Pink Island, Wagner, and Castle Sides

I do not care where to go, if only near Munich. In Munich, in my usual schools, my son is sticking out, and I, using the excuse that I want to be close, just in case, quickly travel in the interior of Bavaria, invite my girlfriend there.

When choosing the interior, its name - Fünfseenland, State of Five Lakes. The hill, the forest, the lake, the castle is the favorite place of life for the kings of Bavaria in the past and the resting place for the successful people of today.

The place where exactly better stop and where it is more convenient to make sortie, I was asked by my virtual friend Kohl from Munich. Sasha, son, when I first saw this hole, almost cried and asked: "Why?" And then he says that Kolya did not manage to joke with me. And I say that's good, and that Kolya knows me better, because I like everything there.

The village of Seeshaupt is deaf and rich, which is supposedly a village in Bavaria. Located at the southern end of Lake Starnberg - the largest of the five lakes in the vicinity and the fifth largest in Germany.

Before the trip, I knew a little about the parts. I want to relax and walk around in many places, without thinking specifically about the scenery and the people who visit the beach in front of me. But it was a very interesting story that happened in these places, he caught me and did not release it until now. I will not rest now until I visit the five reservoirs and I will not pass all the castles that are there.

In general, traveling "with footsteps" is very interesting. In Saxony, I went to Augustus Strong, in Corfu-villa, where Gerald Darrell lived, was looking, and in Bavaria Ludwig II was fascinated. I will clarify that this is the same Ludwig, the King of Bavaria, who built the Neuschwanstein castle (Neuschwanstein). The image of this castle is used by Walt Disney in screensavers to cartoons. But interestingly, does Bavaria accept anything from an American film company for this?
Drown, by the way, Ludwig is also here, in this lake, and in a very strange situation: almost on the beach, where the depth is knee-deep.

My friend and I were in Bavaria for the third day on a boat on the lake swimming in the most beautiful city of Garmisch-Partenkirchen, Germany has gone ... I wrote about this in an article "Mountain as a wedding gift, and" Ice bath in the river milk. "Now the turn of Pink Island has come in. Or Rose Island, as you like, the name Roseninsel can be so, and so translate.
Ludwig loved him very much and spent many quiet days there with his lover and called Günstlingen. The word is very old, now barely used. The approximate translation is "protégé", which does not reflect the subtlety of the definition of this concept. For example, I'm not sure Richard Wagner can be called a "protégé". Actually, yes, but it's Wagner! In general, Ludwig likes loneliness and Wagner, and on Pink Island he has both.

Another very important and beloved guest of the king is queen Maria Alexandrovna, wife of Emperor Alexander II, as well as the future of the Austrian-Hungarian Queen Elizabeth, better known as the Sisi.
About The Side, I might just tell you, but about the island only after that. He is Ludwig's neighbor and lives nearby at the Possenhofen palace (Possenhofen), where he spent his childhood and adolescence.
A very gentle relationship connects them since childhood, he, by the way, is his cousin. No, no, no one is curious, Ludwig does not need it at all. Just exchanging letters and notes, shaking hands in rose gardens and intimate conversation at dusk under a splash of water.

View of the palace from the back door.

The palace is called the pearl of Lake Starnberger. Father Elizabeth, Duke of Bavaria Maximilian, obtained it in 1834 and made it his summer residence. The palace was built in 1536 by architect Jacob Rosenbush for William IV of Bavaria. Unfortunately, you can see this remarkable structure only from the outside, because it is now in private ownership.

By the way, specially for Side and other distinguished guests, on the orders of Ludwig II, in 1865, the Possenhofen railway station was built. Now in this building is a museum of the Sides of the Empress, which works, unfortunately, only on Fridays and weekends. We did not hit him, in general.
We arrived at the station on the regional S-Bahn train, looked over the museum window, stood for a moment in front of the Sisi statue and started our journey through the Ludwigov site.

We went to the starters a little, about twelve kilometers - from Possehofen station by swiming to the island above into town with the cute name of Tutzing (Tutzing). And the next day, about seven kilometers from Berg to where Ludwig's death was made. And maybe not seven, but less. It's hard to judge - there all the way up the mountain, and it's hot.

And Ludwigovsky's own route is much longer - from 95 to 120 kilometers, depending on the path chosen. Starting from the Votivkapelle chapel at Berg - built to commemorate the king at his death site, and go to Neuschwanstein castle. I am not aiming to miss it all, but I will visit the Fussing area properly and preferably in the same composition. My husband does not like to walk very far, and my friend and I easily walked all day long.

Walking along Starnberg Beach is a pleasure! But we know about it. We wanted to take a walk before crossing over, visiting the island and returning to the station to go home, ie to Seeshaupt by train to go.
However on the trip we met a very old and energetic lady. Wearing his stored position, with his stick and camera, he sees that we are photographing what the heck, and offers to show us the hole in the solid fence, where the best is to see the palace. Difficult to approach, surrounded by thick bushes, from where to time the silhouette of children who play ball passes. Now people live in the palace. Simple Germans, and not even noble blood.

The woman leads us and shows us the promised hole. Surely it is done by the photographer. Here's what's in front of you - maybe not a photo artwork, but I pay dearly for it! Price - forehead scratched, mosquito bitten shoulders, and tight gardener's gaze!

The same lady advised us not to return after the island returned, but to pass one more train stop by foot. The road drove along the coast, past the park, cows, and other rural food. About himself, he says that every day he goes in this direction since he retired and settled nearby. Loved it so much.

The crossing to Pink Island lies three to four kilometers from the palace. A small ferry like the shuttle is swimming back and forth throughout the summer. No schedule, but when people pile up. Each year the island is visited by about 4 000 people, round-trip ticket costs 4 euros. And on the one hand it is impossible! The small island is almost uninhabited, there is no possibility to stay overnight and eat there. Officially there is only one man living - gardener!

By the way, Ludwig is very jealous of keeping the rest of the island, and the only person who is allowed to visit there in his absence and even spend the night is Sisi.

Rose Island - the only one on Lake Starnberg located 170 meters from the beach, the area - only two and a half acres 233 meters and 176 - wide. Expect to visit it a lot, but we were lucky - on the first ferry. Yes, and days for our trips choose weekdays, an influx of tourists usually for weekends is required.
Literally five minutes - and we've been on the island. I will write a detailed account of him, but now I propose to go deeper into the history of the "pre-Ludwig period"

Literally, the two steps of this gazebo at a depth of four meters below the water is a unique ancient structure - the remains of a house called stage. Found them by accident during construction work in the 19th century. Of course, only the piles are left from those houses, but they are from 3720 BC! Scientists found this by counting rings on tree fragments. That is, people on the island live in the Stone Age! Since 1992, relics have been found on UNESCO's cultural heritage list, along with 111 other similar objects found in the Alps and Scandinavians.

This is the object that is on the Unesco list in reality ...

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And this is a reconstruction of similar facilities somewhere in Bavaria.

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In addition to the pile, many other artifacts dating from the period 1700-1000 BC, Bronze Age, were found. Among them - many skeletons lying on the ground and buried in stone boxes, and silicon tools, tools, ornaments ... I do not know about skeletons, and other findings are stored in museums here on the island.

I'm not saying that unfortunately, but we have not seen any of this. We can not go to museums with nearby groups - limited number of people, and without groups they are not allowed here. The next trip had to wait an hour and a half - too long for a piece of so small soil. We are not Ludwig to spend so much time here.