Herrenchiemsee Palace

Ludwig II bought Herreninsel in 1873 to stop it being logged and began building a homage to Louis XIV, with a Hall of Mirrors ninety-eight metres long, longer than the original at Versailles, lit by more than two thousand candles when in use. The money was running out; the king stayed there for only about ten days, in September 1885, and all work stopped after his death the following year. Whole wings were never built and the unfinished sections remain as bare brick, shown as part of the visit. A museum in the former monastery covers the 1948 constitutional convention held on the island.

History

Tradition dates the abbey on the island to about 765 and Duke Tassilo III, though newer finds suggest a founding between 620 and 629; it became a house of Augustinian canons around 1130, its church the cathedral of the Bishopric of Chiemsee from 1215, and its Baroque buildings went up between 1642 and 1731, before secularisation in 1803. In 1873 Ludwig II bought the island to stop a timber company clearing its forest, and after finally seeing Versailles in 1874 he chose it for his new palace, designed by Georg von Dollmann, Christian Jank and Franz von Seitz and begun on 21 May 1878; he stayed only a few days, in September 1885, work stopped after his death the next year, and the palace opened to the public a few weeks later (Wikipedia, Herrenchiemsee).

The main sights

• The Hall of Mirrors - a gallery longer than the Versailles original.
• The unfinished wings - bare brick rooms left when funding stopped.
• The state staircase - a grand ceremonial stair completed in full.
• The garden fountains - formal parterres running toward the lake.

When to go

April to October; the boat crossing runs year-round but less often in winter, and the fountains operate only in the warmer months. Entry is by timed guided tour.

Before you go

Access is by boat plus a walk or horse carriage, then a timed guided tour. Much of the building was never finished. The island has limited facilities.

Nearby

Fraueninsel lies across the water; Prien is on the mainland.