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What fascinates me about Chiemsee
Altötting. votive tablets along the walls of Grace Chapel © H. Heine / Altötting tourist office
WagiNG [ 19 ]
Celtic, Roman settlement; market town since 1385, part of Salzburg until 1803; historic town. St. Martin’ s parish church, 1611, Baroque and Rococo; impressive pulpit, carved pews from 1700, with depictions of geese – a different one on each chair. Sculptures of Rupert and Virgil by Salzburg sculptor Georg Hitzl. Bird museum: 330 stuffed birds. Waginger See, fifth largest lake in Bavaria, though also the warmest; moor lake, over 10 km long, up to 2 km wide; water sports, fishing.
Laufen a. d. Salzach [ 22 ]
Romantic, old city on a picturesque meander of the Salzach river, with a rich history of salt and river commerce. One of the oldest Gothic churches in Southern Germany, late Gothic cloister surrounding the church. Gravestones predating the 14 th century. Townhouses with pretty façades in the Inn-Salzach style and archways in romantic lanes. On the other side of the river is Oberndorf with the“ Silent Night” Chapel and Museum of Local History. Guided tours of the city with the historic night watchman. Academy for Nature Protection.
AltöttiNG [ 23 ]
Situated in the delightful alpine foothills of Upper Bavaria, between Munich, Passau and Salzburg, and not far from lake Chiemsee. The town has been a spiritual centre for over 1250 years and for over 500 years the most important place of pilgrimage in Germany for worship of the Virgin Mary. More than 1 million pilgrims come each year to visit the“ Black Madonna” in the octagon of the Grace Chapel. The small chapel, presumably built around 700 AD as an early Christian baptistery, is situated in the middle of a spacious chapel square, surrounded by Baroque buildings. In the chapel are silver urns containing the hearts of Bavarian kings and electors, as well as other valuable religious relics. Also: late-Gothic abbey with cloister, the Treasury( reopened in 2009) and pilgrimage museum in the house of Pope Benedict XVI with the famous » Golden Horse «( ca. 1400), the monumental circular painting“ Jerusalem-Panorama Crucifixion of Christ”( 1903), a large diorama of the history of pilgrimages, and the town gallery with rotating exhibitions of fine art.
The Fairytale King and the Heart of Bavaria
From the 17 th cent. on, the Wittelsbach dukes, electors and kings had their hearts interned in artistically designed urns, essentially a regal honor guard across from the Black Madonna in Altötting. Within the solemn setting of a grand cortege, the heart of famous“ Fairytale King”, Ludwig II, was brought from Munich to Altötting where, on 16 August 1886, in a magnificent urn of gilded silver, it also found its last resting place. www. altoetting. de www. altoetting. de
Heart urn of Ludwig II stands honor guard in Altötting © H. Heine / Altötting tourist office
It has been a while, but how excited I was the first time I spent time on lake Chiemsee- and my excitement for this jewel has remained unchanged. A region shaped by glaciers and the settlement of almost all those major European cultures that have left their mark in the Chiemgau region over the millennia. It is the islands, the broad, 80 km ² of water and the perfect location at the foot of the Chiemgau Alps, in combination with the multi-layered cultural history that make it so unique here. The many pristine areas on the Chiemsee, which allow nature to unfold in all its beauty, serve up numerous types of fascinating biotopes. In Europe’ s biggest active inland delta- adding almost 1.2 ha per year- there are true ornithological rarities. On the Chiemsee you find, over the course of a year, more than 340 bird species, including sea eagles and flamingos. 16 of the 24 bat species native to Bavaria live on Herreninsel island! You also find beaver on the Chiemsee and, thanks to some people who saw“ the big picture”, Chiemsee’ s water is pure enough to drink. Traditional means to make a living, including fishery on the lake and tourism, have molded the people here for the better part of a century, and increasingly change the cultural life and nature due to their growing demands.
The Chiemsee is far from an“ event refuge”, Mother Nature shows her strengths in every season. During numerous interactive nature tours, certified“ Chiemsee Nature Guides” impressively share special highlights with participants.
A boat ride to the delta of the Tiroler Ache makes for a unique nature experience! There you will learn almost everything there is to know about the Chiemsee: everyone’ s understanding of the geology, flora and fauna, limnology, the fishing industry and ornithology is broadened. Participants become researchers and are even allowed to conduct experiments.
Heinz-Jürgen Pohl is a“ Chiemsee Nature Guide” and chairman of the Inn / Salzach e. V. Nature & Landscape Guide Association. www. naturerlebnis-chiemsee. de / dnads /