Take a trip across Germany’s Chiemsee near Munich to admire “the Bavarian Versailles” on the lake’s main island.
Take a tour of the Herrenchiemsee New Palace, a complex of remarkable royal buildings on Herreninsel, the largest island in the lake called Chiemsee. The grand palace houses the King Ludwig II-Museum and is surrounded by a pleasant park.
The island’s name translates to “Isle of Men.” It once housed monks in its Augustinian Monastery, while nearby Fraueninsel (Isle of Women) still houses nuns in its Benedictine Convent today.
The New Palace was last “new” in the late 19th century when it was constructed. King Ludwig II of Bavaria had purchased the island to construct a grand palace dedicated to his idol King Louis XIV of France, the godfather of his grandfather.
Ludwig II wanted it to look just like the Palace of Versailles, the home of the Sun King, but Ludwig died in 1886 and it was never finished. Despite its lack of wings, the New Palace is a marvel. Its façade and gardens are nearly identical to that of its French counterpart. Its interior is even more opulent because it was never meant to be lived in.
To see the palace’s splendor, join the mandatory guided tour of about half an hour. A highlight is the Prunktreppenhaus, a grand staircase in a tiled hall full of artworks under a glass ceiling.
The empty Unfinished Rooms of the central palace now host conferences, rotating exhibitions, banquets, lectures and concerts. Don’t miss the contemporary art exhibition, hosted by the prestigious Pinakothek der Moderne in Munich each summer. In the on-site museum, learn all about the life and works of Ludwig II.
The Chiemsee is a lake in southern Bavaria, about an hour from Munich by train. Special trains run between the station at Prien am Chiemsee and the Prien/Stock boat pier, from where small boats leave regularly for the island. Once there, hop on the horse-drawn carriage to get to the Herrenchiemsee New Palace in style in summer.
The complex is open daily year round but winter opening hours are shorter. Photography and filming aren’t allowed inside.
Purchase the “Island” combination ticket for the palace, the museum and monastery. The “Königsschlösser” combo ticket also gives you access to the Bavarian palaces of Linderhof and Neuschwanstein.
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