Linderhof Palace and its surrounding park is one of the most artistic and stylistically complex ensembles of the 19th century. The "Royal Villa" is the only palace King Ludwig II of Bavaria (1845–1886) was able to complete (1878). It is influenced by French architecture and modelled on the small summer palaces, usually set in parkland, that were built in France in the 18th century and were also often to be found in Germany in the parks of larger palaces.

Behind the Baroque façade is a Rococo world with motifs from the age of Louis XV of France. Ludwig’s creation in the Second Rococo or Neo-Rococo style, however, shows a strong South German influence: Ludwig took over a great deal from the Rococo legacy of his own ancestors with which he was familiar from his childhood, such as the Amalienburg in Nymphenburg and the Ornate Rooms of the Munich Residence.

The rich and abundant ornamentation, with its many sculptural elements, is thus not merely an attempt at imitation. In Linderhof Palace Ludwig II created rooms of such sumptuousness that they far surpass everything that inspired them, as well as showing workmanship of an incomparable artistic quality.

Since 2025, the palaces of King Ludwig II of Bavaria – Neuschwanstein, Linderhof, Herrenchiemsee and the King's House on Schachen – have been UNESCO World Heritage Sites.