King Ludwig II

King Ludwig II, the fairy tale king, was probably the best known Wittelsbacher. At the age of 18, after the death of his father, he became King of Bavaria. His main interest was undoubtedly art and culture. He financed Richard Wagner's musical drama "Ring des Nibelungen" and had the Bayreuth Festival Theater built according to his expectations. In addition, he built the royal palaces Herrenchiemsee, Neuschwanstein and Linderhof, for each of which the most modern construction techniques were used. Ludwig II left the political affairs, which were of little interest to him, to his ministers. The war against Prussia, as well as the participation in the Franco-German war, are more to be attributed to the decisions of his advisors than to himself. At the Porzellan Manufaktur Nymphenburg, the focus was on the production of technical, medical and pharmaceutical as well as sanitary porcelain.There were a few orders from the Bavarian court to supplement the royal porcelain furnishings, but these made up a rather small part of the production. Over the years, King Ludwig II turned more and more away from the public and politics. On June 8, 1886, at the instigation of the government, he was declared insane due to mental illness and drowned a few days later in the Würmsee, under circumstances that were never fully clarified.