The morning call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1878-1895, 1890-08-03
PALACES THAT
LUDWIG BUILT,
And That Are Now Open to the
Public and Visited by Crowds.
splendors Surprising Previous Reports-Pea-
SAINTS Who Applaud the Extravs-
CANT Monarch's Doings.

AM MONG the visitors to Oberammergau
Aa this year many make point OF VS.
INV iting the palaces which the iate
King Ludwig of Bavaria built for hlmse1
in the Bavarian Highlands. Ten years ago
these palaces were not open to the puDilc;
and the most splendid of them all-that or
the island Of Herrenchiemsee-was sui
under scaffolding Not even the Kings
Ministers, not even his relations, says
writer in the London Times, "had any idea
of the marvels of art which these royal
mansions contained; but the most fantastlc
81 cries ran from romancing mouths into as
tonished ears. For once popular magma
tion was not equal to divining the
reality. The palaces are much more
m agnifcent than haphazard guesseS
described them to be, and they
show that King Louis was gifted with
creative genius and with artistic taste tor
which he never obtained the right sort OF
credit during his lifetime. The truth is
acknowledged now, and tourist who wants
to stand well with the Bavarian peasantry
had better not allude to Louis ii as having
been era ck-brained squanderer OF his peo-
pies money. An Oherammergaun wood
carver scowled when this foreign estimate
of his late Majesty was presented to INN,
and the man said warmly: Sir, II the hing
left 20,000,000 marks of debt, what's tnat
for King? All this money was spent In
Bavaria, and every trade got proilt out
of it.
$50 much for the financial aspects OF
Louis IPs career, and as for the King per-
sonaIly, everybody has kind word to say
for him. The Italians do not speak more
tenderly of Tasso than do the Bavarlans OF
the royal dreamer, whose life was so
strange and lonely, writes correspondent
to the New York Times. His habits were,
indeed, extraordinary. but there was moth
ing repellent in them, nothing sensual,
vulgar or ludicrous. He turned night into
day, rising when other men go to bed, and
roaming about his iayorite woods by moon
and star light, but, seeing that ne lived In
solitude, no courtiers were plagued by nav
ing TO keep the same hours as himself. he
passed for misogamist, as no woman was
allowed to cross his threshold; but lie sur
rounded himself with the portraits OF the
fairest women whom the world has cele-
brated. He was said to be melomanlac,
but he could live for months together
WITHOUT HEARING A NOTE,
Except the singing of the nightingale or the
cooling of the wood-pigeon. He was be-
lieved to seribble poetry by the ream, put
whatever he wrote was for himself alone,
all his manuscripts were burned, ana not so
much as a sonnet from his pen survives
Impressed by the characteristics Oh ma
ture so enigmatical, the stranger, VINO is
taken aback by the glorles OF Linderhof,
Hohenschwangan, Neuschwansteln and
Herrenchiemsee, asks himself with what
vague purpose Louis IL could have bnilt
palaces which look as if they we're Intended
Tor court like that of Louis XIV. 10 the
Bavarian mind, however, the matter is per-
fectly plain. The King evidently reared
these costly edilceS in order that brltsn
and American tourists might come and look
at them, thereby adding Pact0lus to the
number of Bavarian rivers. 10 quote the
landady of little hotel at Prlen, near
Chiemsee: Our poor King laid out his
money at good interest for us, sir. We now
have strangers here all the summer through
Why, my hotel would never have existed
but for yonder palace!
''SchlOss Linderhof-the smallest OF The
palaces which Louis ii erected-is distant
an hour and a half by carriage from Ober-
ammergau. The drive lies through series
of rich valleys, hemmed in by mountains,
some of which are hooded with snow all
the year. 1t is said that only one person
ever dined with the King at Linderhof, and
that was an actor from the Court Theater
at Munich, whom he treated as Louis XIV
treated Moliere. The stables, where the
Kings fairy coach of glass and gold, his
swan shaped sledges, and his milk-whlte
horses were kept. stands close to the hotel,
and from this point the palace cannot be
seen, AS it is completely empowered i'll
trees. Before reaching the palace you
come upon the old hunting lodge OF Maxi
milan, now used by the Prince Regent-a
mere cottage. But next moment an OPEN
ing in the curtain of trees brings the mar
BILE palace into view with its cleaning ter
races and pOrphyry staircases, Its gardens
laid out as LIE N0tre would have mapped
them, its belvederes and ki0sks with gllded
cupolas. The buildings are all in rocco
style, and the palace itself, a little gem of
architecture, is only just large enough for
King with a very intimate suite.
But it makes the heart ache little to
think that it never received any company
at all its memories concern the King HIM
self and nobody else. There are draw
ing-rooms and boudoirS of dazzling luxury,
the furniture covered with silks and satins
of the most delicate tintS OF pink, light
blue, lavender and saffron, all embroidered
with the richest work of pure gold and sill
yer lace. Countless mirrors multiply the
beauties Of these rooms a hundredtold and
make long avenues OF glittering things APP
pear wherever the glance turns. There are
chambers for Queens and ladies, but the
rustic OF dress was never heard IN them
while Louis reigned. He was great
DuI UdQ SinOhlHS-IOuHl, anu
scattered
TIE ASHES OF HIS CIGAR
In truly royal way all about those dainty
rooms, where one would expect to see
nothing worse in the way of litter than
rose leaves. So likewise did he flip of the
ink from the nibs of his gilt and silvered
quill pens on to the soft cream ground OF
the Turkey carpet in his writing-room.
The study by itself Is enough to show what
care the King took that his own personal
surroundings should be magnificent. Inc
chair i'll which he sat was tnr0net the Ia
BILE is covered with light-blue velvet the
inkstand, candlesticks, and pen trays are
all of gold. In the dining room, again, the
chair is a throne; the table, with white
marble top, (Which, by the way, was once
cracked In two by careless servant stands
on trap door, which, at the touch OF an
electric bell, desc ended into the Kitchen re-
gi0Es whenever fresh course had 10 De
served. No servant was admitted into the
dining-rOom while the King was at the
table, His two Wallets, Mayer and Sedl-
meyer, attended upon him in the dressing
room, but saw little of him at other times,
except when they took turns at escortlns
him during his Nocturnal wanderings in the
park and his midnight breakfasts IN the
grOtto.
This grottO, at a stones throw from the
palace, affords the first unmlstaka0le lnql-
cations that the Kings mind has failed MN
during the last months of his lie. Inc
cavern is an imitation in stucco of the Ia
nous caves at Adesberg; it has miniature
lake, waterfall. and electric lights OF all
colors, which make brave illumination,
but it also contains number OF things
which are never to be seen in real cayerns.
Garlands Of tawdry paper roses are les
TONED upon the walls, and more hldeous
roses and tulips of majolica are made TO
cluster over the little rocky recess where
the King used to recline upon tiger skin
while he took his favorite repast OF cham
payne and fruit.
1.-THE floral adornments of the grotto are
out OF keeping with the faultless taste
which the King displayed in all his other
fancies. 1t was, indeed, at Linderhof that
lie mind stnmhlad nver the dim line that