Ludwigshöhe Castle

King Ludwig I decided to build a summer villa in the Bavarian Palatinate in 1843. The plots of land at the foot of Rietburg Castle were acquired from the municipalities of Edenkoben and Rhodt in 1845. The foundation stone for the palace, designed in a classical style inspired by Italian models, was laid in 1846. Construction, initially under the direction of architect Friedrich Wilhelm von Gärtner, was continued by Leo von Klenze after Gärtner's death in 1847 and completed in 1852. King Ludwig I, who had abdicated in 1848, used the villa every two years for summer stays and to celebrate his birthday until 1866.