HOHENSCHWANGAU - DAS ELTERNHAUS VON LUDWIG II.

Pictures of the title collage: Th. Driendl, Marie, queen of Bavaria with her two sons Ludwig and Otto, 1848, coloured lithography, Ludwig IIMuseum, Herrenchiemsee, Th. Driendl, Maximilian II, king of Bavaria, 1848, coloured lithography, Ludwig II-Museum, Herrenchiemsee

Maximilian II was a realistic, socially active monarch. His philosophy coupled with the soft carpet of romanticism created a foundation which would eventually help to shape the self-perceived identity of his son Ludwig II comprising the idea of the noble knight and its myths. Hohenschwangau was the family's summer residence, set in an idyllic landscape. Rural life conveyed a reflection on the common people and folkloristic art, like the sound of the French horn in the "Waldandacht" by Franz Abt, hunting music and
F. Mendelssohn-Bartholdy´s: "Wer hat dich, du schooner Wald". Simple folk music accompanied life as did opera visits presenting Verdi and Rossini. Wagner'smarch "Treulich geführt" may stand for a sheltered parental home and at the same time points to Ludwig's later escape into a fantasy world.