The Château du Garranée was originally constructed in the 11th century. It was modified in the 13th, 14th and 15th centuries. A tower is all that remains of another castle, believed to be 13th century, belonging to the abbots of Faget. The ground floor had no openings other than a small bay in the southern wall. It represented the typical medieval military architecture of the region. It was already in ruins at the French Revolution.
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.