Information Board Translation
King of the mountains theme trail
The Pürschhaus and the royal house
After the completion of the bridle path from the Kesselberg pass to the Herzogstand, King Max II of Bavaria had a “Pürschhaus” built below the Fahrenberg saddle in 1859. He used the house as simple accommodation for himself and his companions while hunting in the high mountains. After the death of Max II in March 1864, King Ludwig II discovered the Herzogstand for himself. In 1866, a new royal house was built above the Pürschhaus, on the so-called Vorderer Sattel. Little by little, viewing and dining huts were built on the Herzogstand summit, the Fahrenbergkopf and the Martinskopf. Max II's Pürschhaus was initially preserved. It served as accommodation for King Ludwig II's servants and as a stable with five stalls. The historical photo shows that there was another building opposite the Pürschhaus. This was a small coach house for the king's mountain carriage. After Ludwig's death on June 13, 1886, the Munich section of the German Alpine Club leased the Pürschhaus, where an inn was opened. The house burned down in 1895 and was never rebuilt. Shortly after the Pürschhaus was destroyed, a replacement building was erected next to the Königshaus. Both houses, the Königshaus and the replacement building, were destroyed by fire in 1990.
Did you know that ...
... King Ludwig II of Bavaria had buildings erected on all three peaks of the Herzogstand? At the same time as the royal house on the front saddle, a lookout and dining hut with a separate kitchen hut was built on the summit of the Herzogstand in 1866. The two summit buildings burnt down in 1897. An octagonal rotunda was built in their place. A second viewing and dining hut and a kitchen hut were built on the Fahrenbergkopf in 1877. This hut was probably dismantled around 1900 and erected for further use at the front saddle near the Königshaus and the replacement building for the burnt-down Pürschhaus. Finally, a viewing and dining hut was built for Ludwig II on the Martinskopf in 1882, which burned down in 1893 and was not rebuilt. The king wanted to enjoy nature and the view from the summit huts, but above all he wanted to work undisturbed on the plans for his building projects.
Knowledge for children
The capital of the Kingdom of Bavaria was Munich. The kings lived in the middle of the city, in the Residenz. A journey from Munich to the Herzogstand used to take several hours. You could take the train to Starnberg or Murnau. From there, the journey continued by coach. From Kochelsee, the route was constantly uphill, which is why the horses had to be changed beforehand. The servants had already arrived to get everything ready. The household goods for the mountain houses at the Herzogstand, i.e. bed linen, crockery, cutlery, pans and pots, were brought from the Munich residence each time. For the final, steep ascent to the houses, local porters and sturdy mules were needed to carry the heavy load to the top. After the king's stay, everything was brought back to Munich. Until the next mountain excursion.