The BEST episodes directed by Friedrich Klütsch

#1 - Ludwig II and the Bavarians

The Germans - Season 2 - Episode 8

Myths and legends surround the figure of Ludwig II of Bavaria (1845–1886), known as the “Fairy-Tale King.” He is said to have shunned politics and devoted himself above all to his fanciful passions: the operas of Richard Wagner and the construction of magnificent castles such as Neuschwanstein, Linderhof, and Herrenchiemsee. But Ludwig was by no means just a fanciful dreamer; rather, he pursued clear political goals: he believed in the “Third Germany,” an independent power alongside Prussia and Austria. In the mid-19th century, this federal confederation of small and medium-sized German states served as an alternative model to a federal state under Prussian leadership. The vision ultimately failed due to the political genius of Otto von Bismarck and the military strength of the Hohenzollern state.