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Emperor
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« on: March 06, 2007, 05:50:52 pm » |
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I blogged this up but thought it worth sharing this report because, far from being mad, it appears King Ludwig II of Bavaria was ahead of his time: a pioneer of steam-powered flight and a potential Steampunk icon  It's been a long wait, but finally King Ludwig II of Bavaria can rest easy in his grave: 120 years after his death, German scientists have shown him to be one of the unsung pioneers of flight.
Ludwig, whose fantastical castle at Neuschwanstein aptly featured in the film Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, drew up plans for a flying car more than two decades before the Wright brothers took to the air, but when he tried to build it he was declared insane and stripped of his crown.
But now German aeronautical experts who have studied Ludwig's designs say they would have worked. Sketches recovered from letters between the ruler and Austrian engineer Gustav Koch show the monarch had planned to create a fleet of flying machines that would take him across his beloved Alpine lakes to his many castles, including the fairytale Neuschwanstein. The craft he designed looked like flying cable cars powered by steam engines. They were decorated like peacocks. His Wikipedia entry has more background on him, his works and his death. Sounds to me like someone couldn't stand having a progressive thinker and pioneer around. There are CGI reconstructions of what it would like although it appears not all of them are online (or I can't find them) e.g.: www.forskning.no/Artikler/2006/juli/1153137335.54As there is no historical forum I thought this seemed the best place to post this, feel free to move it somewhere more appropriate. |
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Emps if I went 'round saying I was an Emperor just because some moistened bint had lobbed a scimitar at me, they'd put me away!Steampunk Collective thread |
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Kabuki
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« Reply #1 on: March 06, 2007, 07:20:54 pm » |
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König Ludwig II was awesome! You sould see the beautiful castle/palaces he built. NeuSchwannStein, up in the Alps is the castle that Disney's Sleeping Beauty's castle was based upon. Edit: Okay, so if you follow the wikipedia link, it says all this...  |
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The only thing more important that squashing one's foe, is doing so with style and panache... - Jake of All Trades  Join the fun here: http://www.b
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Jake of All Trades
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« Reply #2 on: March 06, 2007, 08:07:59 pm » |
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I, for one, have a new hero  That car actually looks pretty reasonable too--I mean, as far as Steampunk vehicles go anyway... |
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"...it's a form of fiction, and as such, while there may be times when it's considered a worthy vehicle for pointing out some of society and individual flaws - I still want a side that will let there be lighthearted adventures in the clouds, on mars, or under the sea."
--Tinkergirl
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OHebel Wring
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« Reply #3 on: March 06, 2007, 11:25:02 pm » |
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Castle isn't far from here, but I have NEVER heard of the cars....
And Munich has a pretty solid museum.
You mention CG versions - hear anything about people making models anywhere?
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“The world is full of obvious things which nobody by any chance ever observes. “
-Sherlock Holmes
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Emperor
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« Reply #4 on: March 06, 2007, 11:32:22 pm » |
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You mention CG versions - hear anything about people making models anywhere? Not that I'm aware of but my German isn't great. You can find more information on the syduy via the press page of company that made the computer models as they have PDFs of a couple of press reports: http://www.metamatix.de/index.php?id=4 |
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Hex
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« Reply #5 on: March 07, 2007, 12:04:11 am » |
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Personally I'd love to see his plans.
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"I am opposed to the laying down of rules or conditions to be observed in the construction of bridges. Lest the progress of improvement tomorrow, might be embarrassed or shackled by recording or registering as law, the prejudices or errors of today."
~Isambard Kingdom Brunel~
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jordanno2
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« Reply #6 on: March 07, 2007, 08:59:44 am » |
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OHebel Wring
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« Reply #7 on: March 07, 2007, 03:27:56 pm » |
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i am in the process of planning my "grand steam Bavarian adventure" and will put this castle on the list. I have been through the various museums here in town devoted to Ludwig without hearing anything about this ship....
but there are 3 rail and industrial museums scattering the countryside about 1.5 hours from here. Rent a car, grab a girl, and hit the road.....
....so about finding the type of girl for a journey of this magnitude...
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Emperor
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« Reply #8 on: March 07, 2007, 04:57:21 pm » |
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Personally I'd love to see his plans. Me to!! There is potential for this to be explored further. Someone more familiar the local tongue could contact Gustav Koch (the aeronautical engineer) and Dalibor Karacic (from Metamatix?) and see what extra goodies we could get a look at. I can't speak for them but perhaps Steampunk Magazine would be a suitable venu for reproduction of such things with some extra background informaiton perhaps. |
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Cory
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« Reply #9 on: March 07, 2007, 05:16:52 pm » |
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Heh... There's no question that Ludwig was certifiably nuts, but how much of that was due to nature and how much was due to nurture is debatable. His being an inbred homosexual German artistocrat in the Victorian Era both provided him the means to exercise his dreams while at the same time restricting and ultimately murdering him for it. I would (and have in post-secondary papers about him) compare Ludiwg most to Walt Disney, if, y'know, Disney were an inbred homosexual German aristocrat. Both not only had an overwhelming genius at creating an insulating atmosphere of escapism around themselves, but the means to realize that genius. For Disney it was his "yesterday, tomorrow and fantasy" of Disneyland, for Ludwig it was his Wagnerian dream castles.
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OHebel Wring
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« Reply #10 on: March 07, 2007, 06:39:15 pm » |
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you guys throw a letter together, and I will translate it and deliver it.
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S.Sprocket
Administrator
Zeppelin Captain
 United States
Industria Proficiscor In!
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« Reply #11 on: March 07, 2007, 07:22:05 pm » |
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Here is your letter Wring:
Dear reasonably attractive German girl:(stop)
I have sent my emissary Ohebel Wring, to deliver this letter to you (stop)
My name is Shaunathan Sprocket and I am a steampunk in the Los Angeles CA Area (stop)
Fantastical steampunk adventures await you here in the states.(stop)
Please accept this plane ticket, Dinner will be fri. at 6:00pm.(stop)
Please wear the included dress.(stop)
Warmest regards from your new boyfriend who is more eccentric than Ludwig, S. Sprocket(end)
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"It's what a cove knows that counts, ain't it Sybil? More than land or money, more than birth. Information. Very flash." -Mick Radley
"Teaching boys to bake cakes? That's no way to maintain an industrial empire." --Fred Dibnah
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S.Sprocket
Administrator
Zeppelin Captain
United States
Industria Proficiscor In!
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« Reply #13 on: March 07, 2007, 07:37:06 pm » |
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yes on reflection I think you are right Mr. Emperor sorry for that :/
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Emperor
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« Reply #14 on: March 07, 2007, 08:43:20 pm » |
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yes on reflection I think you are right Mr. Emperor sorry for that :/ Worth a try though. Who knows what Germanic lovely might pitch up at Chez Sprocket? |
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Kabuki
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« Reply #15 on: March 07, 2007, 08:52:43 pm » |
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yes on reflection I think you are right Mr. Emperor sorry for that :/ Worth a try though. Who knows what Germanic lovely might pitch up at Chez Sprocket? Heh. Lovely Germans pitching tents? I like that idea... Though I hope my hope my lovely Scotch lass takes no offense. |
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OHebel Wring
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« Reply #16 on: March 07, 2007, 09:00:57 pm » |
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hate to tell you boys, zee germanz are a different breed... (a.k.a. not much fun)
but if you want to put a letter together to these guys with your various quesitons, etc, I will translate it and send it to em.
If they are in Munich, I will go and see them (photoblog).
etc.
I will investigate.
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S.Sprocket
Administrator
Zeppelin Captain
United States
Industria Proficiscor In!
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« Reply #17 on: March 07, 2007, 09:29:46 pm » |
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"why yes madam, I do live in a warehouse, Mr. Wring's design, come, let us to the parlour, there's something I need to show you on the aetherscope..."
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Emperor
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« Reply #18 on: March 07, 2007, 09:59:24 pm » |
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if you want to put a letter together to these guys with your various quesitons, etc, I will translate it and send it to em.
If they are in Munich, I will go and see them (photoblog).
etc.
I will investigate. Great thanks. Keeping it simple always helps: Hi,
I am following up the various news reports about King Ludwig's airships, as interest has been expressed form members of the online Steampunk community.
What we'd be especially interested in is any extra information that might be available, in particular:
1. The plans that were mentioned in news reports.
2. Any extra renderings of the CGI models.
We were wondering if they were going to be published/circulated at some point or if they would be available for online viewing.
Thanks in advance for any help you can provide.
Regards, You migh want to double check the two PDFs they have of German news articles in case there are extra details although I suspect the Observer piece presents most of the available information. |
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Chuzzlewit
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« Reply #19 on: March 07, 2007, 11:13:54 pm » |
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This is a nice thread. Who doesn't love Neuschwanstein?
Hmm... The Deptford Trilogy novels by Robertson Davies are partly set in just such a castle, with a plot about an illusionist and his skills with automata...
Sheesh... now I got to dig that thing out again... Thanks guys...
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"`Suppose, after all, it all ends in your butterflies and morlocks. THAT DOESN'T MATTER NOW. The effort's real. It's worth going on with. It's worth it. It's worth it, even so.' . . .
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CapnHarlock
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« Reply #20 on: March 08, 2007, 05:58:13 am » |
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Apropos of nothing but an odd sense of humour, these marvelous illustrations make me regret that I didn't choose "Lewd_King_Madwig" as a name... |
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Jeremiah Cornelius Harlock
At Your Service
"It's so hard to know if you're bound for a fall,
But better to have tripped than never danced at all."
"Dancing Under The Rose" - The Albion Band.
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OHebel Wring
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« Reply #21 on: March 12, 2007, 04:30:46 pm » |
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Here's the translation... if any of you could please check the German, I would be appreciative!
Hallo an alle!
Ich habe etwas über die Luftsschiffe von Ludwig erfahren. Viele Leute von der Steampunk Gemeinschaft möchten mehr darüber wissen! (Die Steampunk Gemeinschaft ist eine Gruppe, die Interesse an Dampftechnik und alten Autoren wie z.B Jules Verne, H.G. Wells, usw. haben.
Wir würden uns freuen, falls sie uns weiterhelfen könnten
Wo können wir die Pläne der Luftschiffen finden? Sind sie auch im Internet zu finden; wenn ja unter welcher Adresse. Ich bin leider noch nicht fundig gewroden
Hätten Sie auch noch mehr CGI Modeln oder Bilder, die wir uns ansehen könnten?
Ein danke im voraus!
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S.Sprocket
Administrator
Zeppelin Captain
United States
Industria Proficiscor In!
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« Reply #22 on: March 12, 2007, 05:12:56 pm » |
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I don't know german, but I did catch the explaination of what exactly steampunk is, nice!  |
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OHebel Wring
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« Reply #23 on: March 12, 2007, 08:24:48 pm » |
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"Damftechnik" is one of the words i had to learn first around here!
(means "steam") Germany has this wonderful way of throwing a whole bunch of words together to say what they mean.
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Bobby_Brazil
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« Reply #24 on: September 19, 2007, 02:17:15 am » |
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why is it when one does not conform to the dictates of society but would instead relish the thoughts of a different future is said individual named mad? not that i care or anything so there
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Listen for the unsaid, while believing the unseen
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