Ludwig II's Castles: From Wagner to Michael Jackson and Hitler

The article explores the legacy of Ludwig II of Bavaria, his three castles (Linderhof, Neuschwanstein, Herrenchiemsee), and his obsession with Richard Wagner's operas. It draws parallels between Ludwig and Michael Jackson, both eccentric, paranoid figures who died under mysterious circumstances, and notes a connection to Adolf Hitler, born near Munich three years after Ludwig's death. The castles, built over 22 years, were never completed due to lack of funds. Ludwig, who ascended the throne at 18, became depressed and megalomaniacal, financing Wagner's work until discovering Wagner's affair with Cosima von Bülow. He never married and became increasingly isolated, dining alone via a movable table. The article references Luchino Visconti's 1973 film and Giorgio Galli's book 'Hitler e il nazismo magico' (1989).