Our last full day in Munich and again it's hot and sunny. Perfect conditions for our 60km train trip to Bavaria's largest lake Chiemsee and visit the famous Herrenchiemsee Palace of King Ludwig 11 of Bavaria. The palace is situated on the lakes largest island, Herreninsel (mans island) which is a 20 minute boat ride from the mainland. The palace was never finished and the King only spent 10 nights here before he died mysteriously at the age of 40. King Ludwig purchased the island in 1873 with construction of the palace starting in 1878 and stopping after his death in 1886 with only 20 of the 70 rooms completed. The cost of construction when it stopped in 2013 US dollars was an astonishing $250,100,000.00.
A passenger boat on Chiemsee (Chiem Lake) with the Austrian Alps in the background
The park, modelled on Versailles, was only partially finished due to the death of King Ludwig. Only the splendid fountains and canal to the lake were carried out. Above is a copy of Versailles Frog Fountain and the orinmental gardens with the canal to the lake in the centre
The palace is a replica of the Palace of Versailles in Paris, built as a "Temple of Fame" in honor of the Sun King Louis X1V of France and was intended purely as a monument to absolute monarchy and had no practical function
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The Grand Entrance to the Palace is called the Ambassadors Staricase and was created from old paintings of Versailles as it had been destroyed long ago  |
Replica of King Louis XIV's bedroom in Versailles is the most expensively appointed room from the 19th century. The partially built palace used 5kg (11lbs) of gold to decorate the rooms in gold leaf
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