ROYAL VIEW
King of the mountains theme trail
The last royal building on the Herzogstand
King Ludwig II of Bavaria had one last building constructed on the Herzogstand in 1882. After the royal house on the Vorderer Sattel and the lookout huts on the Fahrenbergkopf and Herzogstand summit, a lookout and dining hut was also built on the top of the Martinskopf. The small building only had two large windows facing south. The other three sides of the hut were boarded throughout. The floor area of the wooden hut was around 15 square meters and thus took up a large part of the summit. The building was fenced all around. The exposed location of the little hut demonstrates Ludwig II's passion for the mountains particularly vividly, as the king did not shy away from daring hikes and rides in the mountains, which demanded everything from his companions and horses. He noted in his diary on Sunday, July 26, 1868: “Went up to the mountain peaks, glorious day, had lunch at the top in front of the hut, walked with Richard along the steep ridge, towards the home garden, sun fiery down [...] Read down, by torchlight to the next peak, night's rest!”. Unfortunately, King Ludwig's viewing and dining hut on the Martinskopf was burnt down by lightning in 1893 and was never rebuilt.
Did you know that ...
... King Ludwig II of Bavaria also had a royal house built on the upper Soiernsee shortly after the construction of the royal house on the Herzogstand in 1866? The house for the servants, formerly including stables, was located on the lower lake. A pavilion and a lake stage are said to have existed below the Schöttelkarspitze (2050 meters). The king also commissioned a ship and inaugurated it on September 15, 1869. For this purpose, the upper Soiernsee was illuminated at night and the king was able to sail on the lake. Similar to the three peaks on the Herzogstand, a dining and viewing hut was built for Ludwig II on the Schöttelkarspitze. The path to the mountain peak had to be widened so that people could ride up on horseback. The Soiernhäuser still exist, but the summit hut, the ship, the pavilion and the lake stage have disappeared.
Knowledge for children
What is your favorite food? Do you sometimes eat so much that your stomach feels round as a ball when it tastes particularly good? This was not possible for King Ludwig II and his younger brother Otto, who were never allowed to eat their fill as children. Their parents were of the opinion that royal princes should receive a stricter upbringing than all other children. The two were woken up every day at five o'clock in the morning. This was followed by a strict timetable until four o'clock in the afternoon. The princes' free time was limited and meals were kept to a minimum. Out of pity, the servants sometimes gave the princes some of their own food. No wonder, then, that Louis, when he became king, set great store by sumptuous meals. Even the most remote mountain houses had to be cooked for him as lavishly as in his castles.