Side Trips

Schloss Linderhof

Until the late 19th century, a modest hunting lodge, owned by the Bavarian royal family, stood on a large piece of land 13km (8 miles) west of the village. But in 1869, "Mad" King Ludwig struck again, this time creating a French rococo palace in the Ammergau Mountains. This is his most successful creation. Unlike his palace at Chiemsee, Schloss Linderhof was not meant to copy any other structure. And unlike the Neuschwanstein palace, its concentration of fanciful projects and designs was not limited to the palace interior. In fact, the gardens and smaller buildings at Linderhof are, if anything, more elaborate than the two-story main structure.

Our favorite rooms are on the second floor, where ceilings are much higher because of the unusual roof plan. Ascending the winged staircase of Carrara marble, you'll find yourself at the West Gobelin Room (also called the Music Room), with carved and gilded paneling and richly colored tapestries. This room leads directly into the Hall of Mirrors, where the mirrors are set in white-and-gold panels, decorated with gilded woodcarvings. The hall's ceiling is festooned with frescoes depicting mythological scenes.

In the popular style of the previous century, Ludwig laid out the gardens in formal parterres with geometrical shapes, baroque sculptures, and elegant fountains. The front of the palace opens onto a large pool where, from a gilded statue in its center, a jet of water sprays 30m (100 ft.) into the air.

The park also contains several other small but exotic buildings, including a Moorish Kiosk where Ludwig could indulge his wildest Arabian Nights fantasies. He would retreat here by himself for hours, smoking a chibouk (a Turkish tobacco pipe) and dreaming of himself as an Asian prince. The pavilion is a mammoth artificial grotto that is amazingly realistic, created out of artificial rock that looks real, complete with stalagmites and stalactites and three separate chambers.

Schloss Linderhof, Linderhof 12, 82488 Ettal (tel. 08822/92030; www.linderhof.de), is open to the public throughout the year and makes an ideal day trip from Munich, as well as from Oberammergau. It's open April to September daily 9am to 6pm. From October to March, the grotto and Moorish Kiosk are closed, but the castle is open daily 10am to 4pm. Admission in the summer is 8€ for adults, 7€ for students, and free for children 14 and under. In winter, admission is 7€ for adults, 6€ for students, and free for children 14 and under.

Buses run between Oberammergau (from the railway station) and Schloss Linderhof six times per day, beginning at 10:25am; the last bus leaves Linderhof at 6:56pm. Round-trip fare is 13€. For bus information, call RVO Bus Company (tel. 08821/948274; www.rvo-bus.de) at their regional office in Garmisch-Partenkirchen. Motorists from Oberammergau should follow the signs to Ettal, about 5km (3 miles) away, and then go another 5km (3 miles) to Draswang; from there follow the signs to Schloss Linderhof.

Kloster Ettal

Kloster Ettal, on Kaiser-Ludwig-Platz at Ettal (tel. 08822/740; www.kloster-ettal.de), lies in a lovely valley sheltered by the steep hills of the Ammergau. Duke Ludwig the Bavarian founded this abbey in 1330. Its statue of the Virgin is attributed to Giovanni Pisano. In the 18th century, the golden age of the abbey, there were about 70,000 pilgrims here every year.

The Church of Our Lady, within the abbey, is one of the finest examples of Bavarian rococo architecture in existence. The impressive baroque facade was built from a plan based on the designs of Enrico Zuccali. Around the polygonal core of the church is a two-story gallery. Visitors stand under a vast dome and admire the fresco, painted by John Jacob Zeiller in the summers of 1751 and 1752.

The abbey stands 3km (2 miles) south of Oberammergau, along the road to Garmisch-Partenkirchen. Admission is free, and it's open daily 8am to 7pm year-round. Buses from Oberammergau leave from the Rathaus and the Bahnhof once per hour during the day, with round-trip fare 12€. Call the RVO Bus Company in Garmisch-Partenkirchen (tel. 08821/948274; www.rvo-bus.de) for information.