König-Ludwig-Weg, 1. Etappe: Berg - Dießen (Landroute über Raisting)

It was built in 1896 above the spot on the lake where King Ludwig II died together with his physician Dr. Gudden on June 13, 1886. The route heads north through the park of Schloss Berg, where the king spent his last night and which is still owned by the House of Wittelsbach today. Past the castle, you descend to the lake, to the inviting terrace of the Schloss Berg hotel or straight on through the villa area to the extensive recreational area with bathing facilities, which already belongs to Starnberg.

You reach the Starnberg Water Park and the Bavarian Yacht Club via two wooden drawbridges, which open the way for boats from the marinas to the lake, and then onto the lakeside promenade. Here you can stroll along and enjoy the sweeping view across the water to the mountains.

Starnberg was first mentioned in a document in 1228. Starnberg's landmark, the Old Parish Church of St. Joseph, has an exquisite rococo interior, including works by famous artists such as Franz Xaver Feichtmayr and Ignaz Günther. In the "Lake Starnberg Museum", the focus is on courtly navigation with a model of the Bucentaur, on which the Wittelsbachs rowed across Lake Starnberg and celebrated lavish parties. The lake itself is 21 km long, 3 to 5 km wide and up to 128 m deep.

The trail now leads through the village, then into the countryside and through the romantic Maisinger Gorge with its Nagelfluh cliffs to Lake Maisinger. There are inviting tables on the dam here, and you can take a swim below. The route leads through moorland meadows to Aschering and through charming meadow hills, finally with a constant view of the "Holy Mountain" up to Andechs.

Andechs Monastery emerged from the castle chapel of the Counts of Andechs-Merania, where relics from the Holy Land were brought in the 9th century, establishing one of the oldest and most important pilgrimages in Germany. The Wittelsbach family destroyed the castle in 1246, but had an Augustinian canon monastery built in its place at the end of the 14th century and officially gave the ensemble on the hill the name "Holy Mountain". In 1751-55, the church was redesigned in rococo style by famous artists of the era. It is also home to the largest collection of votive candles in Germany and the burial place of Carl Orff. The monastery is also famous for its home-brewed beer and hearty snacks made from its own farm produce.

After refreshing yourself mentally and physically, the path leads from the church down into the shady Kiental valley, through which a stream flows, and down to Herrsching. Here you can take the excursion steamer to Dießen, which can also be reached via an alternative overland route, either immediately or the next morning. This runs from Herrsching south along the shores of Lake Ammersee and via Raisting with its impressive earth station to Dießen (approx. 5 - 5½ hours, 19 km).

From Raisting, there is also a direct route option towards Wessobrunn. Herrsching and its surroundings were already settled by the Celts and Romans before the birth of Christ. Today, the town is located in an eastern bulge of the Ammersee, which is 16 km long, 3 to 5 km wide and up to 81 m deep. The lakeside promenade, on which the pretty Kurparkschlösschen is located north of the jetty, is particularly beautiful.

Author's tip:

Restaurants
Berg, Starnberg, Andechs, Herrsching, Dießen, Raisting

Accommodation in Berg
Seehotel Leoni, Assenbucher Str. 44, Tel. 08151/5060
Hotel Schloss Berg, Seestraße 17, Tel. 08151 9630

Accommodation in Starnberg

Hotel 4 Jahreszeiten, Münchner Str. 17, Tel. 08151/44700
Hotel Seehof, Bahnhofplatz 6, Tel. 08151/908500
Hotel Bayer. Hof, Bahnhofpl. 12, Tel. 08151/2750
Gasthof zur Sonne, Hanfelder Str. 7, Tel. 08151 36230
Pension Happach, Achheimstr. 2, Tel. 08151/12537
Gästehaus Maria, Schwaige 2, Tel. 08151/97156
Familie Sosna, Falkenweg 5, Tel. 08151 89254
Mrs. Walterham, L.-Thoma-Weg 10a, Tel. 08151/89319
Mrs. Randlkofer, Theresienstr. 5, 08151 559080

Accommodation in Andechs
Hotel zur Post, Starnberger Str. 2, Tel. 08152 3433

Accommodation in Herrsching
Chalet am Kiental, Andechsstr. 4, Tel. 08152/982570
Andechser Hof, Zum Landungssteg 1, Tel. 08152/96810
Hotel Seehof Herrsching, Seestr. 58, Tel. 08152/9350
Ammersee Hotel, Summerstr. 32, Tel. 08152/96870
Hotel zur Post, Andechsstr. 1, Tel. 08152/3691
Hotel Piushof, Schönbichlstr. 18, Tel. 08152/96820
Richard Bierl, Zur Weihersenke 6, Tel. 08152/5220
Hannelore Sigl, Fischergasse 13, Tel. 08152/3607
Gästehaus Frey, Steindlgasse 3, Tel. 08152/359
Gästehaus Jäger, Rausch 1, Tel. 08152/399116

Accommodation in Dießen
Hotel Seefelder Hof, A.-Koester-Weg 6, Tel. 08807/1022
Hotel zum See, Bahnhofstr. 20, Tel. 08807/92970
Strand-Hotel Dießen, Jahnstr. 10, Tel. 08807 92220
Gasthof Unterbräu, Mühlstr. 36, Tel. 08807 8437
Therese Dreer, Brunnenstr. 9, Tel. 08807 258

Equipment:

Hiking without luggage

King service - just enjoy, no ballast. Your luggage will be transported to the hotel reserved for you by the tour operator. You can discover the magnificent Bavarian Alpine foothills without a care in the world. The King Ludwig Trail is offered in four variants with 6-9 overnight stays, the LechErlebnisWeg with 6 overnight stays. The package deals with accommodation, luggage transport and hiking maps can be booked at:

• Feuer und Eis Touristik GmbHTM, Südliche Hauptstrasse 33, 83700 Rottach-Egern, Tel. 08022-66364-0, [email protected], www.feuer-eis-touristik.de/wanderreise-koenig-ludwig-weg
• Alpenland-Touristik, Postfach 101313, 86833 Landsberg a. Lech, Tel. 08191-308620, Fax 08191-4913, www.alpenlandtouristik.de, [email protected]

Trail description:

The Votive Chapel in Berg am Starnberger See is the starting point or (for the opposite direction) the end point of the King Ludwig Trail. It was built in 1896 above the spot on the lake where King Ludwig II died together with his physician Dr. Gudden on 13 June 1886.

Heading north, the trail passes through the park of Berg Castle, where the king spent his last night and which is still owned by the House of Wittelsbach today. Past the castle, you descend to the lake, to the inviting terrace of the Schloss Berg hotel or straight on through the villa area to the extensive recreational area with bathing facilities, which already belongs to Starnberg. Two wooden drawbridges, which open the way from the marinas to the lake for boats, take you to the Starnberg Water Park and the Bavarian Yacht Club, followed by the lakeside promenade. Here you can stroll along and enjoy the sweeping views across the water to the mountains.

Starnberg was first mentioned in a document in 1228. Starnberg's landmark, the Old Parish Church of St. Joseph, is decorated with exquisite rococo interiors by famous artists such as Franz Xaver Feichtmayr and Ignaz Günther.

The Lake Starnberg Museum focuses on courtly navigation with a model of the Bucentaur, on which the Wittelsbachs rowed across Lake Starnberg and celebrated lavish parties. The lake itself is 21 km long, 3 to 5 km wide and up to 128 m deep.

The trail now leads through the village, then out into the open and through the romantic Maisinger Gorge with its Nagelfluh cliffs to Maisinger See. There are inviting tables on the dam here, and you can take a swim below. The route leads through moorland meadows to Aschering and through charming meadow hills, finally with a constant view of the "Holy Mountain" up to Andechs.

Andechs Monastery emerged from the castle chapel of the Counts of Andechs-Merania, where relics from the Holy Land arrived in the 9th century, thus establishing one of the oldest and most important pilgrimages in Germany. The Wittelsbach family destroyed the castle in 1246, but had an Augustinian canon monastery built in its place at the end of the 14th century and officially gave the ensemble on the hill the name "Holy Mountain".

In 1751-55, the church was redesigned in rococo style by famous artists of the era. It is also home to Germany's largest collection of votive candles and the burial place of Carl Orff, in whose honor the Orff Festival has been held in Andechs since 1992. The monastery is also famous for its home-brewed beer and hearty snacks made from its own farm produce.

The route continues to Dießen on the south-western shore of Lake Ammersee via the alternative country route. This runs from Herrsching south along the shores of Lake Ammersee and via Raisting with its impressive earth station to Dießen (approx. 5 - 5 ½ hours, 19 km).

Herrsching and its surroundings were already settled by the Celts and Romans before the birth of Christ. Today, the village is located in an eastern bulge of the Ammersee, which is 16 km long, 3 to 5 km wide and up to 81 m deep. The lakeside promenade, on which the pretty Kurparkschlösschen is located to the north of the jetty, is particularly beautiful.

Pfaffenwinkel hiking map, scale 1:40,000, HW-Verlag, nominal fee EUR 1, available from the Pfaffenwinkel tourist office, www.pfaffen-winkel.de