King's House on Schachen

Ludwig II had this built between 1869 and 1872 on a shoulder of the Wetterstein at 1,866 metres, and from outside it looks like a plain Swiss-style timber house. The ground floor is panelled wood in a simple style, but the whole upper floor is a single Turkish hall, with a fountain, divans, coloured glass, peacock feathers and gilding, where he spent his birthdays. There is no road: the building is reached on foot in about four hours from the valley, and everything used there was carried up. An alpine garden beside it holds high-altitude plants from several ranges.

History

The house was built between 1869 and 1872 for Ludwig II of Bavaria to designs by Georg von Dollmann. Often called a hunting lodge, it was never used for hunting, which the king disliked; he came here for birthdays and anniversaries, to an upper floor given over entirely to the richly decorated Turkish Room above a plain ground floor in the style of an alpine chalet, and in 2025 it was inscribed by UNESCO with the other palaces of Ludwig II (Wikipedia, King's House on Schachen).

The main sights

• The Turkish hall - a full upper floor fitted in Ottoman style.
• The plain exterior - a timber lodge giving no sign of the interior.
• The alpine garden - high-altitude plants from several mountain ranges.
• The walk in - four hours on foot with no vehicle access at all.

When to go

Late June to early October; the house opens only when the paths are clear of snow, roughly from the end of June, and closes in early October. Tours run at set times.

Things to know

There is no road, lift or shuttle; the only access is a four-hour walk each way. The season is short and tour times are fixed. Weather can close the paths.

Nearby

Garmisch-Partenkirchen lies below; the Zugspitze is west.

Key facts