Duke Luitpold
in Bavaria

Duke Luitpold’s artistic ability became evident at an early age. From the age of 17, he received painting and drawing lessons from the Munich artist Friedrich Attenhuber. Aged 30 at the time, his style was similar to that of South German Impressionism which he had learned from his teacher, Ludwig von Herterich.

After obtaining his German A-level qualification, Luitpold undertook his military service with the lancers in Bamberg. He released himself from future military commitments and studied art history and philosophy in Munich.

The deployment of Duke Luitpold during the First World War represented a significant historical turning point. Throughout the conflict, the members of the House of Wittelsbach served as intelligence officers on the front. However, the plans for the castle continued, as Attenhuber was not drafted until 1917. In a letter dated 21 October 1915, the Duke revealed his feelings: »These construction meetings and instructions may get on your nerves, but to me they signify a different bygone world and help me to relax in a way that is difficult for you to comprehend. I hate the War, namely.« His wartime experiences are reflected in the subsequent design of the castle. Architecture based on protective and defensive fortification replaced the lightness of a Tuscan Renaissance villa.

After 1919, Duke Luitpold resumed his studies and obtained his doctorate in 1922 on »Frankish tapestry«. His thesis explored Gobelin tapestries in Franconia during the Late Middle Ages. In the foreword, he thanked his friend Attenhuber: »The artist Friedrich Attenhuber, who drew my attention to the intrinsic value not just of German tapestry, but of tapestry in general.« Luitpold's fascination with arrases is documented by the 14 Gobelin tapestries at Schloss Ringberg.

Despite financial problems in the post-war period, the Duke continued the project, implored Attenhuber to work with the greatest urgency while also engulfing him with a raft of new ideas and modification requests. His Schloss Ringberg was to resemble Gruyère Castle in Switzerland, which he held in high regard. Stylistic elements were also borrowed from Hohenwerfen Fortress near Salzburg, the episcopal Hohensalzburg Castle and The Château de Chillon on Lake Geneva. The emphasis was placed on defensive capability and protection. In order to pay for Schloss Ringberg, the Duke parted with Biederstein Palace in the English Gardens and the ducal palace on Ludwigstrasse in Munich. He managed the construction work by issuing countless instructions on postcards and notes. The tone of communication changed markedly until the artist eventually only received harsh orders.

The Duke's main concern became his desire to finally see Schloss Ringberg completed. The changing political situation after 1918 was of little interest to him. After the end of the Bavarian monarchy, the aristocracy lost many of its privileges. The fact that Luitpold continued his building project as if nothing had happened in spite of the disaster of the Second World War must have seemed even more anachronistic.

Until 1939, he focussed all his efforts on making the castle inhabitable. This plan proved unachievable. In the early 1940s he therefore considered selling the site. Attenhuber hoped the sale of the castle might finally bring him financial security. However, when he enquired about the matter with the ducal administration, the proposal was abruptly dismissed - to his great disappointment. Thus, he had to continue living, full of resentment, in this half-completed estate, which had now become a prison for him.

By the end of the War in 1945, the impoverished Attenhuber had become dependent upon allowances from the ducal administration. His suicide in 1947 was a tragic end to the collaboration between the artist and aristocrat, which had begun with so much promise. As selling the castle was inconceivable after the end of the War, the Duke continued with the development of the building. Until his death in 1973, he entrusted the architects Max Berger and Heinz Schilling with the implementation of the work. The chapel, the gloriette including the colonnades, and the cinema theatre - parts of the building which no longer exist today or only exist in a modified form - were built. After the death of his cousin Ludwig Wilhelm, Duke Luitpold became the head of the House of Wittelsbach's ducal line in 1968. He had already had the ducal coat of arms embellished with the motto »Mit der Zeit« (»With the times«), which he adapted from one of his ancestors from the 16th century - a motto that could be interpreted in various ways. It is found in the coat of arms carpet, which can be admired above the fireplace in the present-day Dining Room.

Schloss Ringberg is the last great fairy tale dream of a member of the House of Wittelsbach. The never-completed project played a defining role in the lives of its two protagonists. The Duke sought to erect a monument as a member of an illustrious princely family. The castle was intended to become a focal point for the Duke's circle of family and friends, but remained a construction site. Unmarried and without direct descendants, he focused on salvaging his dream in his later years. Through an intermediary, Duke Luitpold learned of the Max Planck Society's search for a suitable representative conference venue. In 1967, the Duke and the MPS concluded a contract of inheritance. This made Schloss Ringberg available to science until the present day, and met the Duke's original intention of creating a sanctuary for scholarly exchange in a creative and stimulating environment.