By Peter Glowasz

Is the sarcophagus* of King Ludwig II really hiding a secret?  Does it contain the embalmed body of Ludwig II?  Many anecdotes and many impetuous stories surround this magnificent coffin to this day.  It was designed by Court Architect Julius Hofmann and manufactured by Master Zinc Caster J. Roessler.

While the body was lying in state  in the old chapel of the Residence, the rumor was spreading among the masses of people paying their lasts respects, that the coffin contained a wax figure.  Almost everyone filing past the coffin was convinced that the person they were bidding farewell to was not the king.  A newspaper reported that the death mask was made from plaster by Professor E. Eberl and formed by Court Caster Mahr. Was it possible the wax mold was made, enhanced and painted and placed in the sarcophagus?

As a matter of fact, Ludwig's face did appear to have a waxy yellowish color**.  People close to the situation maintained that Ludwig's face had been covered with wax to deem it more worthy.

In 1954 the 70 year-old Ludwig Hammerstingl, son of Jakob Hammerstingl, had entrusted the City Historian Peter Vornehm with a secret.  His father, Jakob Hammerstingl was a member of the Bavarian Body Guard that had stood motionless for three days and nights before the dead king during the death watch in the old chapel.  No one was allowed to go near the sarcophagus under threat of severe punishment.  Because of the rumors that existed about the king's death and the fact that the face looked too perfect, just like a beautiful mask, he risked stepping closer one morning during the changing of the guards and before the mourning citizens were again allowed entry into the inner tract of the Residence.  He touched the king's visible body parts and to his amazement discovered that they were made of wax.  Jakob Hemmerstingl:  "That is not our king, that is a wax figure.  I swear to it!"  he said to his son.

For fear of subsequent punishment Jakob Hemmerstingl did not tell his son about his discovery until shortly before his death.  He did not want to take his secret to his grave - he wanted the world to know.

* The sarcophagus of King Ludwig II of Bavaria weighed approximately 2000 German pounds, it was 2,75 meters in  length, had  a width of 1,18 meters  and a heights (without the crown of 50 cm) of 1,25 meters.

** If Ludwig II really did  have a  yellowish waxy  color,  that does  not  necessarily mean that the corpse had been treated with wax.  It  means  that a corpse  of that color was  not treated  with    Eosin dye.  At the time of Ludwig's death this chemical had not been discovered.

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I have a believable report before me that explains that the physicians acted very irreverent during the autopsy of King Ludwig's earthly remains, especially during the opening of the skull.  In order to give the body a dignified appearance, the king's face might have been thinly covered with wax.  This might also have been done with other visible body parts like his hands, for instance.  Assuming that the wax treatment on Ludwig's body was actually carried out, it is at all possible that the body parts Jakob Hammerstingl had touched gave him the sense of touching a wax figure.

Regarding the condition of the neo classical sarcophagus and the caskets contained therein as well as the embedding of the embalmed body, the following has to be told:

Following the embalming,  the king's body was dressed in the black cloak of the Grand Master of the House Order of Saint Hubertus, overlaid by a black velvet gown with a lace collar and puffy lace cuffs.  Then it was dressed in the magnificent coat of the order.  The left hand held a sword while the right hand pressed a bouquet of jasmines to his chest.  The flowers had been picked in Feldafing by his cousin, Empress Elisabeth of Austria (known as Sissi) to be placed with the king.  His fine hands with their long and white fingers bore no gloves.

After the time of the open casket in the old chapel had ended on June 18 1886, the closed casket was taken to Munich's St. Michael's Church on Neuhauser Street, to be laid to rest on June 19 1886.

Following the consecration festivities the mahogany casket was carried into the beautifully decorated royal tomb.  A gold-plated zinc sarcophagus was standing open in the demarcated altar room, ready to receive the mahogany casket with the remains of King Ludwig II.  Archbishop Antonius von Steichele performed the festive funeral service.  After completion of the last prayers in the center of the altar room, the mahogany casket was placed inside the zinc sarcophagus and, according to protocol on June 19 1886, was double sealed on top and bottom by State Minister Krafft Baron von Crailsheim and again sealed with two locks.  Later the zinc sarcophagus was soldered to make it airtight.

***The embalming fluid necessary for an average body weight of 70 kg would consist of the following:  Aqua des 4 L, alcohol 96% 4 L, formaldahyde 40% 500 ml, chloral hydrate 200 ml , sublimate 100 ml, Eosin (red dye), just a few drops.  With the addition of Eosin the waxy yellowish appearance of the corpse is prevented (in the year of Ludwig's II death this coloring matter had not yet been available) - 5 liters of fluid are injected directly into the arteries.  The rest is injected into the large muscle areas of the legs, arms, back and buttocks.  The face, fingers and toes have to be injected with a fine needle, the brain with a large and strong needle inserted through the nose and being forced through the skull bone between the eyes.  Through my extensive research I have discovered that the before mentioned procedure by the Charite Berlin must have also been known by the institutions in Bavaria at the time of Ludwig's II death.  It can be assumed that the king was embalmed using this procedure, with some possible variations.  Embalming like this is still being performed at the Senckenberg Pathological Institute of the Frankfurt/Main University.  The editor of the magazine "Der Praeparator" Mr. Siegfried Eckardt, told me in a letter that a well-embalmed body, using the before mentioned old procedure, could stay intact for a long time and that all superficial impressions could still be seen, provided they were not deliberately changed.  Some years ago the rumor was spreading that an oil basin had been placed in the zinc sarcophagus of Ludwig II to prevent the formation of decay underneath the embalmed body.  However, this does not comply with the truth.  The use of airtight zinc caskets with added oil basins merely took place during longer transports to prevent the body from drying out.

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Not until October 22^nd, after completion of the necessary building preparations in the royal vault, did the transfer of the embalmed body of King Ludwig II into the zinc sarcophagus take place.  In the tomb of St. Michael's Church, that was completed and consecrated in 1597, King Ludwig II of Bavaria found his last resting place.

During an air raid attack on November 25 1944, St. Michael's Church was almost completely destroyed.  The debris had also covered the royal tomb of the Wittelsbach and the sarcophagus containing Ludwig II was partially damaged. A believable eyewitness report exists from an architectural student who, for a small compensation, had helped clear the debris from the church and the tomb in 1945/46.  The student recalled that at the time the casket of Ludwig II still contained his remains.  During its history the sarcophagus was subjected to various influences and had suffered damages during the war, as already mentioned.  An exact cause of the specific damage would only be possible through a chemical analysis of the material on the suspect areas.  For that, permission for the removal of a small sample mass would be necessary.  An exact statement regarding possible origins or reasons for a specific damage would only be possible through a chemical analysis of the materials of the suspect areas for which permission would have to be granted.

A subsequent soldering seam could be compared with the repaired spot in question and the soldering seam that would clearly show the original soldering work.  Inside damages without any recognizable outside influences could in reality only have occured during internment.  Based on historic facts, visible outside damages could have various plausible explanations.  For instance, it could be caused by long time contact with an iron object in damp surroundings, because if two different metals are connected through a leading watery solution, a galvanized element is formed, just like it can happen in a battery.  The resulting corrosion could be responsible for the formation of holes.  However, not knowing the exact circumstances, nothing specific can be concluded.  Photographs alone will not be of help here.  Unfavorable light conditions or small shadows on the photos can prevent the recognition of damaged spots and on the other hand could give the impression of  damages that are not present at all.  Even clearly visible damages of the material only give superficial information from a photo that doesn't show what is underneath.

Analysis for the composition of a specific mass that was produced at the end of the war during 1944/45, presumably used for repair work on the casket, is not possible from a picture alone.  Also, the color of a substance (repair material) can only allow presumption and a photo not give dependable evidence of the moisture content.  The formation of moisture spots on the repaired areas can be assumed to have been caused when the material used was drying out - no more.

I was given these expert opinions during a long conversation with Dr. Kurt Osterloh, a scientist with the  State Directorate  for  Material Research  and  Testing Laboratory.  Dr. Osterloh is a member of the Gesellschaft Deutscher Chemiker (Association of German Scientists).

In 1952 Crown Prince Ruprecht of Bavaria had all necessary repairs done to the vault.  He had asked Hans Rall, the archivist for the House of Wittelsbach, to help him with new arrangements and placements of the caskets. Since then a visitor to St. Michaels Church first sees the sarcophagus of Elector Maximilian I, possibly the most meaningful political Wittelsbach statesman.  Between him and the founder of St. Michaels Church, Duke Wilhelm V The Devout and across from the altar, lies King Ludwig I, probably the most popular of the Wittelsbach family, in his usual place.

Now we move downstairs to the royal vault, a square room supported by four stone pillars.  There now stands the sarcophagus of King Ludwig II among fourty other family members.  There they lie, presumably good and honorable heads of state, but who still knows them?  Gone and forgotten.  Only one sarcophagus remains unforgettable.  More than twice the size as all others, very tall, it rules over the paltry scene in all its baroque splendor.  Above the casket is the magnificent Coat of Arms in red velvet and gold embroidered.  The pain is forgotten, the loneliness swept away.  The splendor remains.

The sarcophagus of King Ludwig II is not empty!  This was demonstrated through the latest research.  This fact was given to me in a confidential letter from a person in Munich who for decades has made every effort to have the sarcophagus opened.  He informed me in his letter that all sarcophagi and caskets in the vault were x-rayed, presumably to find out if all were "occupied".  From the x-rays of the sarcophagus of Ludwig II a human skeleton was clearly visible on the monitor.  Bone damages were not determined.   However, the letter explains that (allegedly!) no one paid attention to that.

Only a scientific examination could determine if King Ludwig's II remains actually lie in the casket.  This determination could be made today through an x-ray technique that would cause no damage.  Above that, opening the casket would be necessary.  H.J. Malitte of the Federal Research Agency assured me in writing that an x-ray of sarcophagi and caskets is fundamentally possible.  With the help of the, in the meanwhile further developed computertomography (CAT scan), it is possible today to establish irreproachable evidence.

The very impressive possibility of this CAT test method was recently demonstrated on the head of an old Peruvian mummy from the Museum of Ethnology in Berlin.  The CAT scan proved clearly that the entire scull showed no  significant injuries.  With the help of such CAT scan details on Ludwig's remains (for instance bullet holes) would clearly be recognizable.

Prof. Dr. Josef Riederer of the Rathgen-Research Laboratorie of State Museums of Berlin, gave me the following information in writing:

".....I myself am certain that with the help of a CAT scan the content of a sarcophagus could be determined with more certainty than with general x-rays because the CAT scan presents an overall picture of the content while the usual x-rays only present a two-dimensional shadow view that becomes unclear in the case  of a sarcophagus  because wood, textiles and bones present a similar density."

We know that with today's help of computer techniques a determination of the cause of death is possible - even after 114 years.  We also know that the casket holds the remains of Ludwig II.  Therefore the urgent question arises again when and in how far the Royal House of Wittelsbach will comply with the request for an opening or CAT scan of the of the sarcophagus of King Ludwig II in order to finally give a definite answer to his cause of death.

Many of my readers at home and abroad have been waiting for years for an opinion of the  Royal Houses of the Wittelsbach and urged for a reply to this request.  I merely received a reply from Christoph Count von Preysing, the president of the trusteeship of the Duke of Bavaria.  In his letter dated November 2 1993 he stated:

                      ".....Regarding the sarcophagus of King Ludwig II - it has never been opened and it will remain so according to the wishes of the Royal Houses."

In respect to the letter of Count von Preysing the point has to be made that we as Ludwig researchers respect the decision of the Royal Houses on one hand but on the other hand our undiminished efforts to clear up the case of Ludwig II will remain.  Even after determining the cause of death,  the myth surrounding Ludwig II will be unbroken.

Above all, solving the course of death would clear the king's name after 114 years by not being regarded as Dr. Gudden's murderer any longer and that he himself did not commit suicide.  It would also free many people of their erroneous belief that Ludwig II was mentally ill and drowned himself in Lake Starnberg..  An explanation would present more facts and realizations.  Free of suspicions and wild speculations,  Ludwig II would appear before us in a completely new light.  Ludwig II would cease to haunt us any longer as mentally disturbed sensualist, murderer and suicide victim the way the media and history books present him.

Why would anyone be opposed to solving his death?  Are we not all in awe and fascinated when stepping into these world famous Bavarian castles?  Ludwig's grand works of art, namely his castles, have developed into one of the most genial investments a statesman ever made for his land.  Ludwig II has become an economical factor - the millions flood in.  Relentlessly history presses on for the truth and if the whole truth will not be known to the world, further events will harbor more lies.     

© Peter Glowasz, Translation by Ingrid Kane