In addition to our mountains and nature, you can also find countless cultural treasures here in the Werdenfelser Land, which invite you to experience Bavarian history. In particular, the royal palaces are right outside the door: Linderhof Castle And that Königshaus am Schachen are only a few kilometers away from the hotel on Lake Badersee, and to the castles Neuschwanstein and Hohenschwangau It takes a maximum of one hour by car.

As is well known, even Lake Badersee was founded by the Bavarian King Louis II potentially seen as a building site for his Linderhof Palace. The mysterious mermaid from Badersee is still greeting visitors from the crystal-clear water. On February 8, 2020, we had the opportunity to intensify our Ludwig experience: The well-known Munich writer Oliver Pötzsch was a guest at the Hotel am Badersee with a reading from his historical novel “The Ludwig Conspiracy.”

As a descendant of Kuisls, a well-known executioner dynasty from Schongau, Pötzsch has researched his family history in addition to his professional work as a BR journalist. From this is the well-known novel Hangman's Daughter and other historical stories were created. In the 125th year of the death of Bavarian King Ludwig II, 2011 was published The Ludwig Conspiracy. In total, over 3 million of his books have been sold worldwide. The Hotel am Badersee as a location for the reading is a perfect fit, because the house itself is closely connected to the king and back then the king himself was there with his mother Maria of Bavaria.

Saturday February 8, 2020

4:00 p.m.: The evening is already gripping us at the Zugspitze summit, where we relax and enjoy a limo in Panorama 2962 after skiing before taking the gondola back from the summit. Until the reading, we may still have time for a coffee with a view of the Zugspitze in the winter garden of Restaurant Werdenfels.

5:00 p.m.: Oliver Pötzsch welcomes us to the Pfaffenwinkel banquet room. The last red rays of sunshine illuminate the Zugspitze massif, which today serves as a background image for our reading. The Bavarian flag and the portrait of King Ludwig II complete the ambiance. After skiing, we are not only looking forward to the reading, but also to the promising 3-course menu.

5:30 p.m.: The author is now telling how his novel “The Ludwig Conspiracy” came about. The novel is set on two time levels — in the time of Louis II and in the present day. In fact, it is interesting to know that the diary, which is the focus of the novel, actually exists. During his book research, Oliver Pötzsch came into contact with many people who were able to elucidate the history of kings, including the Guglmann secret society. Funny situations sometimes happened, according to Pötzsch.

During the reading, the king appears primarily as a person: controversial, imaginative and lonely. The light and dark sides of Ludwig's personality seem to float in the room here. The last years of his life are particularly controversial, where he gained weight through unlimited consumption of sweets and was no longer able to satisfy his building addiction — here Pötzsch shows a lesser-known portrait of Ludwig II from this period and reads from his novel A Scene Where the King's birthday on Schachen celebrate.

7:30 p.m.: With the exciting story, time flies by and the 3-course meal tastes excellent. During the short break, we go out onto the terrace. In the dark, the forest rushes softly and the Zugspitze summit glows high up. Surprise: We suddenly discover that Mr. Pötzsch had never heard of the Badersee mermaid! Perhaps that would be a topic for a new novel?

Ludwig II was the first “rock star” in history and could therefore afford some harassment — as he was still very loved by his people, believes Oliver Pötzsch. By the way, the king was very tech-savvy: according to numerous legends surrounding his personality, he invented the light bulb and blue jeans, among other things. In any case, his wish to obtain an “apparatus to fly” was the reason for his disempowerment, as Parliament wanted to declare him crazy because of it. His mysterious death has also contributed to his fate remaining a mystery to this day. Finally, Oliver Pötzsch sings us an old song about the king and invites us to take part in his hike in Hohenschwangau.

9:30 p.m.: After the reading, we will do a final round around Lake Badersee in the dark. The moon illuminates the Wetterstein massif, which is perfectly reflected in the still water of Lake Badersee. It is already clear to us where we want to spend tomorrow, Sunday: at Linderhof Castle.

Sunday February 9, 2020

9:00 a.m.: The day promises wonderful weather. After breakfast, we get in the car and shortly before 10:00 we are already at the Linderhof Castle ticket office. Not much is happening yet. The next guided tour starts in 10 minutes so that we can relax and stroll through the castle park. There are already several guests standing in front of the castle who would like to take part in the guided tour. The castle has been extensively renovated for years. The façade is finally finished: magnificent white decorations and rococo style figures form an impressive contrast to the blue sky. White and blue — exactly the Bavarian way.

10:00 o'clock: The tour starts. To improve the preservation of the exhibits, there has been no heating in the castle for years, which is why our group leader also wears a hat and gloves. Linderhof was Ludwig II's favorite castle and the only castle that was completely built during his lifetime - in contrast to Neuschwanstein and Herrenchiemsee, which were still in the construction phase at the time. The king often stayed here, which is why the entire arrangement was implemented with great care and under royal supervision. We walk through the music room, the yellow room with its silver decorations, the audience room, then through a small cabinet into the bedroom, which the king never completed due to his death, the dining room with the famous “table-deck-you” and finally through the hall of mirrors furnished with numerous mirrors and vases, where the king liked to spend his time.

The sumptuous splendor of the furnishings is somewhat in contrast to Ludwig's way of life: the king mostly enjoyed his castle alone. In particular, he didn't want company while eating - in return, he had the “Tischlein-Deck-dich” built, which meant that the covered table appeared in front of him without the servants having to come in.

11:00 o'clock: After the tour, we walk a big round through the spacious castle park, which has largely been preserved as mountain forest. Unfortunately, the Venus Grotto is still closed due to renovation and the water parterre is more closed in winter. In addition to the buildings that are open to visit, including the old building house, display boards also provide information about the king's unrealized building projects — including another palace, a theatre and a chapel.

12.30 p.m.: We would like to thank King Ludwig II for an exciting insight into his life and are now looking forward to a cozy stop at Gröbl-Alm in Graswang — a rustic, family-run hut that welcomes its guests on weekends.

Tips & info

• Linderhof Castle - Official website
• The Gröbl-Alm in Graswang
• Culinary events at the hotel on Lake Badersee
  
  

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