Palaces > King's House on Schachen (Garmisch-Partenkirchen)

Object description:

King's House on Schachen
Living room (Salon)
Turkish Hall

King's House on Schachen Garmisch-Partenkirchen

King Ludwig II started planning to build a house in the mountains in the Werdenfelser Land area in 1869. He chose the location as Schachen, at the foot of the Wetterstein massif, at an altitude of 1866 metres (6122 feet) – unsurprisingly, as it offers one of the most magnificent vistas of the high mountains to be seen anywhere in the Bavarian Alps. In contrast to the buildings erected by his father Max II, the house was not intended as a lodge for hunting – a pastime that Ludwig II firmly rejected. The building was intended to enable him to enjoy the high mountains while still enjoying every comfort. The exterior of the King’s House is based on the wooden ‘Swiss chalet’ type, which was popular for holiday houses among the nobility and wealthy citizens in the 19th century. The division of rooms, with a central salon, is similar to that in French upper-class villas of the period.

The five residential rooms on the ground floor – with panelling of cembra pine and comfortable furnishings – resemble an Alpine holiday home of the time.

In contrast, oriental splendour predominates in the Turkish Hall on the upper floor. It is based on a historic hall in the Palace of Eyüp, erected by Sultan Selim III in the late 18th century. Ludwig II, who had a strong interest in Eastern cultures, had seen a depiction of the hall in an English publication in 1840. Gilded, richly decorated walls, a fountain in the centre, elaborately embroidered stools and divans, a costly carpet, luxuriantly decorated accessories such as incense burners and candelabra, with light from large glass windows featuring colourful ornamentation, perfectly match the image of an Oriental hall of state.

Ludwig II celebrated his birthday and name day here every 25 August. To perfect the impression made by the room, servants in Oriental costume were positioned in the hall, where they had to smoke hookahs and drink tea. Contrived scenes of this sort were in the tradition of tableaux vivants (‘living pictures’) that was very popular in the 19th century. The 19th century’s enthusiasm for the Orient led to many creative forms of interior decoration, but this hall – in the midst of the high mountains – is unique and conceivable only with King Ludwig II.

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Address

82467 Garmisch-Partenkirchen

Opening hours 2024

From the beginning of June until the beginning of October (depending on the snow conditions)

We will announce the opening date here as soon as possible.

Visit only with a guided tour;
Guided tours (in German) daily 11 am, 1 pm, 2 pm, 3 pm and others as needed (maximum 30 people)

General information on opening times and admission fees

Admission fees 2024

5 euros regular
4 euros reduced

Children under 18 are admitted free of charge.

General tariff regulations (excerpt)

Annual season tickets/
14-day tickets

Accessibility

The King's House is located in the mountains (1800 m above sea level) and only accessible on foot.

Getting here / parking

The King's House is located ion teh mountains (1800 m above sea level) and only accessible on foot. The walk up and down takes 6 to 7 hours!

Klais, Garmisch-Partenkirchen, or Mittenwald (from there bus to 'Ferchensee')
www.bahn.com

Car parking spaces at Garmisch-Partenkirchen or Elmau

Further information

Service (leaflets, photo/film, links…)

Alpine Garden / Branch of the Munich Botanic Garden
www.botmuc.snsb.de

Berggaststätte
0172 8768868
www.schachenhaus.de

Administrative office

Schloss- und Gartenverwaltung Linderhof
Linderhof 12
82488 Ettal
08822 9203-0
Fax 08822 9203-11
sgvlinderhof@ bsv.bayern.de
www.schlosslinderhof.de


 
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