Information Board Translation
Discover the favorite places of King Ludwig II of Bavaria at the Herzogstand.
„I am writing these lines in one of my most intimate, most beautifully situated mountain huts between the Kochelsee and Walchensee lakes, holy silence surrounds me, the blissful stars shine, the mountains surround me so seriously and sublimely (...)“ Ludwig II to Cosima von Bülow, Herzogstand, June 16, 1868
The Herzogstand is named after Duke Wilhelm IV of Bavaria and his younger brother Ludwig X, who ruled Bavaria together in the first half of the 16th century and enjoyed hunting on the mountain slopes of Kochelsee and Walchensee. The Herzogstand includes three peaks: the Fahrenbergkopf, the Martinskopf and the Herzogstand summit. King Max II of Bavaria, who was a passionate hunter, had a so-called Pürschhaus built below the Fahrenbergsattel in 1859. The king used this hunting lodge as simple accommodation for himself and his companions. This was preceded by the development of the area with a 7.5-kilometre bridle path. This still leads from the Kesselberg pass to the so-called Vorderer Sattel below the three peaks. After the early death of King Max II in March 1864, Ludwig II took a keen interest in his father's numerous hunting and mountain lodges between Hohenschwangau and Berchtesgaden. The young king undertook Olympic-style rides from Berg Castle on Lake Starnberg to explore Max II's huts around Kochelsee and Walchensee. He occasionally spent the night in the villages of Schlehdorf, Altlach and Walchensee. Ludwig II soon had his father's hunting and mountain lodges transferred to his private ownership. In 1865, he also ordered the construction of a new royal house at the Herzogstand and occupied it for the first time on July 12, 1867. From then until his death in 1886, he occupied the royal house for several days each year, usually in June or July. Ludwig II also had viewing huts built on the three peaks of the Herzogstand. On the bridle path there was also an open shelter, a parapluie, with a dining hut. Unfortunately, the original substance of the royal buildings on the Herzogstand has not been preserved.
The King of the Mountains theme trail is designed to raise awareness of the unique mountain world of the Bavarian kings Max II and Ludwig II at the Herzogstand. The accessible themed trail takes the Herzogstandbahn cable car to the mountain station and continues along the panorama trail to the Herzogstand houses. You will need good shoes and a little stamina for the summit theme trail.
Short biography of King Max II King Maximilian II Joseph of Bavaria (born November 28, 1811 - died March 10, 1864) Maximilian II came to the throne unexpectedly on March 20, 1848, when his father, King Ludwig I, abdicated in the course of the so-called March Unrest. During his time as crown prince, he had already acquired Hohenschwangau Palace in 1832 in order to restore it extensively. The crown prince had discovered the romantically situated castle on a walking tour along the Bavarian Alps. During this hike, he also got to know the area around Kochelsee and Walchensee, where he later had numerous hunting lodges, known as Pürschhäuser, built. Max married Princess Marie, a granddaughter of King Frederick William II of Prussia, in 1842. The couple had two sons, Princes Ludwig and Otto, who succeeded their father to the throne one after the other. King Max II made a special effort to promote the humanities and history. He also championed art and customs, such as folk music and traditional costumes. Max and Marie loved nature and could even be described as early alpinists. The family's numerous stays in the mountains also had a lasting impact on King Ludwig II's understanding of nature and the world of thought. King Max II dies on March 10, 1864 after a short illness at the age of 52 in the Residenz in Munich.
Short biography of King Ludwig II King Ludwig II of Bavaria (born August 25, 1845 - died June 13, 1886) Due to the unexpected death of his father, King Max II of Bavaria, Ludwig ascends the throne on March 10, 1864. He was only 18 years old at the time. He has to finish his studies at the Ludwig Maximilian University in Munich, which he has just begun. At first, the young king is eager to take on the reins of government. Disappointments in the first years of his reign reinforced his tendency to withdraw from the public eye. Ludwig II is remembered above all as a patron of the arts and as the builder of world-famous royal palaces. For example, he financed the composer Richard Wagner and had the castles of Neuschwanstein, Linderhof and Herrenchiemsee built. Less well known is his love of nature and the Bavarian mountains. Ludwig's piety and fear of God shaped his understanding of nature. Above all, he saw his beloved mountain peaks as a sublime image of creation. His stays in the mountain houses and castles followed a fixed annual rhythm. Ludwig II carried out government business reliably even in the most remote mountain huts until his death. He increasingly avoided court life in Munich. In June 1886, Ludwig II is declared mentally ill and unfit to rule on the basis of a medical report that is still disputed today. A state commission takes the deposed monarch from Neuschwanstein to Berg Castle on June 12, 1886. He died there on June 13, 1886 in Lake Starnberg under mysterious circumstances.
Knowledge for children A king is a head of state. Another word for king is monarch. This word comes from the Greek and means “sole ruler”. Women could also rule over a country. However, this was not possible in Bavaria, but in other countries such as England or Spain. You reign as king until you die. However, some people abdicate beforehand, declaring that they no longer wish to be king. Others do so because they are ill. When a monarch dies or abdicates, his eldest child usually becomes the new king. It can happen that a child is still too young. Then a substitute king reigns until the child is an adult. In the past, almost all countries in Europe were ruled by monarchs, including Bavaria, which was a kingdom until 1918. The Bavarian kings were all called Maximilian or Ludwig, which is why people put numbers after their first names. The first king of Bavaria was Maximilian I, the last Ludwig III. Only one was called Otto. King Otto was ill, which is why his uncle Luitpold ruled in his place as the so-called Prince Regent. A monarch usually lives in a palace. However, King Max II and his son Ludwig II loved the mountains so much that they owned many mountain houses. Also up at the Herzogstand. You can find out more about this on the way.