Chiemsee: A visit to the Fraueninsel is a great way to do nothing
| (Click on thumbnail for a larger version of the photo and more details. For a "slide show," click on first thumbnail, then use arrows to move between photos.)
|
She is a dainty little woman in the shadow of the popular gentleman next door. But Fraueninsel has a lot of charm to make up for Herreninsel’s grandeur.
Both are islands in the Chiemsee, Germany’s largest lake (and home to one of the Armed Forces Recreation Center resorts). While tourists flock to Herreninsel (“men’s island”) to visit King Ludwig II of Bavaria’s Herrenchiemsee palace, many pass up the chance to visit neighboring Fraueninsel (“women’s island”), with its fishing village and 1,200-year-old Benedictine nunnery.
Fraueninsel’s coastline is a mile long, making it an easy walk around the island, past holiday homes, private docks and a fantastic view of the lake with the snow-covered Alps in the distance.
There really is not that much to see or do on Fraueninsel. It is more a place to relax and watch the world and the boats go by.
The nunnery is closed to the public, but the nuns sell books, candles, souvenirs — religious and secular — including the famed Klosterlikör, an herbal liqueur, at its store.
The Klosterkirche, the nunnery’s church, dates to the 11th century and is worth a visit. Its free-standing bell tower is a landmark of the Chiemsee region.
The Torhaus, a rare ninth century Carolingian gatehouse is also interesting. In the summer, it hosts art exhibits.
Fraueninsel has been a subject for many artists throughout the centuries, and today many of the island’s 300 inhabitants are artists. Some of their studios are open to the public, and a painting or a piece of unique pottery makes a nice souvenir or present.
Fraueninsel is sprinkled with restaurants and cafés, including the Zur Linde, where visitors to the island have been served for more than 600 years.
The island specialty is fish, freshly caught and smoked. It is served at restaurants but is also sold directly from the smokehouse at small shops that dot the island. If you visit Herrenchiemsee in the morning, it is worth the wait to lunch at a Fraueninsel restaurant.
If you go ...
¶ WHERE: Fraueninsel is in Germany’s largest lake, the Chiemsee. It is just off Autobahn 8 between Munich, Germany, and Salzburg, Austria. Exit the autobahn at Bernau and head toward Prien, where the ferries for Fraueninsel and Herreninsel dock. The Armed Forces Recreation Center at Chiemsee is one autobahn exit away at Felden.
¶ WHEN: You can visit Fraueninsel any time, but there is a reduced ferry schedule from October through May. Ferries run from Prien via Herreninsel to Fraueninsel and on to Gstadt about once every hour in the winter. From May to September the ferries run more frequently, at peak times, every 15 minutes.
¶ ADDITIONAL INFO: Check out www.mychiemsee.de/english/index_english.htm for a link in English, including information on places to stay on the island. The Web site www.fraueninsel.de is a more thorough link for the island, but it is only in German. The tour office at AFRC Chiemsee is happy to assist with information.
Due to a switchover to a new comment system, this comment board is now closed.
