Breathtaking in magnificence and size is what King Ludwig II. (1845-1886) had himself built on the island of Herrenchiemsee. A castle where Versailles served as a model, and Ludwig’s admiration for the French Sun King Louis XIV and his megalomania. The shy dreamer Louis used it as a refuge from the constraints of the court, but he only used the estate for ten days. The few times at night, he had himself translated by a ferryman, then hours before the court staff lit the 1848 candles in the almost 100m long Hall of Mirrors. The Moon King, as he liked to call himself, enjoyed the seclusion and then retired to his opulent golden bedroom, where the craftsmen worked for seven years alone on its opulent four-poster bed. No one should ever see it, so he planned to have it destroyed after his death. The wish did not come true, for more than 50 million visitors have visited the castle to this day and marvelled at its bed.
83209 Herrenchiemsee
phone: +49 8051 68870
only with a guide
april - oct daily 9.00 am – 6.00 pm
nov – march daily 9.45 am – 4.15 pm
