in high season.