Willdegg castle in the midst of gardens, meadows and vineyards was founded in the first half of the 13th century by the Habsburgs. For eleven generations Wildegg Castle was owned by the Effinger family. During that time the castle was expanded several times. The gardens in their seasonal change are an oasis of calm and an invitation to stroll, smell and marvel.
The site consists of a well-preserved 13th-century keep and palas, which was converted into a baroque style residential building at the end of the 17th century.
These days, visitors experience authenticity with historic gardens and lifestyle. The living and working rooms of the castle are originally furnished and show the sophisticated culture and the exquisite taste of the Effinger family. Visitors find furniture and paintings, stoves and painted wallpaper, watches and lamps, porcelain dishes and weapons from various epochs, always of the finest quality.
The gardens in their seasonal change are an oasis of calm and an invitation to stroll, smell and marvel. The kitchen and pleasure garden of the castle is a display window for rare garden and field plants as well as berries from the ProSpecieRara Foundation. In the rose garden, historic and numerous varieties of rare roses are blooming. The bistro offers the guests a choice of simple refreshments. For the children there are many games to pass the time in the castle’s barn. A visit to a castle of a different type is to choose the Trail Wildegg from Schlossfoxtrail. The visitors solve funny puzzles, decode secret messages and try to find the right track in the beautiful scenery.
References:Linderhof is the smallest of the three palaces built by King Ludwig II of Bavaria and the only one which he lived to see completed.
Ludwig II, who was crowned king in 1864, began his building activities in 1867-1868 by redesigning his rooms in the Munich Residenz and laying the foundation stone of Neuschwanstein Castle. In 1868 he was already making his first plans for Linderhof. However, neither the palace modelled on Versailles that was to be sited on the floor of the valley nor the large Byzantine palace envisaged by Ludwig II were ever built.
Instead, the new building developed around the forester's house belonging to his father Maximilian II, which was located in the open space in front of the present palace and was used by the king when crown prince on hunting expeditions with his father.