Ludwig had no interest in state affairs, loathed his family, despised the court, and considered the aristocracy ridiculous. He also hated everything to do with armies and war, which was unfortunate considering that he reigned during the wars of German unification. Days before Prussia declared war on Austria and Bavaria, Ludwig proclaimed, "A war? There is no war! I will not allow it! I won’t have a war!" He was, unfortunately, mistaken. On the day the Bavarian troops went off to fight for the fatherland, the King and his friend Prince Taxis enacted Wagner’s erotic opera Tristan and Isolde in the woods of Hohenschwangau, dressed in multicolored tights of apricot and canary and drunk on champagne.
Aside from Wagnerian opera, Ludwig’s primary interest was in building ornate castles. Of Ludwig’s three fantastically weird constructions, Schloss Herrenchiemsee is perhaps the most eclectic. Obsessed with the idea of absolute monarchy, Ludwig built Schloss Herrenchiemsee as a temple in honor of the Bourbon monarchy. The castle, which is a miniature replica of Versailles, is replete with portraits and sculptures of the Sun King, Louis XIV, Louis XVI and Marie Antionette. Preferring darkness to light, Ludwig fancied himself as the "king of the moon." The atmosphere of Schloss Herrenchiemsee corresponds to this fantasy and much of the castle is best seen at night, particularly the hall of mirrors which contains fifty-two candelabra and over four thousand candles. During the summer, classical music concerts are given here by candlelight.
Ludwig’s passion for garden planning, interior decorating and Wagnerian opera eventually bankrupted the royal treasury. Despite the fact that Schloss Neuschwanstein and Schloss Herrenchiemsee were still unfinished, Ludwig demanded a loan of twenty million marks from the Minister of the Interior in order to begin new projects. When the Minister flatly refused to give him any more money, Ludwig sent his aides-de-camp to plead his case with the King of Norway, the Sultan in Constantinople, and the Shah in Tehran. When all of these plans seemed likely to fail, Ludwig lost his temper: "If the treasury is empty, Herr von Pfistermeister, go to Switzerland and rob banks!" Needless to say, Ludwig’s minions failed to obey his orders and no banks were robbed but his reckless behavior, which had finally become intolerable, prompted the Cabinet and his ministers to declare him insane and depose him from the kingship.
To Ludwig, his palaces were holy places. He believed that mobs of visitors would "desecrate and defile" them and, to discourage guests, he built his castles in virtually inaccessible places. Neuschwanstein is perched high in the Alps, while Schloss Herrenchiemsee sits upon an island in a remote alpine lake. While the remote location has not deterred the flocks of summer tourists, the Chiemsee retains the natural beauty that once charmed a king. Chiemsee, surrounded by the Alps and reflecting the Bavarian sky, is a magical environment and provides solace to those who stay awhile.
