Berg Palace is a manor house situated on the east bank of Lake Starnberg in the village of Berg in Upper Bavaria, Germany. The site became widely known as the last residence of King Ludwig II of Bavaria and location of his disputed death. Today, it serves as residence of Franz, Duke of Bavaria, head of the house of Wittelsbach.
Berg Palace as reconstructed after World War II to its 17th-century appearance, viewed from Lake Starnberg
Berg Palace on the banks of Lake Starnberg
The hunting lodge with a formal Baroque garden around 1700
The palace as it appeared before World War II, in its 19th-century Gothic revival style, c. 1886
Ludwig II, also called the Swan King or the Fairy Tale King, was King of Bavaria from 1864 until his death in 1886. He also held the titles of Count Palatine of the Rhine, Duke of Bavaria, Duke of Franconia, and Duke in Swabia. Outside Germany, he is at times called "the Mad King" or "Mad King Ludwig".
Ludwig, c. 1874
Crown Prince Ludwig of Bavaria (left) with his parents and his younger brother, Prince Otto, in 1860
Crown Prince Ludwig (left) with his mother, Queen Marie (in the centre) and his younger brother Otto (on the right), circa 1863. Otto would become king after the death of his older brother in 1886, although he would not be able to properly rule as King of Bavaria due to his mental health problems. The photo was taken privately for a family album, as was in vogue among many nobles during the period, and was not published at the time.
Ludwig II just after his accession to the throne of Bavaria in 1864
