Thanks for visiting The use of software that blocks ads hinders our ability to serve you the content you came here to enjoy We ask that you consider turning off your ad blocker so we can deliver you the best experience possible while you are here Latest UpdatesCountries Why Join?IL Magazine Free Daily E-Letter Video Our Experts Testimonials FAQsTopics Mitchell is a freelance writer and photographer As our boat glided along Germany's Lake Chiemsee I marveled at the stunning meeting of sapphire-colored water When things felt like they couldn't get any prettier I caught a fleeting glimpse of Herrenchiemsee Palace crowning the forested island where it's existed since 1878 I could see a sliver of the palace's Versailles-like architecture nestled between the dense trees that bookended it on either side My husband and I remarked this was precisely what its builder had wanted for his luxurious abode—an exceptional setting with much privacy and limited access for today's visitors to the southern German state of Bavaria Lake Chiemsee is quite accessible and a visit is exceedingly rewarding King Ludwig's palace—which he had modeled after France's Versailles—is the main attraction in this area there's much more to do around Lake Chiemsee which the Germans have nicknamed the "Bavarian Sea" (Bayerisches Meer) I was thrilled to see that the landscape's foliage was coming to life dotted with patches of mint-green grass and flower beds filled with cheerful yellow pansies and multi-colored tulips tiny Krautinsel (so named because of the herbs and vegetables that were once grown there) the lake has also been a protected nature reserve it's home to nearly 300 bird species and a large variety of fish which means "Men's Island," got its name because of the monastery that housed monks there for centuries visitors mostly flock to this island to see King Ludwig's palace but there are other worthwhile historical sights on the island King Ludwig II acquired land on Herreninsel to build his opulent palace-to-be the Herrenchiemsee Palace (Schloss Herrenchiemsee) Ludwig was obsessed with France's Louis XIV and was determined to have a Versailles of his own built on Bavarian soil what was built is extraordinary: Herrenchiemsee's Great Hall of Mirrors (Grosse Spiegelgalerie) is actually a few feet longer than Versailles' world-famous Great Hall of Mirrors it took about 35 chandeliers and upwards of 40 servants to light the hall's 2,200 or so candles The furniture in the ornate rooms is also patterned after Versailles Herrenchiemsee's rooms are even more elaborately decorated than Versailles' interior Since Ludwig wanted his palace to honor the French king he didn't allow any Bavarian design elements to infiltrate the palace take advantage of 19th-century conveniences While I appreciated seeing the palace's lavish rooms and their showy magnificence I also enjoyed the less polished areas of Herrenchiemsee These included Ludwig's massive bathtub (which needed more than 15,000 gallons of water to fill!) as well as a staircase that remained unfinished so that you could still see the builders' 140-year-old architectural notes scribbled on the rugged brick walls Another wing of the palace compound contains a worthwhile museum dedicated to Ludwig himself From Ludwig's christening gown and ceremonial robes to his death mask the museum tells the story of the monarch's life It also details the king's other realized and unrealized castle projects including Neuschwanstein (said to be the inspiration for Walt Disney's castles) Herrenchiemsee Palace was the priciest of his castles Ludwig spent less than a dozen days living there Such fantastical castles helped earn Ludwig the moniker the "Fairy Tale King" or Märchenkönig Ludwig's story didn't have a fairy-tale ending his extravagant building projects drained the government coffers and eventually he was declared insane and dethroned Some historians still wonder if Ludwig was murdered About half a mile from the palace is the Royal Augustinian Monastery (Augustiner Chorherrenstift) you'll find the impressive Imperial Hall with jewel-colored frescoes and furnishings that are considered to be among the finest Baroque decor in Germany a special conference was held and Germany's constitution was drafted Learn more about the best places in the world to retire in our daily postcard e-letter Simply enter your email address below to sign up for our free daily postcards and we'll also send you a FREE report on The World's Top 10 Retirement Havens When you arrive at Prien's train station you'll be about one mile from the boat pier you can get to the pier by riding the Chiemsee Bahn an emerald-green steam train that dates back to 1887 If you happen to visit when this train isn't running you can either take a taxi or walk to the pier We were able to do the pleasant walk in about 30 minutes Visiting the Palace: Tickets to Schloss Herrenchiemsee cost €10 ($10) This also includes the King Ludwig II Museum Note that tickets must be purchased at the Visitor's Center located on the Herreninsel Where to Stay: There are a variety of hotels and self-catering apartments located in both Prien and Bernau Lake Chiemsee is an-ever popular destination for Munich residents you might find that accommodation in both Prien and Bernau is fully reserved When I researched accommodation options two weeks before our planned trip to Chiemsee Instead, I look for accommodation in the pretty city of Rosenheim, which is 18 miles west of Prien or 15 minutes by train. We stayed in a pleasant studio apartment at the Limehome Aparthotel (see: limehome.com) which was located in the heart of Rosenheim's delightful Old Town (Altstadt) we could reach Rosenheim's charming parks and international restaurants (everything from hearty Bavarian cuisine to Vietnamese fare) in a few minutes After you've explored Herrenchiemsee Island you'll want to island-hop to Fraueninsel (Ladies' Island) a small but endearing island that's home to about 300 people The Fraueninsel's most famous attraction is the 10th-century Frauenwörth Abbey (Abtei Frauenwörth) This building's snow-white exterior and onion-domed bell tower are an eye-catching sight as they contrast beautifully with the brilliant blues of Lake Chiemsee Nuns still inhabit Frauenwörth Abbey today and marzipan (a confection made from ground almonds and sugar and often stamped with decorative patterns) You can buy these traditional products inside the abbey's shop 5 Reasons to Move to Germany Best Places to Live in Germany Cost of Living Breakdown for Germany Ionity and the restaurant chain L'Osteria have announced a strategic partnership Ionity will install HPC chargers at a total of 15 L'Osteria locations in Germany and Austria by the middle of the year The first locations are already in operation “A first milestone in this collaboration was reached on Monday in Rosbach v Höhe in the greater Frankfurt area,” the CPO states in the press release The statement refers to the six new fast-charging stations each with a charging capacity of up to 350 kW which have now been connected to the grid in the car park of the L’Osteria branch in Carl-Benz-Straße “This partnership allows our guests to charge up twice,” says Wolfgang Göbel franchisee and responsible for L’Osteria Rosbach vor der Höhe and the restaurants in Limburg and Wetzlar “These strategically placed charging stations help to increase the acceptance of electric mobility and are the ideal response to the growing demand for fast-charging infrastructure in urban centres,” adds Maximilian Teufl Network Developer for the DACH region at Ionity this is not the first time Ionity has installed its fast-charging stations at L’Osteria locations There have been charging parks at branches of the restaurant chain in Bruchsal Further locations are planned along the A5 and A8 motorways in North Rhine-Westphalia as well as in more urban areas by the end of the first half of 2025 charging parks will be built at 15 L’Osteria locations in Germany and Austria the CPO did confirm that the existing locations are already included in the total What is clear, however, is that the partnership is intended to help Ionity achieve further growth. According to the joint venture, it currently offers a total of more than 4,500 charging points at around 730 locations across Europe. Exactly one year ago there were still around 600 locations with around 3,400 charging points I agree with the Privacy policy electrive has been following the development of electric mobility with journalistic passion and expertise since 2013 we offer comprehensive coverage of the highest quality — as a central platform for the rapid development of this technology Thanks for visiting This website is using a security service to protect itself from online attacks The action you just performed triggered the security solution There are several actions that could trigger this block including submitting a certain word or phrase You can email the site owner to let them know you were blocked Please include what you were doing when this page came up and the Cloudflare Ray ID found at the bottom of this page.