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On the site of the current Visconti-Castelbarco Castle, a fortification had been existing at least since the 10th century. At the end of the 13th century the castle became a property of the Visconti of Milan. It was then inherited by a lineage originated by Uberto, brother of Matteo Lord of Milan, initially the Visconti di Somma and later the Visconti di Cislago.
Destroyed in the 17th century, it was raised again in the form of a baroque villa on the original U-shaped plan and with two towers at the corners of the main facade. A crenellated roof was added to the building, providing the current revival castle aspect.
The castle belonged to the Visconti di Cislago until the 18th century. The marriage of the last female member of the Visconti di Cislago to a Castelbarco led the castle in the hands of the bridegroom's family. Their descendants assumed the surname of Castelbarco-Visconti.
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.