Karpniki (german: Fischbach) is a village in the administrative district of Gmina Mysłakowice, within

Jelenia Góra County __NOTOC__ Karkonosze County ( pl, powiat karkonoski; german: Riesengebirgslandkreis) is a unit of territorial administration and local government (powiat) in Lower Silesian Voivodeship, south-western Poland. It came into being on January 1, 1999, ...

, Lower Silesian Voivodeship, in south-western Poland. It lies approximately east of Mysłakowice, south-east of

Jelenia Góra Jelenia Góra (pron. ; Polish: ; german: Hirschberg im Riesengebirge; Exonym: ''Deer Mountain''; szl, Jelyniŏ Gōra) is a historic city in southwestern Poland, within the historical region of Lower Silesia. Jelenia Góra is situated in the Low ...

, and west of the regional capital

Wrocław Wrocław (; german: Breslau, or . ; Silesian German: ''Brassel'') is a city in southwestern Poland and the largest city in the historical region of Silesia. It lies on the banks of the River Oder in the Silesian Lowlands of Central Europe, rou ...

, in the

Rudawy Janowickie The Rudawy Janowickie or Landeshut Ridge (german: Landeshuter Kamm, cs, Janovické rudohoří) is a mountain range in Sudetes in Poland. See also *Colourful lakelets Colourful lakelets (Polish "Kolorowe Jeziorka") is the name of three (somet ...

mountain range. The village is the site of a 15th-century castle that was redecorated in a

Neogothic Gothic Revival (also referred to as Victorian Gothic, neo-Gothic, or Gothick) is an architectural movement that began in the late 1740s in England. The movement gained momentum and expanded in the first half of the 19th century, as increasingly ...

style in 1844 according to the plans of

Friedrich August Stüler Friedrich August Stüler (28 January 1800 – 18 March 1865) was an influential Prussian architect and builder. His masterpiece is the Neues Museum in Berlin, as well as the dome of the triumphal arch of the main portal of the Berliner Schloss. ...

for Prince Wilhelm of Prussia who had purchased the estate in 1822. His brother, King

Frederick William III Frederick William III (german: Friedrich Wilhelm III.; 3 August 1770 – 7 June 1840) was King of Prussia from 16 November 1797 until his death in 1840. He was concurrently Elector of Brandenburg in the Holy Roman Empire until 6 August 1806, wh ...

, visited him several times and in 1831 bought nearby Erdmannsdorf Estate for himself, and in 1839 Wojanów (Schildau) Castle for his daughter Princess Louise of the Netherlands. Jelenia Góra Valley became a royal hideaway. The prince's daughter,

Marie of Prussia Marie of Prussia (german: Marie Friederike Franziska Hedwig von Preußen; October 15, 1825 – May 17, 1889) was Queen of Bavaria by marriage to Maximilian II of Bavaria, and the mother of Kings Ludwig II and Otto of Bavaria. Life Born and ra ...

, had her confirmation in the Lutheran Fischbach church in the spring of 1842, with King

Frederick William IV Frederick William IV (german: Friedrich Wilhelm IV.; 15 October 17952 January 1861), the eldest son and successor of Frederick William III of Prussia, reigned as King of Prussia from 7 June 1840 to his death on 2 January 1861. Also referred to ...

and his wife

Elisabeth Ludovika of Bavaria Elisabeth Ludovika of Bavaria (13 November 1801 – 14 December 1873) was Queen of Prussia as the wife of King Frederick William IV. Biography Early life Elisabeth was born in Munich, the daughter of King Maximilian I Joseph of Bavaria and hi ...

being present, as well as their nephew, the Bavarian Crown Prince and later King Maximilian II, Marie's fiancé, whom she married later that year. The following year their first son was born, who became the famous king

Ludwig II Ludwig II (Ludwig Otto Friedrich Wilhelm; 25 August 1845 – 13 June 1886) was King of Bavaria from 1864 until his death in 1886. He is sometimes called the Swan King or ('the Fairy Tale King'). He also held the titles of Count Palatine of the ...