Linderhof Palace, Germany: The LITTLE VERSAILLES 

Also the only palace he completed and lived in. My favorite of his and I'm guessing the grotto wasn't open. It's fantastic.

You should visit "Schloß Sanssouci". ;)

Ludwig II King of Bavaria admired/worshiped Louis XIV (1643 - 1715). Also known as Louis le Grand/Louis the Great or Le Roi Soleil/The Sun King of France ( en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Louis_XIV ). Louis XIV Was the one who built the Versailles palace near Paris. Therefore the interior of Linderhof palace is very much a reference to Louis IV and him being the pinnacle of the era of absolutism in Europe. His bed room at Linderhof palace was also a copy of the one of Louis XIV at Versailles palace. Fun fact: The bed room in both places were not only meant to be used for sleeping. At the time of Lous XIV it was usual that the courtiers living with him in his residence at Versailles palace were required to watch his wake up ceremony in the morning and his going to bed ceremony in the evening. Therefor the bed in both bed rooms was separated by a barrier from the part of the room where the courtiers had to stand and watch him. Of couse as Ludwig II was living on his own with only a few servants there was no such ceremony at Linderhof palace. Furthermore Ludwig II even started to recreate the Versailles Palace on an island (Herreninsel) in the Chiemsee (Lake Chiemsee) called Herrenchiemsee palace, south of Munich. As Neuschwanstein Castle this one was never finished. Some unfinished parts were even demolished after Ludwig II death. Fun fact: The large Hall of Mirrors (en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Herrenchiemsee ) at Herrenchiemsee palace is even larger than the original one at Versailles palace ( en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hall_of_Mirrors ). They simply miscalculated its length because of the different measuring systems used in Bavaria and France at that time. I assume Herrenchiemsee Castle will also be on your list of castles/palaces you visited for your Christmas countdown. 😉

Another nice video. Don't forget to clean your boots today for Saint Nicholas. 🥾

Mirrors were items of utter luxury during the time of french aristocratic absolutism. The whole point of places like Versailles was to display the Kings wealth and power, thus cemeting his alledged god-like status. His power was alledgedly given to him directly from God and he himself was considered God-like. This display of luxury was also intended to impress and overshadow any other roalty in other countries. And it worked. It was kind of like a PR strategy, it was image-building, not unlike mega pop stars and high-profile celebrities craft their adoration by associating themselves with luxury items today. Of course all this wealth and status was quite directly built on the poverty, suffering and suppression of the French people, the very people making all the things that the court consumed; which in the end famously led to the French revolution with it's call for freedom, equality and brotherhood for all. When Versailles was built, mirrors were still incredibly hard to make, especially large mirrors, floor to ceiling. Local glass blowers didn't know how to a) create such large pieces of glass at all b) have them be flat ad even enough and without cracking. For the whole of Europe (and maybe the entire world at the time) here were only a few craftsmen in Venice, Italy, who knew how to make such large mirrors. Which of course made them incredibly rare and incredibly expensive. We are talking: one single mirror cost multiples of what a simple peasant or worker would be able to make during their entire life time. Definitely comparable to gold in weight, if not more. So naturally the French King, Louis XIV. at the time, needed to have them. Many of them. All to show off his absurd wealth and his absurd power to extort money from his people, which would lead to other aristocracies adoring him even more and wanting to mimic him. Later, the French didn't want Italy to habe the monopoly on this luxury anymore and they abducted/kidnapped one or more of these Venetian craftsmen, so they would have that knowledge in their own country. Ludwig II just wanted to imitate the French Court just like so many kings queens and emperors in the preceding two centuries. The luxury, the excess, the vanity, the egocentrism. Hence all the gold, the chandeliers and: the mirrors. Something like the mirror hall in Versailles must have felt like entering a magic realm to people of the time. It was something unfathomable.

I understand that entrance fees are not so cool : ( . Just imagine how much it costs the taxpayer, to keep castles like this in shape ? They ruined the state of Bavaria when they where build. Ludwig II was a lunatic and obsessed with his role as the choosen one . Sounds familiar to Americans nowadays ?