Oct 2: Ludwigsburg

Today we visited a nearby castle, at Ludwigsburg. The town is named for the king, and was built around the castle. Originally this was to be a "simple" hunting lodge, a very important estate for a duke. The original hunting lodge was destroyed in a war, so had to be rebuilt in 1703. It quickly became the primary residence, and was completed in 30 years, in the baroque style. This was the Central European interpretation of Renaissance architecture. A contemporary French castle is Chambourd.

This is a very well restored castlcastle, one of the largest in Europe. It is thanks to German documentation that it was able to be restored so thoroughly in merely 15 years. Perfect records of every room's finish and furnishings have been kept and preserved since the building started. As well, the building was occupied at all times since then. In the 19th century it was turned over to the government by the king as an act of civil conscience.

The king was coronated by Napolean. This promotion came when the Duke agreed to supply 16,000 troops to fight the Russians. That the duke's sister was part of the Czar's family gave only momentary pause. The resulting title was too good to resist. All but 400 men were killed. This is the price people must pay for a king to earn his keep.

As tours go, this was one of the best we have ever had, well worth the cost. The facts, background, humorous stories gave us enough information to really understand the history of the castle. Highly recommended to make a detour here.

The photos give some idea of what we saw here. Some of the art and workmanship is stunning, and the sheer quantity is too. But the questions we are always left asking, that no one answers, is about the lives of those living away from the palaces. What was it like for the peasants, how did they live? Where the palaces and royal retinues relevant to them?