Intermediate english reading

18 | 
P a g e
 
an electric intercom system, a telephone, and a dumbwaiter to transport food from the 
kitchen to the dining room. In 1884, Ludwig moved into his private upper-story suite, 
but the rest of the castle remained an ongoing construction site. Of the 200 planned 
rooms, only 15 were completed, and to this day Schloss Neuschwanstein and Ludwig’s 
other castles remain unfinished symphonies. 
7
When Ludwig’s personal finances ran dry, he borrowed heavily from foreign 
banks. Despite his mounting debt and contrary to the advice of his financial ministers, 
Ludwig took on more opulent projects, such as a Byzantine palace in the Graswangtal 
and a Chinese summer palace in Tyrol. He withdrew from public life, shirked his duties, 
and engaged in increasingly eccentric behavior that earned him the nickname “Mad 
King Ludwig.” In 1875, he began sleeping during the day and being active at night. He 
traveled in elaborate coaches and sleighs, and he dressed in historical costumes. 
8
On June 10, 1886, a government commission declared Ludwig insane, and he 
was deposed. On June 12, he was taken into custody and transported to Castle Berg on 
Lake Starnberg. The next day, Ludwig and Dr. Bernhard von Gudden, the physician who 
certified Ludwig as mentally ill without a psychiatric examination, went for a walk. 
Their bodies were later found near the lake shore, with their heads and shoulders above 
the shallow water. Despite the fact that Ludwig was known to be a strong swimmer and 
no water was found in his lungs, his death was recorded as suicide by drowning. No 
investigation was ever made into the suspicious circumstances surrounding the two 
men’s deaths. Ludwig II was interred on June 19 in the crypt at St. Michael’s Church in 
Munich. 
9
Ludwig II of Bavaria remains to this day an enigma and a source of romance 
and much speculation. The subject of biographies and movies, he has become an 
idealized and tragic figure, much like a character in a gothic romance novel. One can 
come to various conclusions about the man, but there is no doubt about his legacy. 
Seven weeks after Ludwig’s death, Schloss Neuschwanstein was opened to the public 
and since then, it has become a national treasure. Every day of summer, an estimated 
6,000 visitors pay a 12-euro admission to tour Ludwig’s private quarters. His dream 
castle has more than repaid any debt that he owed to the state, and Schloss 
Neuschwanstein has earned him international 
respect and admiration.