Ludwig’s Buildings
It is unimaginable today that any ruler would build anything close to Ludwig’s excesses. The palace of Herrenchiemsee, for instance, is “a replica of the palace at Versailles, which was meant to outdo its predecessor in scale and opulence. It is located on an island in the middle of a large lake, but most of the palace was never completed, and Ludwig only stayed there once.”5
The Linderhof palace is “an ornate palace in neo-Rococo style, with handsome formal gardens. The grounds contain a grotto where opera singers performed on an underground lake lit with electricity, a novelty at that time, and a Romantic woodsman's hut built inside an artificial tree. Inside the palace, iconography reflects Ludwig’s fascination with the absolutist government of the Ancien Régime of France.” In contrast to the Sun King – Louis XIV of France – Ludwig saw himself as a "Moon King", a romantic shadow of his predecessor. From Linderhof, Ludwig enjoyed moonlit sleigh rides in an elaborate 18th century sleigh, complete with footmen in 18th century livery. He was known to stop and visit with rural peasants while on rides, adding to his legend and popularity.
None of his buildings, however, can compare in size or in imagination to the castle at Neuschwanstein (translated roughly as “New Swan Stone"). Neuschwanstein is “a dramatic Romanesque fortress with Byzantine and Gothic interiors, which was built next to his grandfather's castle at Hohenschwangau. Numerous wall paintings depict scenes from Wagner's operas. Christian glory and chaste love figure predominantly in the iconography, and were possibly hoped to help Ludwig live up to his Catholic ideals. The castle was not finished at Ludwig's death, but it is by far the best-known (to non-Germans) landmark in Germany today. In time, Neuschwanstein became the inspiration for Sleeping Beauty's castle at Disneyland.” (Wikipedia)
Ludwig and Wagner
Ludwig shared his world with just one man – Richard Wagner – the only man who could really appreciate his bizarre genius and for whom Ludwig had an admiration akin to worship. A genius but a poor one, Wagner could not afford to set himself above the world of ordinary people. He needed money and Ludwig had it; this created a stronger bond than their kinship of spirit. Ludwig’s patronage enabled Wagner’s music to reach a wider audience and thus the world’s debt to the crazy King is a great one. In return for his money, Wagner gave Ludwig the chance to join with him in the act of creation. He might have been childless, but Ludwig saw each Wagner opera as his own foster-child, learning all of Wagner’s librettos by heart. (Regan 54)