In the Middle Ages, Den Dool castle served as a summer residence for the abbots of the Abbey of Sint-Truiden. The first mention is from 1282. Around 1340 the first abbot, Amelius van Schoonvorst, was there as a refugee during the wars of Liège against prince-bishop Engelbert van der Mark. In 1361 the castle and farm were burned down by knight Hendrik van Halbeek. The castle was restored between 1443 to 1470. and again in 1522. It became a fortified mansion with a ring wall with towers and a deep canal.
Further enhancements were carried out by Abbot Hubertus van Sutendael (1638-1663), who had an entrance gate built in 1621 and a castle chapel in 1649. The complex was transformed in a classical style in the 18th century.
Den Dool was occupied by German soldies in the first and second World Wars causing damage to buildings. Since 1994, De Dool Castle Brewery has been located in the farm of the castle. Various restoration work was carried out in the following years.
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.