Munich’s castle landscape is impressive. We have the Bavarian “fairy tale king” Ludwig II to thank for some magnificent examples and UNESCO World Heritage Sites. You only have to look at Neuschwanstein Castle and Herrenchiemsee Castle to know that the old king had a penchant for pomp and gold. Interestingly, however, not all of his buildings are like this. The Schachen Castle—officially known as Königshaus am Schachen —is probably his most bizarre project.
Bavaria below, the Orient above
The Schachen Castle is located at an altitude of 1,866 meters in the beautiful Wetterstein Mountains near Garmisch-Partenkirchen. Together with King Ludwig’s other castles, it has been a UNESCO World Heritage Site since July 2025 .
The castle is an architectural “wolf in sheep’s clothing.” This is because it offers an extreme contrast between the exterior and interior. The ground floor looks like a cozy Bavarian wooden house. In contrast to the typical Ludwig castles, it is almost simple with its Swiss pine paneling.
But when you climb the stairs, you experience the opposite. Suddenly you find yourself in an oriental hall of state straight out of 1001 Nights. The Turkish Hall features gilded carvings, colorful stained glass windows, peacock feathers, divans, and a fountain in the middle. Ludwig literally brought the Orient to life up here.
A castle for his birthday
Despite the seclusion, Ludwig was not only up here to relax. He is said to have processed and signed around 11 state documents every day, which were brought up to him by mounted couriers. Otherwise, however, he used the house purely as a retreat – usually to celebrate his birthday on August 25. For this purpose, the king had himself served by servants in oriental costumes in the Turkish Hall. They smoked hookahs and drank tea.
If you want to visit it, you should allow plenty of time: you can only reach Schachen Castle on foot via hiking trails or by (e-)mountain bike. There is no road for normal cars and no cable car. Allow about 3 to 4 hours for the ascent from Elmau.
Admission costs €6 and includes a guided tour of the castle. There is no other way to visit it. Guided tours with a maximum of 30 people take place every day from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. on the hour . If you want to experience a little more nature, you should also visit the Alpine Botanical Garden right next door: Over 1,000 high-altitude plants from all over the world grow here.
