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| HERRENCHIEMSEE |
Herrenchiemsee palace is made up of
several royal buildings on the island of Chiemsee in Bavaria, Germany. The lake
is the largest in Bavaria.
On the island was first an Augustin
monastery which was redesigned into a palace. King Ludwig II bought the island
in 1873 and decorated the rooms for his private use. Then he built a new palace
which was designed by Christian Jank, Franz Seitz and George Dollman. It was
built between 1878 and 1885.
King Ludwig admired King Louis XIV of
France and therefore the palace was very much built in the style of Versailles.
It was not meant to be a perfect copy and yet in some way it superseded.
The great Hall of Mirror is even
longer than the hall of mirror in Versailles. Herrenchiemsee's hall of mirror
has 44 full size candelabras, 33 chandeliers and is lit by two thousand
candles. The reflection of seventeen arched windows are reflected by hugh
gilded mirrors.
The dining room has such a large
chandelier of Meissen porcelain that it is the largest in the world.
King Ludwig loved Meissen porcelain
so much that he commissioned an entire room to be decorated by Meissen and
delicate flowers made from Meissen porcelain are so perfect you think they are
real.
Versailles has no toilets or
bathrooms nor running water. Herrenchiemsee has toilets and bathtubs. It is
famous for these technological progresses. A huge marble Roman bath covered
with frescoes of Venus which is another evidence of King Ludwig's imagination
and romantic nature.
The formal gardens have fountains and
statues. Some statues are copies of statues of Versailles. The other statues
tell you of the romantic nature of King Ludwig II. The maidens, dragons, winged
warriors and giant lizards.
In the nearby museum are more pieces
from master craftsmen to be admired. There are also photographs which follows
his life from a happy and carefree childhood to a really handsome young man. King
Ludwig II was finally a solemn and withdrawn recluse.
Since Herrenchiemsee was built on an
island it is only accessible by boat
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| KING'S BEDROOM |
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| STAIRCASE |
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