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Ceiling detail in the former baroque Monastery Church of St Martin at Fischbachau, near Birkenstein (Walk 43)

However, the baroque influence was not restricted to just the church, it also filtered down to the world of the ordinary folk. This is mainly seen in the 18th-century frescoed house-fronts (Lüftlmalerei) of Oberammergau and Mittenwald and in folk-art such as the painted farmhouse furniture that can be admired in numerous museums of local history.

LUDWIG II, KING OF BAVARIA

Ludwig II (1845–86), King of Bavaria, was both a romantic and tragic figure. He was deposed in 1886 on grounds of supposed insanity and soon after found drowned under mysterious circumstances. A patron of the arts and friend of Wagner, his passion for building castles brought him to the verge of ruin. Yet it is Ludwig who is today the most popular of Bavarian monarchs. His castles Neuschwanstein, Linderhof and Herrenchiemsee now attract visitors from all over the world. They also earned him the title of ‘fairy-tale’ king.