Who owns Schloss Linderhof? The Free State of Bavaria
1918, then 1923
The monarchy ended in 1918. Five years later the Free State and the House of Wittelsbach reached a settlement, and that settlement is the reason for almost every confusing thing about buying a castle ticket in this part of Bavaria.
Two things happened in it. Neuschwanstein, Linderhof and Herrenchiemsee were allocated to the state, out of King Otto’s estate. And the family renounced further property claims in exchange for the income of a new foundation, the Wittelsbacher Ausgleichsfonds — which is where Hohenschwangau sits to this day.
I am going to state that and stop, because a settlement between a republic and a deposed dynasty is the kind of thing every page has an opinion about. It happened, those were its terms, and its consequences are visible in a ticket price. That is the whole of what this site says about it.
| Building | Where it went in 1923 | Who sells the ticket today |
|---|---|---|
| Linderhof | The state, out of King Otto’s estate | The Bavarian Palace Administration, at the palace |
| Neuschwanstein | The state, out of King Otto’s estate | The Hohenschwangau ticket centre |
| Herrenchiemsee | The state, out of King Otto’s estate | The Bavarian Palace Administration |
| Hohenschwangau | The Wittelsbacher Ausgleichsfonds, and still its property | The Hohenschwangau ticket centre |
Why this matters at the ticket desk
Two practical consequences, and both of them are things people notice and misread.
The service fee. Neuschwanstein and Hohenschwangau tickets are sold through the Hohenschwangau ticket centre and carry a booking fee. Linderhof sells its own and does not. That is a difference in who runs the till and nothing else, and the comparison page puts the three doors in one table so you can see it.
The missing number. When the administration publishes its annual visitor figures, Hohenschwangau is not in them, because Hohenschwangau is not one of its sites. That is not secrecy and it is not an oversight. It is why this site’s comparison table says “not published by the administration” in that cell instead of filling it with an estimate, which is what you will find elsewhere.
Is there still a Bavarian royal family?
Yes and no, and the two halves matter. The House of Wittelsbach still exists, and its head is Franz, Duke of Bavaria, born 14 July 1933, head of the house since 1996. But there is no reigning Bavarian royal family: Bavaria has been a republic since 1918. The title is a family one, not a constitutional office.
And the part people are usually really asking: he owns no part of Linderhof. The palace, the grotto, the park and the park buildings belong to the Free State of Bavaria, and the ticket you buy at the window is sold by the state’s own administration.
Does UNESCO own it now?
No, and the question comes up because of the date. Linderhof became a UNESCO World Heritage Site on 12 July 2025, in an inscription covering Ludwig II’s royal palaces — Neuschwanstein, Linderhof, Herrenchiemsee and the King’s House on the Schachen. A World Heritage inscription is a designation, not a transfer of title. The owner is the same the day after as the day before.
If a page tells you the Wittelsbachs still own Ludwig’s palaces, it has confused Hohenschwangau with the other three. Hohenschwangau belongs to the foundation and the other three are the state’s — and Hohenschwangau is not one of Ludwig’s anyway, it is the castle he grew up in. Once you have those two straight, half of what is written about Bavarian castle ownership sorts itself out.
Who actually runs the visit
The Bavarian Palace Administration sets the hours, the tariff, the tour lengths and the group sizes, and publishes all of them. That is the source behind every figure on this site that is not read off a listing, and where the two disagree — three listings in this catalogue quote a Linderhof entrance fee and they do not agree with each other or with the window — the administration is the one to believe. Tickets works through that properly.
Read next
- Linderhof, Neuschwanstein or Hohenschwangau.
- Ludwig’s three palaces.
- The king who built it.
- What the door charges.
Frequently asked questions
Who is the current owner of Linderhof Palace?
The Free State of Bavaria, administered by the Bavarian Palace Administration. The monarchy ended in 1918, and under the 1923 settlement Neuschwanstein, Linderhof and Herrenchiemsee were allocated to the state out of King Otto’s estate, the family renouncing further property claims in exchange for the income of the Wittelsbacher Ausgleichsfonds.
Is there a Bavarian royal family?
The House of Wittelsbach still exists and its head is Franz, Duke of Bavaria, born 14 July 1933 and head of the house since 1996. But there is no reigning royal family: Bavaria has been a republic since 1918, so the title is a family one and he owns no part of Linderhof.
Why are Hohenschwangau’s visitor numbers not published with the others?
Because Hohenschwangau is not one of the Bavarian Palace Administration’s sites. It belongs to the Wittelsbacher Ausgleichsfonds, the foundation set up under the 1923 settlement, which is also why its tickets are sold through a different office and at a different price.