The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1897-08-26
WHO WANTS A ROYAL PALACEF
Bavaria Has a job Lot She Would
Like TO Dispose of.
From the London Mail.


From the London Mail
The Bavarian government has recently
signified its willingness to part with some
of the palaces and castles erected by the
unfortunate Ludwig II. and thus has d.
rocted public attention, in a more en-
phatic manner than for some time. to the
vagaries of that singular monarch. The
thrifty Bavarians, in spite of the national
income derived from taxing the 500 brew
cries within the limits of the kingdom,
find themselves a little short of funds.
Ludwig, or Louis. for short was prob
ably the most eXtravagant monarch, con
sidering the size of his dominions, that
ever sat on a throne and before the burgh-
ers of Munich could stop his extravaganza
by depOsing him he had put the kingdom
in a financial condition from which it has
not yet recovered. At the close of 1898
the public debt of Bavaria was 1856, SIS, 020
marks, and although a portion of this
was incurred by the construction of rail
ways, no small amount of this huge in
debtedness was due 10 the expenditures
of the late king. Louis II. who was de-
posed June 10, 1885, The debt incurred
by his lavishness is the cause of the de-
sire on the part of the Bavarians to get
rid of his palaces, but the government
has not yet found a buyer, for il spite
large reduction from the original cost Of
the structures. the price is still above
the means of any but a Croesus, while the
income Of an emperor would be required
TO keep up these splendid buildings.
Louis II assembled the throne on the
death of his father, a quiet. easy-going
monarch in 1864, and at once he let It
be understood that he wanted a house
fit for a king to live in, and that the
palaces that suited his father were by no
means 70 his taste He made a proposal
to the city of Munich to erect within it's
limits the grandest palace in Europe IL
the burghers would bear portion Of the
cost, but they objected. and in a pet the
king determined not to economic and re-
pair the royal palace at Munich, but to
build elsewhere. Then palace succeeded
palaee, castle followed CASTLE each erected
in some out-of-the-w place, often diff
cult of access. and removed as far as
possible from rail and river. A number
of the structures begun by his grandfath-
er, the first Louis, had been abandoned
when he was deposed and allowed to fall
into decay. Louis II did not forget a
single one; many of them he completed on
a scale which surpassed even the original
plans The king had a natural taste for
architecture, and when a boy had learned
the trade of stone mason, and his aim
was to erect palaces that should be thu
modern architectural wonders of the
world. In pursuance of this idea ne ap-
propriated all his private fortune, then
the crown revenues of the state, and
when these were exhausted he borrowed
right and left of any one who would lend
upon any security, and with the sums
thus raised continued his buildings. Pos
sibly it was also his object to leave be-
hind him lasting monuments to his men,
DRY; If so. he was entirely successful, for
he g04fG 1u a..
with the name of their builder. though,
as mentioned before the Bavarian gov
eminent would not be averse to disposins
of few Of the said monuments for cash
if buyers could be found.