King Ludwig II of Bavaria and his castles

Hardly four years into his reign, Ludwig II designed his first castle in 1868 at age 23. Today Neuschwanstein is Germany's most famous castle and a real tourist magnet with some 1.4 million visitors annually. This replica of a medieval castle towers above the town of Schwangau in the Allgäu mountains.

This is the largest room in the Neuschwanstein Castle. Inspired by the original in Wartburg Castle, Ludwig had it decorated with scenes from medieval legends. It provided a regal setting for large parties and musical events. Today visitors can enjoy the annual castle concerts.

This was the shy monarch's favorite retreat. Linderhof is the smallest of his three residences. It was supposed to be a replica of Versailles but the plot was too small. Instead it became a Rococo style palace. Linderhof is celebrating the royal birthday in a romantic way with candles and light shows.

Ludwig II devoted a special room to music in the palace. But only the king and his close companions were allowed access to the room. Ludwig used to come here to listen to opera arias. The artificial grotto with a lake and waterfall portrays the stage set for the first act of Wagner's Tannhäuser. Ludwig was a huge fan of Richard Wagner.

Ludwig II loved places that guaranteed him seclusion. Like Rose Island in Lake Starnberg. His father, Maximilian II, had a summer house built here called Casino. It is surrounded by a park with a central rose garden. Here Ludwig II was protected from curious glances and enjoyed meeting with his cousin, Elisabeth, Empress of Austria.

In 1873 King Ludwig II acquired Herreninsel, an island in Lake Chiemsee. He wanted to build something suitable here that would pay homage to his great idol, France's Louis XIV. A replica of Versailles Palace in Bavaria, this palace was his final and most costly project. Ludwig died in 1886. He did not live to see the palace's completion.

As a perfect replica of Versailles, Herrenchiemsee also has a hall of mirrors, which is 98 meters long, has 17 round windows and the same number of mirrors above them. It also boasts 33 chandeliers and 44 candelabras. It is today the top attraction in the palace and is in fact seven meters longer than the one in Versailles.

Ludwig II did not build Nymphenburg Palace but this is where he was born. Visitors to the palace can visit the room in which he was delivered. During the summer they can glide across the park's canals in a gondola.

The view is spectacular but the building itself is surprisingly modest. Built at an altitude of 1,866 meters, Ludwig used this as a refuge when he was in the mountains. It can only be reached by a four-hour hike. Typically for Ludwig, he designed something very special.

The entire first floor of Schachen is in an opulent oriental style. It is in stark contrast to the barren mountain surroundings. Ludwig celebrated several birthdays here. The guests were asked to dress as sultans and kalifs. It gave the events a feel of the Bosporus in the Alps.