#herzog max palais

[archduchessofnowhere]

We all know media loves to paint Elisabeth and her family as humble country people who lived in a modest state and were look down by the rest of their relatives for being "poor". But how did being "poor" looked like for the Ducal Wittelsbach? Well, let's look at their states! Yes, plural.

The most famous residence of the Ducal Wittelsbach was Possenhofen, a humble, small castle at the shore of Lake Starnberg that acted as the family's summer state.

This is said humble castle btw:

Ok, so if "humble" Possenhofen was just a summer residence, what was the main residence of Ducal Wittelsbach? Well, that would be Herzog Max Palais, a neoclassical three-story palace in Munich built for Duke Max between 1828 and 1830. In case you don't know, Elisabeth was born here!

Sadly, the palace was demolished and no longer exists today.

Was this all? Well, no! Because Duke Max also owned a hunting lodge called Unterwittelsbach near Aichach:

This castle acted as a sort of bachelor residence for Duke Max; neither his wife nor children were allowed to visit. Ironically, today Untterwittelsbach is known as the "Sisi Castle" and a museum about the empress works there.

Ok, this is it! Three castles! Pretty impressive for this alleged poor royal fam- KIDDING DID YOU REALLY THOUGHT THAT WAS IT?

You see, when Max bought Possenhofen he also bought another property at the shore of Lake Starnberg: Garatshausen Castle

Today the castle is owned by the Thurn und Taxis, and hosts a hospital and retirement residence.

Ok now we are done for real... with the castles Duke Max owned. Ludovika had her own castles too!

Ludovika inhereted from her parents two properties: Tegernsee Abbey (left) and Biederstein Castle (right) (disclaimer: Biederstein was actually two castles: the Old Castle built in the 18th century - pictured here in the 1890s - and the New Castle, built in the 1820s)

Tegernsee is the only property on this list that is still owned by the Wittelsbachs. Meanwhile Biederstein Castle was bombed during WW2 and no longer exists today.

Ok, so now for real real, that is it! I may be missing some property, but as far as I'm aware, Max and Ludovika owned these six residences (seven if we consider that Biederstein was two castles). Much for Sisi being a humble country girl right?

[demolina]

On 24 December 1837, Elisabeth Amalie Eugenie von Wittelsbach was born at Herzog-Max-Palais in Munich, Bavaria. Sisi, as she became known, was the four child and second daugther of Duke Maximilian Joseph in Bavaria and Princess Ludovika of Bavaria. The day of her birth was a Sunday, and the infant was also born with one teeth already showing, traditionally signs of good fortune.  

[sissiofaustria]

Marie Ludovika Wilhelmina, duchess in Bavaria, born princess of Bavaria, was the fifth daughter of the Bavarian king Maximilian I and Queen Caroline. Her sister Sophie was the mother of Frans Jozef I of Austria. On November 9, 1828, Ludovika married her second cousin Duke Maximilian in Bavaria (from the Wittelsbach House).

The couple lived in the Herzog-Max-Palais in Munich in the winter and in the summer they lived at Schloß Possenhofen on the Starnberger See. They had ten children, of whom the best known, Elisabeth (Sissi), was to marry the Austrian emperor Frans Joseph I, who was Elisabeth's full cousin.

Her son Karel Theodoor was a grandfather of Elisabeth in Bavaria and with that a forefather of the Belgian king Albert II of Belgium. On January 25, 1892, Empress Elisabeth received a telegram from Munich: Ludovika had pneumonia.

On January 26, 1892, at four o'clock in the morning, she died at the age of 83.

[coffeenewstom]

Wo Juristen Kaffee trinken - Café Kreutzkamm in der Maxburg

Wo Juristen Kaffee trinken – Café Kreutzkamm in der Maxburg

Was die Münchner heute die “Neue Maxburg” nennen, war bis 1944 ein repräsentativer Amts- und Behördenbau, der wiederum aus einem häufig umgebauten Stadtschloss der Wittelsbacher hervorging, der Wilhelminische Veste, beziehungsweise Herzog-Max-Burg. Von dem ursprünglichen Renaissancebau ist nur noch der Turm erhalten, alles andere wurde 1954 bis 1957 neu errichtet, nachdem man die übrigen Reste…

[archduchessofnowhere]

Sisi really became a Cottagecore Running Free and Talking to Animals in the Forest Poor Princess in media when she grew up in *check notes* one of the biggest palaces in Munich:

[archduchessofnowhere]

Speaking of researching 19th century maps: I'd read many times before that the Max Palais and the Leuchtenberg Palais were both on the Ludwigstrasse but for some reason I never realized they were LITERALLY NEXT TO EACH OTHER????

I feel so silly for never noticing it I've searched for both the palaces before on a (modern) map!!

And if you zoom out a bit more you also find across the street: the palace of Ludovika's brother Prince Karl Theodor (the "Herzog" is a mistake it should say "Prinz"), and the Residenz, the Bavarian royal family's main palace in Munich.

New York Times Bestseller Historical Fiction Author Allison Pataki writing Ludovika: I was very lonely after I married Max and had to leave my family :(((

Actually Ludovika: *literally neighbors with half of her siblings*

[archduchessofnowhere]

Me when I suddenly remember that the Herzog Max Palais and the Leuchtenberg Palais don't exist anymore