Wiki source code of Linderhof Palace

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  2: 1 Linderhof Palace
  3: 
  4: Linderhof Palace (German: Schloss Linderhof) is a palace in Germany, near
  5: Oberammergau in southwest Bavaria near Ettal Abbey. It is the smallest of
  6: the three palaces built by King Ludwig II of Bavaria and the only one of
  7: which he lived to see completion.
  8: 
  9: 1.1 Development of the building
 10: Ludwig already knew the area around Linderhof from his youth when he had
 11: accompanied his father King Maximilian II of Bavaria on his hunting trips
 12: in the Bavarian Alps. When Ludwig II became king in 1864 he inherited the
 13: so-called Königshäuschen from his father, and in 1869 began enlarging the
 14: building. In 1874 he decided to tear down the Königshäuschen and rebuild
 15: it on its present-day location in the park. At the same time three new
 16: rooms and the staircase were added to the remaining U-shaped complex, and
 17: the previous wooden exterior was clad with stone façades. The building was
 18: designed in the style of the second rococo-period. Between 1863 and 1886 a
 19: total of 8,460,937 marks was spent constructing Linderhof.
 20: 
 21: 1.1 Symbolic background
 22: Although Linderhof is much smaller than Versailles, it is evident that the
 23: palace of the French Sun-King Louis XIV (who was an idol for Ludwig) was
 24: its inspiration. The staircase, for example, is a reduction of the famous
 25: Ambassador's staircase in Versailles, which would be copied in full in
 26: Herrenchiemsee. The symbol of the sun that can be found everywhere in the
 27: decoration of the rooms represents the French notion of absolutism that,
 28: for Ludwig, was the perfect incorporation of his ideal of a God-given
 29: monarchy with total royal power. Such a monarchy could no longer be
 30: realised in Europe in the second half of the nineteenth century.
 31: 
 32: The bedroom was important to the ceremonial life of an absolute monarch;
 33: Louis XIV of France used to give his first (lever) and last audience
 34: (coucher) of the day in his bedchamber. In imitation of Versailles, the
 35: bedroom is the largest chamber of Linderhof Palace. By facing north,
 36: however, the Linderhof bedroom inverts the symbolism of its Versailles
 37: counterpart, showing Ludwig's self-image as a "Night-King."
 38: 
 39: The location of the palace near Ettal Abbey again presents another
 40: interesting point. Because of its architecture Ludwig saw the church of
 41: the monastery as the room where the holy grail was preserved. This fact
 42: connects the idea of a baroque palace to the one of a "medieval" castle
 43: such as Neuschwanstein and reminds of the operas of Richard Wagner whose
 44: patron Ludwig was.
 45: 
 46: 1.1 The rooms
 47: Linderhof, in comparison to other palaces, has a rather private
 48: atmosphere. In fact, there are only four rooms that have a real function.
 49: 
 50: 1.1.1 Hall of Mirrors
 51: This room was used by the king as some kind of living room. He enjoyed
 52: sitting in the niche, sometimes reading there the whole night. Because
 53: Ludwig II used to sleep in the daytime and stay awake in the night, the
 54: mirrors created an unimaginable effect for him when they reflected the
 55: light of the candles a thousand times. The parallel placement of some
 56: mirrors evoke the illusion of a never ending avenue.
 57: 
 58: Appointments:
 59: * The middle table has a top with lapis-lazuli, amethyst quartz and chalcedon inlay work and shows the Bavarian coat of arms in glass mosaic.
 60: * A carpet made of ostrich plumes.
 61: * An ivory candelabra in the alcove with 16 branches.
 62: * Two mantelpieces clad with lapis-lazuli and decorated with gilded bronze ornaments.
 63: 
 64: 1.1.1 Eastern and Western Tapestry Chambers
 65: The two tapestry chambers are almost identical and have no specific
 66: function. The western one is sometimes called "Music Room" because of the
 67: Aeolodion (an instrument combining piano and harmonium) in it. Only the
 68: curtains and the coverings on the furniture are real products of the
 69: Parisian Gobelin Manufactory. The scenes on the walls are painted on rough
 70: canvas in order to imitate real tapestries.
 71: 
 72: 1.1.1 Audience Chamber
 73: The audience chamber is located to the east of the castle and is flanked
 74: by the yellow and lilac cabinets. The cabinets were only used as
 75: antechambers to the larger rooms. Ludwig II never used this room to hold
 76: an audience. This would have contradicted to the private character of
 77: Linderhof Palace and the chamber would have been much too small for it. He
 78: rather used it as a study where he thought about new building projects.
 79: That there is an audience chamber in Linderhof, however, reminds us of the
 80: demand of the king on an absolute monarchy.
 81: 
 82: Appointments:
 83: * Two round tables with malachite tops, gift of Czarina Marie Alexandrowna to King Ludwig II.
 84: * Throne balachin with ostrich feather bunches (as an oriental symbol of royal power).
 85: 
 86: 1.1.1 Dining Room
 87: This room is located to the east and is flanked by the pink and blue
 88: cabinets. The pink cabinet, unlike the other cabinets, had a real
 89: function. The king used it as a robing room. The dining room is famous for
 90: its disappearing dumb-waiter called "Tischlein deck dich". This table was
 91: installed so that Ludwig could dine alone here. Yet the staff had to lay
 92: the table for at least four persons because it is said that the king used
 93: to talk to imaginary people like Louis XV, Mme de Pompadour or Marie
 94: Antoinette while he was eating. For Ludwig II enjoyed the company of those
 95: people and admired them. You can find portraits of them in the cabinets,
 96: and scenes of their lives everywhere in the castle's rooms.
 97: 
 98: Appointments:
 99: * Meissen porcelain centrepiece with china flowers.
100: 
101: 1.1.1 Bedchamber
102: The model for this room was not Louis XIV's bedchamber in Versailles but
103: the bedroom of the Rich Rooms in Munich Residence. This room was
104: completely rebuilt in 1884 and could not be totally finished until the
105: king's death two years later. The position of the bed itself on steps in
106: the alcove that is closed off by a gilded balustrade gives it the
107: appearance of an altar and thereby glorifies the night-kingdom of Ludwig
108: II.
109: 
110: Appointments:
111: * A glass candelabra with 108 candles.
112: * Two console tables of Meissen porcelain (which was the king's favorite china)
113: 
114: 1.1 The park
115: The gardens surrounding Linderhof Palace are considered one of the most
116: beautiful creations of historicist garden design. The park combines formal
117: elements of Baroque style or Italian Renaissance gardens with landscaped
118: sections that are similar to the English garden.
119: 
120: 1.1.1 Formal gardens
121: The palace is surrounded by formal gardens that are subdivided into five
122: sections that are decorated with allegoric sculptures of the continents,
123: the seasons and the elements:
124: 
125: The northern part is characterized by a cascade of thirty marble steps.
126: The bottom end of the cascade is formed by the Neptune fountain and on top
127: of it there is a Music Pavilion.
128: 
129: The centre of the western parterre is formed by basin with the gilt figure
130: of "Fama". In the west there is a pavilion with the bust of Louis XIV. In
131: front of it you see a fountain with the gilt sculpture "Amor with
132: dolphins". The garden is decorated with four majolica vases.
133: 
134: The crowning of the eastern parterre is a wooden pavilion containing the
135: bust of Louis XVI. 24 steps below it there is a fountain basin with a gilt
136: sculpture "Amor shooting an arrow". A sculpture of "Venus and Adonis" is
137: placed between the basin and the palace.
138: 
139: The water parterre in front of the castle is dominated by a large basin
140: with the gilt fountain group "Flora and puttos". The fountain itself is
141: nearly 25 meters high.
142: 
143: The terrace gardens form the southern part of the park and correspond to
144: the cascade in the north. On the landing of the first flight there is the
145: "Naiad fountain" consisting of three basins and the sculptures of water
146: nymphs. In the middle arch of the niche you see the bust of Marie
147: Antoinette of France. These gardens are crowned by a round temple with a
148: statue of Venus formed after a painting by Antoine Watteau (The
149: Embarkation for Cythera).
150: 
151: 1.1.1 Landscape garden and structures in the park
152: The landscape garden covers an area of about 50 hectares (125 acres) and
153: is perfectly integrated in the surrounding natural alpine landscape. There
154: are several buildings of different appearance located in the park.
155: 
156: 
157: 1.1.1.1 Venus Grotto
158: The building is wholly artificial and was built for the king as an
159: illustration of the First Act of Wagner's "Tannhäuser". Ludwig liked to be
160: rowed over the lake in his golden swan-boat but at the same time he wanted
161: his own blue grotto of Capri. Therefore 24 dynamos had been installed and
162: so already in the time of Ludwig II it was possible to illuminate the
163: grotto in changing colours.
164: 1.1.1.1 Hunding's Hut
165: This hut was inspired by Richard Wagner's directions for the First Act of
166: the "Valkyrie". Ludwig used to celebrate Germanic feasts in this house.
167: 1.1.1.1 Gurnemanz Hermitage
168: Ludwig came here for contemplation every year on Good Friday. For this day
169: he wanted a flowering meadow. If there was no such meadow because there
170: was still snow lying, the garden director had to plant one for the king.
171: These three structures, the "Venus Grotto", "Hunding's Hut" and "Gurnemanz
172: Hermitage" remind us another time of the operas of Richard Wagner. But
173: besides that and the baroque architecture Ludwig was also interested in
174: the oriental world.
175: 1.1.1.1 Moorish Kiosk
176: This building was designed by the Berliner architect Karl von Diebitsch
177: for the International Exhibition in Paris 1867. Ludwig II wanted to buy it
178: but was forstalled by the railroad king Bethel Henry Strousberg. Ludwig
179: bought the pavilion after the bankruptcy of Strousberg. The most
180: attendable furniture of this building is the peacock throne.
181: 1.1.1.1 Moroccan House
182: This house had really been built in Morocco for the International
183: Exhibition in Vienna 1873. The king bought it in 1878 and let it decorate
184: in a more royal way.
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