King Ludwig’s Bavarian Versailles

Of King Ludwig II’s three famous palaces, this one is his “unfinished symphony”. Herrenchiemsee Palace (Schloss Herrenchiemsee) was incomplete when its builder died in 1886, and it remains incomplete today. But that’s part of this palace’s charm, and there’s more than enough of the structure remaining today to make a visit very worthwhile. Its scenic setting, on an island (Herreninsel) in Bavaria’s largest lake (der Chiemsee), only adds to the total impression.

A bronze sculpture at the Fama Fountain (one of three) in front of Herrenchiemsee Palace, with the front of the palace in the background, a copy of the garden façade of the Palace of Versailles. The interior rooms and halls of the palace also mirror Versailles, with paintings of the French “Sun King” and his courtiers rather than the Bavarian king himself. PHOTO: Hyde Flippo

Ludwig’s Homage to the Sun King, Louis XIV
King Ludwig II (whose German name “Ludwig” is Louis in English and French) wanted to create a replica of Louis XIV’s Palace of Versailles near Paris. When construction began in May 1878, the Bavarian king intended his new palace as a temple to monarchy in general, and to his French royal idol, the Sun King, Louis XIV in particular. But at the time work began on Ludwig’s memorial palace, the Sun King had been dead for 171 years, following a record-breaking reign of a little over 72 years. After almost two centuries many of the original rooms and other features at Versailles no longer existed.

That presented a challenge for Ludwig’s chief court architect Georg von Dollmann (1830–1895), who had to do research on the original design and floor plans. Although scaled down from the original French palace, King Ludwig insisted on having faithful copies of the Sun King’s rooms, furnishings, and artwork. Even the exterior gardens and fountains had to be authentic replicas. However, Ludwig did allow some accommodations for 19th century technology at Herrenchiemsee, just as he had done earlier with Neuschwanstein Castle, including a dumbwaiter to lift food and drink up to the dining room, electrical illumination for light shows, and a glass skylight above the two grand staircases.

Ludwig’s original choice for Herrenchiemsee Palace’s building site was the Graswang valley near the town of Ettal. But the palace that now stands on that site is Linderhof, the only royal palace that Ludwig actually fully completed and regularly lived in (after 1876). Versailles was also the model for this smaller palace, which has a scaled-down Hall of Mirrors. More like a royal mansion or manor house, construction of the neo-Rococo Linderhof Palace proceeded in various stages between 1870 and 1886.

Ludwig’s 1874 Visit to Versailles
Following a delay caused by the outbreak of the Franco-Prussian War in 1870, King Ludwig was finally able to experience Versailles in person. His intense interest in the French sovereign and the Palace of Versailles dated back to at least 1867. In August 1874 the Bavarian king was received with honors by the French government on his birthday, August 25. Almost four years after Ludwig’s visit to Versailles, construction began on his replica. The final building site was on an island named Herreninsel located in the Chiemsee (Lake Chiem). The palace would be known as Herrenchiemsee.

In this aerial view of Bavaria’s Chiemsee, southeast of Munich, we can see its three main islands. On the largest island (foreground), the Herreninsel, Herrenchiemsee Palace and its gardens are visible in the upper center of the island. The white and red complex on the left is the Old Palace, located near the boat pier where visitors arrive and depart. Above Herreninsel in the photo, we see the two smaller islands: the uninhabited Krautinsel and the Fraueninsel above it. Fraueninsel is the only one of the three islands that has a permanent population year-round. Chiemsee is the largest lake in Bavaria, and the third largest in Germany by surface area. Also see the map of the Herreninsel below. PHOTO: Carsten Steger, CC-BY-SA-4.0 via Wikimedia Commons

The Old Palace and the New Palace
Once it became clear that Ludwig’s version of the Palace of Versailles would be located on Herreninsel in the Chiemsee, the new palace there actually would be the second one on the island.

The existing structure, still standing today, was the site of a former Benedictine abbey ostensibly established in 765, although it is likely much older. The present-day white Baroque former monastery complex was erected between 1642 and 1731. Later, in the early 1800s, the abandoned abbey was turned into a brewery. King Ludwig prevented plans for the complete deforestation of the island by a timber company when he acquired the Herreninsel in 1873. The king renovated what became known as the Old Palace (Altes Schloss) in order to have a place to live and work during construction of the “new palace”, New Herrenchiemsee Palace (Neues Schloss Herrenchiemsee), avoiding tiresome trips by boat to and from the island.

This map of Herreninsel (aka Herrenchiemsee) shows the central location of the New Palace (Neues Schloss Herrenchiemsee) and its gardens. The former abbey, the Old Palace (Altes Schloss), is shown near the top. The pathways (in white) offer a chance to hike around the island. Other than a few service vehicles, no cars are allowed on the island. Even the carriages that convey visitors between the boat landing and the palace in the summer are horse drawn. Click on the map for a larger view. IMAGE: NordNordWest, CC-BY-SA-3.0-DE via Wikimedia Commons

The Old Palace also has some more recent history. In August 1948 representatives of eleven German states (Bundesländer) of the Western Occupation Zones and West Berlin met at the Old Palace as the Verfassungskonvent (Constitutional Convention) to prepare the drafting the Basic Law (Grundgesetz) that became the constitution of the Federal Republic of Germany (Bundesrepublik Deutschland, BRD) in 1949.

The Magic of Herrenchiemsee’s Setting
Some people have a problem with the isolation of Herrenchiemsee Palace. After all, King Ludwig II wanted to have a place he could enjoy in seclusion, away from the everyday world. He never intended to open any of his palaces to the public. He even wanted them destroyed following his death. But the isolated location makes this palace on an island unique among Ludwig’s three palaces. Unlike Neuschwanstein’s prominent mountain setting, and Linderhof’s scenic, open setting, Herrenchiemsee is hidden away within a forest on an island.

That means Herrenchiemsee is somewhat out of the way unless you’re traveling between Munich and Salzburg. Ludwig resided in his special “small apartment” in the new palace for only ten days, from 7 to 16 September 1885, less than a year before he died. However, the palace was never intended to serve as an actual royal home. It was Ludwig’s monument to divine monarchy and to his idol French King Louis XIV. If you appreciate that, you’ll enjoy your visit even more. And once you arrive at the island by boat, you’ll be rewarded with lovely exterior and interior sights.

Thanks to King Ludwig, it is now possible to see elements of the French original that no longer exist at Versailles. For instance, the Ambassadors’ Staircase (Escalier des Ambassadeurs) draws visitors from France and elsewhere to see the replica of the original that was demolished in 1752. Guided tours begin at the grand Ambassadors’ Staircase – and end in the duplicate but uncompleted, bare-brick version located on the north side of the palace. (See the unfinished stairwell photo farther below.)

This grand staircase and entrance hall is a copy of the destroyed original at the Palace of Versailles in France. Known as the Ambassadors’ Staircase, King Ludwig II intended it to serve as a glorious main entrance to Herrenchiemsee Palace. Today it serves as the starting point for guided tours. The glass skylight above is not authentic to Versailles. It represents one of Ludwig’s several concessions to the 19th century, including electric illumination for light shows, which he was able to enjoy as early as 1884. Also hidden from plain sight adjacent to the staircase are modern elevators that can be used by people with disabilities. PHOTO: © Bayerische Schlösserverwaltung (www.kreativ-instinkt.de)

The Herrenchiemsee Palace guided tours end here in the unfinished stairwell that would have looked similar to the Ambassadors’ Staircase pictured above in 2005. (Click on photo for a larger view.) PHOTO: Rainer Zenz, GFDL, GNU Free Documentation License, via Wikimedia Commons

Tours of the Palace
Herrenchiemsee Palace is open year-round except for 24, 25, and 31 December, 1 January, and Shrove Tuesday (Mardi Gras/Fasching). The only way to get to Herrenchiemsee Palace is to cross part of the lake from one of several ports along the lake’s shore on ships operated by Chiemsee-Schifffahrt (prices, schedule, info). The largest town on the lake, Prien am Chiemsee, is the most-used, with the Chiemsee narrow-gauge steam railway that covers the mile (1.8 km) distance to Stock. (Buses are also used at times.) Ferry service is also available from Gstadt, Seebruck, Chieming, Übersee/Feldwies, and Bernau/Felden. Gstadt offers the shortest travel time (10 min. to Fraueninsel; 20 min. to Herreninsel), but the Prien-to-Herreninsel trip takes only 15 minutes on the water. Note that the ferry schedule is seasonal, with summer offering the most options. (You can download a PDF schedule using the website link above.)

Although you can view prices and schedules at the website, ferry tickets are not available online. You need to purchase them at the dock – cash only! If you’re traveling by car, you’ll need to pay for parking at your port town location.

When you disembark at the Herrenchiemsee landing pier, you still have a bit of a hike (or horse-drawn carriage ride, summer only) to reach the palace itself. But before you head off, you need to buy a palace tour ticket at one of the ticket windows that you’ll see as you leave the dock area – unless you have obtained tickets in advance online. Most people get their tickets when they arrive on the island.

The classic 1927 paddlewheel steamer LUDWIG FESSLER, seen here approaching the Fraueninsel dock, is just one of several vessels that ferry passengers to and from Herreninsel. PHOTO: Hyde Flippo

There are several types of tickets. Most popular is the “Island” combination ticket for 11 euros (10 euros reduced). It entitles you to visit the New Herrenchiemsee Palace (including a guided tour), the King Ludwig II-Museum and the Museum in the Augustinian Monastery Herrenchiemsee. Your ticket for the palace will have a time frame within which you must show up in line inside the palace. Tickets cannot be returned or exchanged.

You can also buy separate tickets for just the King Ludwig II Museum (€5/4), the monastery (€6/5), or the Island Cathedral (tours in German only). If you buy online, you select your tour language, the date, and time slot. If you’re purchasing tickets on the island, you select a language and the time. Allow enough time to get to the palace, and decide if you also want to walk around the grounds first. There is also a café terrace at the palace for food and drinks.

Getting to the Palace
With ticket in hand, or in your pocket/purse, now you need to head towards the palace. Allow time to hike or ride. Walking takes about 15-20 minutes. The carriage ride (adults €5; children 5-14 €2 one way) isn’t much faster. Either way, enjoy the scenery. Once you emerge from the woods, the palace and its gardens suddenly come into view.

ONLINE INFO for visiting Herrenchiemsee:
Opening hours, dates (herrenchiemsee.de)
Information for Visitors with Limited Mobility (herrenchiemsee.de)

Photography and Videography
Unfortunately no photography or filming is allowed inside the palace. Outside, private/personal photo or video shooting is allowed. Commercial or drone filming requires a permit and a fee, at least ten working days in advance.

The King Ludwig II Museum
The modern King Ludwig II Museum at Herrenchiemsee opened in the south wing of the palace in 1987. As the name implies, the museum is devoted to the life and achievements of the Bavarian king. It is housed in several unfinished rooms of the palace’s south wing. One of the highlights of the exhibit is a reconstruction, using original items, of the king’s original bedroom at Linderhof, which was replaced with a larger sleeping area in 1884.

The Annual Herrenchiemsee Festival
The Frauenchiemsee Minster (das Münster Frauenchiemsee) on that island, the Hall of Mirrors and some other spaces inside Herrenchiemsee Palace are also venues for the annual Herrenchiemsee-Festspiele. The Festival features classical music performed by renowned performers. The 2024 Festival took place July 16-28. The full program is published online a few months before the summer event, and tickets can be purchased online.

The Fraueninsel
Most visitors to Herrenchiemsee make a stopover on Fraueninsel during the return boat trip. Only a short distance from Herreninsel, the “women’s island” is of historic interest while offering dining, sightseeing, and other options on the only one of the lake’s three main islands with a substantial permanent year-round population. About 200 residents live on Fraueninsel, while the much larger Herreninsel has only about 25 people, mostly caretakers and other workers. No bicycles or motor vehicles are allowed on Fraueninsel. A few delivery vans or trucks are permitted to operate on the island only between 7:00 a.m. and noon.

An aerial view of Fraueninsel in Lake Chiem, the site of the historic Frauenchiemsee Minster, marked by the white domed tower on the bottom left. PHOTO: Carsten Steger, CC-BY-SA-4.0 via Wikimedia Commons

The Frauenchiemsee Convent was established in 782 by the Bavarian Duke Tassilo III (c.741-c.796) along with a convent church on the island. Over the centuries, decades and years the convent underwent political and religious changes, surviving the Reformation, and even being secularized for a time in the 19th century. In 1836 King Ludwig I (Ludwig II’s grandfather) reestablished the convent under the condition that the Benedictine sisters establish schools. A secondary school (later a trade school) named after one of the convent’s first abbesses, Irmingard/Irmgard von Chiemsee, existed on the island until 1995. Today the convent remains an important regional educational center.

Note: The term “Fraueninsel” refers to the island itself, while the term “Frauenchiemsee” refers to the community on the island. In practice the two terms are used interchangeably for both meanings. It is the same for “Herreninsel” and “Herrenchiemsee”.

Recommended Reading
BOOKS
The Ludwig Conspiracy: A Novel – by Oliver Pötsch (2014). Paperback, Kindle, hardcover from Amazon.com.
This historical thriller by the author of The Hangman’s Daughter series is based on real events surrounding the death of King Ludwig II and the construction of Herrenchiemsee Palace. The story unfolds at various locations in Bavaria, including the king’s three palaces – set both in the present day and in the past. Translated from the German by Anthea Bell. Also available in the original German edition (Die Ludwig-Verschwörung: Ein Roman) from Amazon.com.

The Swan King: Ludwig II of Bavaria – by Christopher McIntosh (2012). Paperback, Kindle, hardcover, from Amazon.com
This biography of the king is one of the most comprehensive available.

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AT THE GERMAN WAY

• Neuschwanstein Castle – King Ludwig’s most famous castle
• King Ludwig II – About the Bavarian king who built three Bavarian castles
• Castle Guides – More castles and palaces in Germany
• City Guides: Germany – More cities

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• Herrenchiemsee Castle – Official website in English
• Herrenchiemsee Castle – Official website, Bavarian Palace Department – in English

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