The complex of royal buildings on Herreninsel is known as the Herrenchiemsee. It is located on the island of Chiemsee, the largest lake in Bavaria and is situated at a distance of 60 kilometres from Munich. Herreninsel and the island of Frauenchiemsee along with Krautinsel together formulate the municipality of Chiemsee.
As the story goes, Ludwig II of the Bavarian family commissioned the construction of a grand, extravagant palace building in 1878. The royal building complex was to be built over the idyllic islands of Herrenchiemsee near the lake Chiemsee. This fairy tale setting gets millions of visitors each year.
The Old Palace
Herrenchiemsee Abbey or the Old Palace, this Benedictine abbey was established in A.D. 765 by the Duke of Bavaria, Tassilo III. The Abbey was located on the northern end of Herreninsel. However, this fact of history has been a matter of contestations based on recent findings which predate the abbey considerably. With regards to the new findings, Saint Eustace of Luxeuil is said to have founded the abbey between A.D. 620 and 629. Furthermore, Emperor Otto in A.D. 969 gave away the abbey to Archbishops of Salzburg who would later-on in A.D. 1130 re-established it as a monastery. Moreover, almost a hundred years later in A.D. 1215 Pope Innocent III along with the Prince Bishop Eberhard von Regensburg formulated the monastery church as a cathedral of a diocese and thereby creating the Bishopric of Chiemsee.
The Abbey became secularised in 1803 and the bishopric was also dissolved a few years later. The island was also sold off and the new owners demolished the cathedral building and later-on established a brewery there. It was King Ludwig who purchased the island in 1873 and he established a palace there and christened it as the Old Palace. He himself would stay there and supervise the construction of the New Herrenchiemsee Palace.
The New Palace
The Herrenchiemsee Castle or the New Palace largely remained unfinished and was built between 1878 and 1885. King Louis XIV in the 17th century was considered to be a champion of the arts and architecture. His extravagant courts and the Palace of Versailles definitely made many rulers eat their hearts out and left the rest awestruck, laden with inspiration. Similar was the situation with the fairy tale King of Bavaria, Ludwig II. Historians have suggested that his utmost desire was to surpass the architecture of Versailles. So, in 1873 he unleashed his grand scheme and the first step in the scheme was to purchase the Herrenwörth Island in Lake Chiemsee. The construction of the fairy-tale palace began in the year 1873 furthermore the conduction of planning and the process of building the complex was formally designed by the architect Georg Dollmann.
You can see the use of the French rococo quite extrovertly within chambers and gallery walls. Extravagance and opulence stricken were the designers and dreamers of this palatial utopia and each of the twenty room’s boast of decors in the similar panache. Materials used inside are of the most exquisite quality, there are marquetry floors, carved panels, the stucco marbles have decorative elements, and there are opulent walls, and frescos featuring in the ceilings. The chandeliers and furniture’s were produced using the most fantastical craftsmen and supremely quality oriented materials were also used in the same regard.
The humongous 98 meter long house of mirrors is probably the most brilliant highlight of the palace. Interestingly it is the almost exact replica of the galerie des glaces in the palace of Versailles. Furthermore, you can also find wall mirrors, fresco paintings, domed ceilings, gilded stucco, 44 freestanding lights and 33 glittering pendant chandeliers – all of these features formulate the grandest of banqueting halls in the whole of world.
Within the Palace of Herrenchiemsee you can also see the following:
- Ludwig II Museum: This museum features documents, furniture’s, and sketches of various kinds, some relating to the constriction process and others general in nature. Here you can also find correspondences with Richard Wagner and his operatic dioramas, and the Augustinian canon seminary.
- Gesandtentreppe: The Ambassador staircase is the exquisite highlight of the palace. They lead to the frescoed galleries and have a glass roof. Most of the guided tours lead the guests through these staircases and they almost immediately knockout the visitors.
- The Paradeschlafzimmer: It is the state bedroom which boasts of a canopied bed. Its structure perches like an altar which is placed on a pedestal and has golden balustrade. This section is considered as the heart of the palace, where audiences were held during the mornings and evenings. As far as the decoration goes, it has been encrusted with gilded stucco and wildly intricate carvings. A very soothing blue light emanates from a glass globe which is located at the foot of the bed. The technician who designed this lamp had a hard time and took him nearly 18 months to produce it at the Kings desire.
Fraueninsel island is located just across and is a perfect spot for casual strolls and relaxation. The island boasts of a Bendictine convent. The famous painter and founder of Munich Secession Julius Exter’s house can be found in the lakeside town of Übersee-Feldwies.
More about Herrenchiemsee
Herrenchiemsee is a palace which was never intended to be residential it was rather symbolic of the absolute monarchic rule of Ludwig II of Bavaria. The palace carries remnants from the Palace of Versailles and is situated on an island which is about 1.5 kilometres across. It is said that Kind Ludwig II only spent 10 days here. He never returned to the palace which was a result of his fiery obsessive imagination and romanticism.
Ludwig II splurged a lot of money on this palace building than he ever did on both Neuschwanstein and Linderhof combined. As a result of his obsessive spendthrift nature, in 1885, just about a year before his death, he ran out of funds for the building and much of the construction thus remained unfinished.
The palace building was traced upon the architectural spirit of the Neo-Baroque tradition. It was shaped in the alphabet W. Out of the total 70 rooms in the building, 16 of them are located on the ground floor as an imitation of the Palace at Versailles. The designers of the building in-fact never intended to make the New Palace as an exact replica of the Palace at Versailles. Though, the inspirations from Versailles are clearly marked and starkly visible. Similar to the palace of Versailles, there is a Mirror Hall with 17 arches, a Hall of Peace and a Hall of War. The architecture and the construction process of the buildings were conducted using superior technology of the day and age. The palace complex is also equipped with brilliant gardens which are fit with fountains and statues. These statues are in-fact reminiscent of the grand style of Richard Wagner’s romantic operas.
Visitor information
It is quite easy to manoeuvre around the palace buildings as they are well lit and market with signposts. The complex is also friendly for individuals who are specially abled.
If you happen to visit Herrenchiemsee Palace during summer time then don’t forget to try out the carriage ride. The carriage ride is usually in operation firm the mid of March to the end of October, and it runs between the boat pier and the Royal Palace as a shuttling service. The ride is not that long, it lasts about 15 minutes but is quite fun.
Also, there are locker facilities available in the Palace so that you can enjoy your tour without the burden of luggage.
To reach the palace you can hire a ferry from Prien-Stock or Bernau-Felden. There are tour guides available easily who can offer multi-lingual narrations, most of which last about 30 minutes.