Mad King Ludwig app

This item appears on page 77 of the March 2012 issue.

With the free “Ludwig II” app, smartphone users can access info about 140 locations in Bavaria and the rest of Europe related to the king’s life (1845-1886), plus 400 photographs, a calendar of historical events and video interviews and audio quotes regarding the architecture, politics, music and technology of Ludwig’s era. The “augmented reality” features include a simulation of Ludwig’s Winter Garden in Munich (which no longer exists). If you hold your smartphone in front of a site, the app recognizes the building and tells its history. The app is available from the Apple App Store or augmented-reality browsers like junaio, Wikitude and Layar.