Information Board Translation
King of the mountains theme trail
The royal house on the Herzogstand
In 1865, King Ludwig II of Bavaria cherished the plan to have a house built directly on the summit of the Herzogstand. But Andreas Bräu, the royal forester of Walchensee, wrote in an expert opinion that it was not possible to build a house on the top of the Herzogstand and that the house could best be built on the front saddle between the Fahrenberg and the Martinskopf. Thus, on October 21, 1865, the king issued the building order for a new hunting lodge at the proposed location. Built in 1866 on a stone foundation, the building had an open veranda and a viewing platform. It had six rooms as well as a kitchen with pantry and a cellar. As can be seen from Ludwig's diary, his first stay at the royal house was from July 12 to 14, 1867. From then on, he moved into the royal house for a few days every year, usually in June or July. Ludwig II's last mountain trip to the Herzogstand took place from July 12 to 14, 1885. After his death on June 13, 1886, the Munich section of the German Alpine Club leased the Königshaus for overnight accommodation and added another floor. It was destroyed by fire in 1990 and was rebuilt in a simplified form shortly afterwards.
Did you know that ...
... there was a separate toilet for King Ludwig II in the royal house at the Herzogstand? It was located in the king's bedroom, in a separate room right next to his bed. The excrement could be removed from the veranda through a flap without disturbing the king. Servants and guests had to go to the so-called privy on the hillside below the king's house to attend to their human needs. The situation was similar at Ludwig II's other mountain houses, such as the Altlacher Hochkopf or the Schachenhaus. Even the small viewing and dining hut on the Herzogstand summit had a separate toilet. This indicates that the king spent long periods of time at the summit, mainly for undisturbed reading and planning his building projects.
Knowledge for children
How does a king wash himself when he is out and about in the mountains? Does he wash himself in an ice-cold mountain stream, take a shower or a hot bath? In the case of King Ludwig II, we know that he wanted to take a bath as soon as he arrived at the mountain chalets. A bathtub was even brought up specially. Running water, as we are used to today, did not exist in the huts. The porters were therefore sent out to fetch water for the kitchen and bathroom. To do this, they had to go down the mountain again, as the spring at the Herzogstand was a little way below the houses. There was also a “Badkesselhütte” near the Königshaus on the Herzogstand. The water for the desired bath was heated there. Whether the king took his bath in this hut or in the royal house is not known.