Germany Day 10: Herrenchiemsee & Frauenchiemsee

On day 10 of our trip we visited the Herrenchiemsee Palance on the island of Herreninsel and the monastery on the island of Frauinsel.  Our driver took us to the town of Prien am Chiemsee on shore of Lake Chiemsee. The lake is so large, it is often referred to as the Bavarian Sea. We took a ferry from Prien to Herreninsel. 

We then walked a short distance up the hill to the Herrenchiemsee Palace. They had horse-drawn carriages that you could take from the harbor to the palace so we have more horse pictures, courtesy of Madeleine.

After walking through the dense forest, it suddenly cleared and we had a full view of the palace. 

In 1873 King Ludwig II of Bavaria acquired the Herreninsel as the location for his Royal Palace of Herrenchiemsee (New Palace). Modelled on Versailles, this palace was built as a "Temple of Fame" for King Louis XIV of France, whom the Bavarian monarch fervently admired. 

The actual building of this "Bavarian Versailles", which was begun in 1878 from plans by Georg Dollmann, was preceded by a total of 13 planning stages. When Ludwig II died in 1886 the palace was still incomplete, and sections of it were later demolished. 

The highlights of the large state rooms are the State Staircase, the State Bedroom and the Great Hall of Mirrors. The king's own rooms were in the intimate Small Apartment, designed in the French rococo style. 

In 1876 Court Garden Director Carl von Effner completed the plans for a large garden resembling that of Versailles. When the king died, only the sections along the main axis with their famous fountains and waterworks had been completed.

Pictures are not allowed inside the Palace, so I've added some photos of the interior I found on the internet.

the King's Study

the bath - Charlotte's favorite room

Hall of Mirrors

State Bedroom

State Staircase

unfinished entrance

After eating lunch at the cafe overlooking the fountains and gardens in the front,  the girls and I boarded the carriage for a ride back to the harbor. Brannon and James decided to walk.  We then boarded the ferry for a quick ride over to Frauenchiemsee.

The island Frauenchiemsee (often called Fraueninsel) is the second largest of the three islands in Chiemsee, Germany. Frauenchiemsee Monastery was founded by Duke Tassilo, and the monastery church was consecrated in 782 by Bishop Virgil of Salzburg. In 788 the monastery came into the possession of Charles the Great, and passed from him to his grandson Ludwig the German. After the Hungarian invasions, the monastery flourished for a long period from the 11th to the 15th centuries. In 1728-1732 the complex, by then in a poor state of repair, was finally rebuilt. After secularization it had a second founder in the person of King Ludwig I, who was responsible for the re-establishment of the monastery in 1837. 

The foundations of the church, and possibly also parts of the walls, probably originate from the Carolingian era. What is certain, however, is that the present church was already in existence in the 11 th century. In the 12th and 13th centuries it was extended and rebuilt. The appearance of the interior was significantly altered by the addition of a ribbed vault in 1468-1476, and the baroque altars were added in 1688-1702. 

During restoration of the interior in 1928, Romanesque frescoes were discovered in the ambulatory, and in 1961 further frescoes from the 12th century were found in the present attic of the church. The bell tower in front of the northwest side of the church, became the symbol of the Chiemgau. The two lower floors of this eight-sided tower probably date from the 12th century, while the upper one was added in 1395. The tower acquired its characteristic onion dome in 1626. It was not part of the original monastery complex, but was built on the foundations of what was probably a Carolingian building.

We visited the church and met Sister Veronica. She has been on the island since 1961 and was happy to meet the kids and give them candles to light at the church.

letters and pictures in thanks from women who have asked Blessed Irmgard to intercede on their behalf for them to be blessed with children

Blessed Irmgard of Chiemsee (c. 831/833 – 16 July 866), a member of the Carolingian dynasty, was the second daughter of King Louis the German and his wife Hemma. She was the first Abbess of Frauenchiemsee from 857 until her death

We then walked around a bit, enjoying the beautiful buildings and flowers on the island. We also spent some time at the playground next to the monastery. James is determined to visit every playground that we see.

We then boarded the ferry once again for a ride back to Prien.  There we played on yet another playground. Brannon enjoyed watching the steam train bring passengers from town to the harbor and then it was time to head back to Munich.

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