St. Bartholomä and Königssee (Kings Lake)
Categories: Family and Kids, Sightseeing, Cultural and History
The Königssee is located in the far southeast corner of Germany close to the German/Austrian border. The largest towns in the area are Berchtesgaden (Berchtesgaden vacation rentals | Berchtesgaden travel guide) and Schönau am Königssee (Schönau am Königssee vacation rentals | Schönau am Königssee travel guide). The region was formed by glaciers during the Ice Age. It is 7.7 km long and about 1.7 km wide. The entire lake is surrounded by steep rock formations (up to 2000 m) including the Watzmann, except for the area where its outlet is located: the Königsseer Ache at the village of Königssee.
The lake is famous for its clear waters and advertised as the cleanest lake in Germany. For this reason only electric-driven, pedal, or row boats are allowed on the lake since 1909.
When I was a child we visited Königssee as a family. I can remember that the boat stopped at a certain point on the lake and the driver took out his trumpet to show us the echo at this point on the lake. Everyone on the boat was quietly listening to him play a tune and then it would echo back shortly after from the walls of the high rising flanks of the mountains. Absolutely beautiful!
St. Batholomew / Bartholomä is a Catholic pilgrimage church located in Berchtesgaden named for St. Bartholomaeus, the protector of the alpine farmers and milkmaids. It was founded by Prince Provosts of Berchtesgaden in 1134. The church is located on the western edge of Königssee on the Hirschau (Hirschau vacation rentals | Hirschau travel guide) Peninsula. The chapel was built in the 12th century and has been a Baroque-style church since the 16th century. The floor plan of the church is based on the Salzburg Cathedral while the interior features stucco work of Salzburg artist Josef Schmidt.
Since the Romantic period, the church and its scenery of the Watzmann mountain have been source of inspiration for numerous landscape painters.
The church is also suitable for weddings (Catholic only.)
More information:
Bayer. SchlösserverwaltungAußenstelle Chiemsee (Chiemsee vacation rentals | Chiemsee travel guide)
Bernauer Straße 5
83209 Prien
Phone: +49 (0) 80 51 - 9 66 58-0
Fax: +49 (0) 80 51 - 9 66 58-38
Email: seeverwaltung.chiemsee@bsv.bayern.de
St. Bartholomä also has a restaurant:
FischerstüberlSt. Bartholomä 3, 83471 Schönau
Phone: +49 (0) 86 52 - 31 19
[ source: Wikipedia]
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Location, Map, and Driving Directions
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Admission
Admission to St. Bartholomä is free, most visitors reach the church by boat. Open when ferries are running.
Opening Hours
The opening hours of St Bartholomew's Church are dependent on the timetable of the ferry service.
More information:
Phone: +49 (0) 86 52-96 36-0Email: zentrale@seenschifffahrt.de
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