Historical treasure for the Bavarian Palace Administration

The Bavarian royal castles of Ludwig II still fascinate visitors today with their water features. However, it is no longer known in detail exactly how the 19th century engineers went about it. It is therefore all the more gratifying that the Bavarian Palace Administration has now received over 200 historical installation plans for the water systems of Ludwig’s palaces on permanent loan from the company “Gas- und Wasserleitungsgeschäft GmbH Stuttgart”.

The Bavarian Palace Administration is delighted to receive an unusual permanent loan: the company “Gas- und Wasserleitungsgeschäft GmbH Stuttgart” has donated over 200 historical installation plans for the palaces of King Ludwig II. The important historical collection of plans is now to be scientifically researched and catalogued by the building department of the Bavarian Palace Administration.
King Ludwig II is certainly known to most people as the “fairytale king”. In addition to his tragic fate, which is still mystified today, it is certainly the castles he had built that inspire people. These palaces, which the monarch had built, were far ahead of their time in many respects. Even back then, Ludwig and his buildings exerted a special attraction on people. To this day, people all over the world are fascinated by King Ludwig II’s royal castles and make millions of pilgrimages to Bavaria to see and visit them. This fascination is certainly also due to the fact that the king spared neither expense nor effort to have his dream castles built. King Ludwig II can be regarded as extremely tech-savvy. In the castles of Neuschwanstein, Linderhof, Herrenchiemsee and the Haus am Schachen, there are many technical gadgets, including the famous “Tischlein-Deck-Dich”. Numerous light and water features can also be discovered in the royal palaces and their extensive parks. The king made use of the technical innovations of his time and was extremely fascinated and enthusiastic about them. This is reflected in particular in the technical equipment of his palaces and parks, where he demanded the highest standards from everyone involved in the construction. It was not uncommon for the monarch’s demands on his architects and engineers to lead to innovative solutions, some of which were later used by the wider public. He often had his planners travel to track down the latest techniques and innovations, and the world exhibitions were visited particularly frequently. The latest innovations were presented there. It is therefore no wonder that the king did not shy away from commissioning solutions and plans from outside his kingdom in order to achieve the desired results. From 1874, for example, the “Gas and Water Pipeline Business”, founded in Stuttgart in 1870, was involved in the planning and construction of all of King Ludwig II’s royal palaces and parks. Numerous contracts were awarded to the company, including both smaller and larger projects. Among other things, the royal toilet at Neuschwanstein Castle was commissioned, but extensive work was also carried out in Linderhof Castle Park. The company from Stuttgart was responsible for the hot water heating for the lake in the Venus Grotto and also the pressure pipe for the large fountain in the castle park. The elaborate water features at Herrenchiemsee New Palace were also made by the Stuttgart company. The company still exists today, 150 years after it was founded. Today, its clients are no longer the Bavarian royal palaces, but rather Swabian global companies. It is therefore all the more remarkable that the historical plans have been preserved in the company archive.

A special historical treasure has been preserved in the Stuttgart company archive: a significant number of historical installation plans that were created during the construction work for the Bavarian royal palaces. The company, which today trades under the name “Gas- und Wasserleitungs-Geschäft GmbH Stuttgart”, has given these to the Bavarian Palace Administration on permanent loan. Dr. Alexander Wiesneth, who has received the set of plans on behalf of the Bavarian Palace Administration and will also be working on them scientifically, comments as follows: “The plans provide a fascinating insight into the 19th century art of engineering at the royal palaces, which was not yet known to this extent and level of detail.”
It is particularly fascinating that the spring tappings, water pipes and technical fountains were depicted down to the smallest detail and with a high level of craftsmanship that is no longer found today. The draughtsmen used pencil and ink and then elaborately painted the plans in watercolor. The plans are so artistically designed that they almost pass as works of art themselves. The components for the installations were manufactured in Stuttgart and transported by train to Neuschwanstein, Linderhof and Herrenchiemsee. As many of these installations are now lost, the plans are a particularly precious historical treasure and valuable document for research.
As a first step, the building department of the Bavarian Palace Administration will now carry out a thorough restoration. This will be followed by an inventory and extensive research into the more than 200 drawings in the plan collection. The aim is to scientifically process this important treasure and thus be able to preserve it permanently. The Bavarian Palace Administration would like to express its special thanks to the Stuttgart-based company for providing it with this unique permanent loan.