Royal Residences and Representative Structures
Bavaria's wealth of castles and palaces derives from the large
number of religious and secular states that occupied Bavarian soil
before 1806 and frequently demonstrated their claim to power by
means of imposing architecture. Munich was the royal residence of
the dukes of Wittelsbach from 1255 onwards.
The appearance of the city today has been largely shaped by the
Bavarian electors and kings. After Bavaria became a kingdom in 1806,
Munich's magnificent Ludwigstrasse and Königsplatz were commissioned
by King Ludwig I, who reigned from 1825 to 1848. An even more famous
builder was his grandson Ludwig II (1845 - 1886), who had his
representative structures such as Neuschwanstein, Linderhof and
Herrenchiemsee built in the landscape of Upper Bavaria, far away
from the public eye.
The large parks such as the one surrounding the Palace of
Nymphenburg, or the English Garden (laid out in 1785) all date back
to the regents of Bavaria. Other important 18th-century parks
include Veitshöchheim near Würzburg, the Sanspareil rock garden, and
the Eremitage and Fantaisie Castle Park in Bayreuth.