Genre: Nonfiction—Biography & History
Completed: 13 September 2017
Summary & Review:
Bavaria’s beloved “Mad King Ludwig” bestowed the German kingdom with some of its most treasured landmarks: the fairytale castles and palaces of Neuschwanstein, Herrencheimsee, and Linderhof. Despite having reached an incredible level of posthumous popularity, during his life he was a mysterious and reclusive figure who was eventually deposed and died under still mysterious circumstances. Historian Wolfgang Till examines many aspects of Ludwig’s life in this short, well-illustrated biography.
Living in Germany we had the opportunity to visit all of Ludwig’s incredible schlößer. Linderhof is an immaculate masterpiece nestled in the mountains near a secluded monastery, Neuschwanstein is dream-like landmark at the base of the incredible Bavarian alps, and Herrencheimsee is a German Versailles, which far fewer tourists. I picked up this little biography in one of the gifts shops at one of these palaces (I think at Neuschwanstein during our second visit with my parents and little brother) because I was intrigued to learn more about the man behind these showstoppers. Unfortunately, I don’t think I chose very wisely. Till’s book was interesting and had a lot of fascinating images and period photographs, but it seems to have been written for someone already familiar with much of Ludwig’s life.
Rating: 4.0
Sure had fun visiting his castles!
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