[Facts & Directions]  [Tips Starnberg]  [Tips Eastern Shore]  [Tips Western Shore]

Chief Editor of Bunte Patricia Riekel described this lake as "…the place of my life". But it’s not only her who has fallen in love with Starnberger See. The charming mansions and castles, as well as the stream of countless visitors serve as evidence to that. The mountains shift to within touching distance when the warm Föhn wind brushes over the lake. The waves glitter and sparkle and the white sails of the windsurfers glide like seagulls over the 20km-long lake. It can be found half an hour south of Munich in the Bavarian foothills of the Alps and takes even the briskest of walkers ten hours to circumnavigate. A little more leisurely is a boat trip which calls at the most important stops and offers an unparalleled view of the luxurious villas and boatyards.

This dream location for a day out was sarcastically named ‘Fürstensee’ (Princes’ Lake) in the seventeenth century by the people of Munich, since it was home primarily to the aristocracy. The lake became famous beyond Munich due to the death of King Ludwig II. He drowned in Berg in 1886. A chapel and a wooden cross stand in memory at the lake near the site of the accident. His beloved Sisi, Empress Elisabeth of Austria, loved to spend her childhood in Possenhofen on the west bank of Starnberger See. King Maximilian II had a train station built there for the nobility (which is now an S-Bahn station). The Empress Elisabeth Museum can be found in the royal waiting room.

One special treasure is the Roseninsel Island off the shore at Feldafing. It is home to a casino with a charming scented rose garden. Ludwig II entertained Richard Wagner and Sisi there. The casino, a unique example of architectural history, is a curious mixture of Italian villa and Bavarian alpine lodge.

The Evangelical Academy in Tutzing is renowned far beyond the borders of Germany as a meeting point for scientists and politicians. A stop at the Ilka-Höhe is highly recommended. One can enjoy a wonderful view of the lake and the mountains from there in the late afternoon.

Bernried is a real beauty spot. Colourful vegetable gardens with rows of old frame houses are positioned one after another around the seven hundred year-old Augustinerchorherrenstift monastery, led today by Benedictine nuns. The Buchheim Museum, with its famous collection of expressionist art, is an experience for all your senses and lies just twenty minutes away. The route to the shore leads you past clusters of trees, enchanting ponds and delightful pagodas.

Luckily, the shore isn’t entirely private land. Besides both the big bathing quarters at Possenhofen (western bank) and St. Heinrich (eastern bank), there are fourteen different swimming areas to relax in, some of which historic.

For most visitors, a day out at the lake has to incorporate a stop off at the ‘Bierbichler’. Named after an actor, the pub in Ambach features Bavarian cakes and a great beer garden. Those who explore beyond the gates of the garden will experience the indescribably beautiful scnery as the sun sets behind the mountains and submerges into the lake with a quite unique glow. Those who are unable to stay can cheer themselves up with this image on long cold days.


By Karin Nagl

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