Exploring the peaceful countryside around Ammersee
Ammersee is not the largest of Bavaria’s lakes. Nor does it boast its own line of clothing. Both of those honors go to Chiemsee, well known for sailing and for Herrenchiemsee, one of King Ludwig II’s palaces. Ammersee also isn’t trendy, preferring to play a modest second fiddle to Starnbergersee’s flashy wealth and densely populated shores. Yet despite its modesty, or perhaps, because of it, Ammersee offers something that neither one of those two, better-known destinations can approximate: the feeling of discovery. Its numerous villages with their quaint centers and winding streets open up to beautiful views of the lake and the Alps beyond and offer a cozy atmosphere unique to Bavarian towns. Ammersee also has the added bonus of Andechs Monastery, towering over its eastern shore, a popular destination among daytrippers from Munich. A visit to Ammersee affords visitors relief from the crowds fleeing Bavaria’s capital on late summer days.
Yet despite its somewhat sleepy feel, Ammersee offers a wide range of attractions. Like Chiemsee, sailboats and windsurfers crisscross its waters, albeit mostly in the fall when the wind kicks up. Like Starnbergersee, cyclists course along the bike paths that ring the lake, a ride of approximately 50 km, hopping from beer garden to beer garden. The small towns that dot the lake’s shores hide a number of surprising architectural and historical gems that beg to be examined. And all that among the idyllic rolling hills of Upper Bavaria. Yet, perhaps Ammersee’s greatest advantage is its proximity to Munich, lying less than 40 kilometers to the southwest of the city and easily accessible by car, S-Bahn or even—by following the Ammersee Radweg from the heart of Munich—by bicycle.
Once at the lake, three ships are constantly in service, including the brand-new MS Diessen, plying the waters and acting as a ferry service connecting the towns on the shores of the lake. An old-fashioned paddle-wheel boat in service only since the spring, the Diessen, like all the boats in the small fleet, can be used as transportation across the lake or, for €13.50, one can spend half a day on the water admiring the snowy peaks to the south. For a tasty lunch, the galleys serve a variety of Bavarian specialities in addition to Renkenfisch, a delicious, juicy fish that is endemic to Ammersee. A relative of the trout, it is also served in most of the restaurants that surround the lake. In fact, to enjoy all the region has to offer, a long weekend staying at one of the many hotels, guesthouses or even numerous waterfront campsites, is recommended. Ammersee and the smaller lakes nearby, including tiny Windachsee, Wörthsee, Pilsensee, known collectively as the Fünfseenland, or Land of Five Lakes, were formed 10,000 years ago during the last Ice Age. As the Isar/Loisach Glacier melted away, a large inland sea was formed. Since then, the waters have been receding, flowing north out of the Amper River and slowly drying out the region. It is a process that continues today, which accounts for the small finger of land jutting out into the southern edge of the lake where the Ammer River flows in from the Alps and the large marshy areas on both the northern and southern ends of the 16-km-long lake—areas that, during the fall migration season, provide a final rest for a wide variety of waterfowl before they make the strenuous trip over the Alps to their winter destination. In fact, the bird sanctuaries on both Ammersee’s southern and northern shores are favorites among Munich birdwatchers, who flock there in the spring and fall hoping to catch sight of the rich variety of plovers, herons and ducks that stop there.
Owing to its direct S-Bahn connection with Munich, Herrsching serves as the logical starting point for a visit to Ammersee. Unfortunately, the town doesn’t have much to recommend it aside from its rather animated atmosphere. Heavily built up following World War II, Herrsching’s old town, centered around St. Martin’s Church and the Late Gothic parish church St. Nikolas, can hardly be recognized anymore. Where Herrsching makes up for its lack of charm, however, is in its location—a perfect point of departure for bike rides and walks up to the two smaller lakes of Wörthsee and Pilsensee, the latter graced on its west shore by the noble Schloss Seefeld. While the palace itself is not open to the public as it is still in the hands of the Törring family (as it has been for centuries) there is a nice palace brew-pub that serves tasty Törring’sches Bier and, of course, welcomes all comers.
The other popular destination from Herrsching, just up the hill behind the town and dominating the eastern shore of Ammersee with its stunning steeple, is the famous Andechs Monastery, the jewel of the Fünfseenland. A short drive, or better, a nice walk up through the Kiental, the “Holy Hill” of Andechs is one of the most important places of pilgrimage in Bavaria and provides fantanstic views of the Alps on a clear day. It also provides admirably for a different sort of pilgrim, those coming to sample the tasty beers brewed by the Benedictine monks who call Andechs home. The beer, poured out by the Mass (liter), comes in dark and light shades and is served on a huge terrace overlooking the valley below. A warning though: this beer is a bit stronger than most. The same warning could be applied to the cheese made at Andechs—tasty yet strong smelling.
The hilltop has been home to a monastery since the 10th century, when the Count of Diessen established it as his principal residence. Soon after the establishment of the monastery, the Diessen family, renamed the Counts of Andechs following the move, rapidly consolidated their power and, by 1173, ruled over vast holdings, stretching from Ammersee to the Isar and even as far southeast as the Tyrol. Andechs’ power culminated in 1195 when the emperor Barbarossa elevated Andechs to a principality. The family’s decline came just as quickly, however. During a wedding in 1208 between an Andechs prince and a niece of the King of Swabia, the Swabian regent was murdered and the Andechs family was implicated. By the time it was discovered that the murderer had actually been a member of the Wittelsbach family, the reputation of the Andechs family had been irrevocably damaged and the Wittlesbachs used the confusing situation to its best advantage, taking over much of the principality. By 1248, the Andechs family was no more, yet their legacy was ensured. During their rule, they had brought numerous valuable holy relics to the monastery—relics that still draw pilgrims to Andechs from all over Germany and Europe.
The sumptuous Rococo interior of the monastery church, the Wahlfahrtskirche Andechs, is a stunning display of gilt columns, captivating frescoes and vaulted ceilings topped off by a glowing high altar designed by Munich court artist Johann Baptist Zimmermann in 1755. Unfortunately, the church is currently being refurbished and only a very small part of the high altar can be seen.
While the eastern shore of Ammersee gets most of the attention due to Andechs and its proximity to the Wörthsee and Pilsensee, it is the western shore where the quieter reaches of the lake may be found. Just around the southern edge of the lake, and across the mouth of the Ammer River, lies Diessen, in many ways the most important town on Ammersee. This small town of just over 9,000 souls feels somewhat isolated, located as it is in the forests on the southwestern corner of the lake. Yet, when approached from the water, this three-tiered settlement, beginning with the boathouses on the lake shore, continuing up the hill to the winding streets of the old town and topped off with the onion dome of the impressive parish church dedicated to the Assumption of the Virgin Mary, promises a series of discoveries. And its appearances do not disappoint.
First mentioned in historical documents in 1039, the origins of Diessen can be traced back much further. Legends refer to the family Andechs-Meranien, of Andechs Monastery fame, as having lived in the area as early as the eighth century in addition to having founded a monastery on the hill above Diessen in 815. Yet, while the town’s origins may be somewhat foggy, it is known that the current parish church occupies the site of an Augustinian monastery, which was moved to the location in 1132 by Count Rathard von Diessen, a member of the Andechs dynasty.
The Baroque gem that can be seen today, stunning inside and out, adorned with large quantities of gold leaf, fine frescoes and a series of small sculptures indicating which guild is supposed to sit in which pew, is a more recent construction, having been built in the 1730s on the occasion of the 600th anniversary of the founding of the monastery. And, as befits such an occasion, no expense was spared. Leading artists from around Bavaria and beyond were summoned to help with the construction, including the Augsburg stucco artist Michael Feichtmayr, the Venetian painter Giovanni Battista Pittoni and the Rococo master François Cuvilliés, who designed the facade of the Theatinerkirche in Munich as well as the lavish Cuvilliés Theater in the Residenz. Together, they created what must be one of the most beautiful churches in all of Bavaria. Uniquely, the church’s high altar, designed by Cuvilliés in 1738, can be lowered into the foundation of the church on important Catholic holidays, revealing a series of painted backdrops and a stage upon which biblical stories are acted out. If you are lucky, the lady in the gift shop next to the church will take a few moments to show you the mechanism used to operate this unique feature.
Not far from the church on the main street that leads down to the lake, another of Diessen’s attractions lies in wait—the world’s smallest privately owned tin foundry. Run by the Schweizer family, it is open to the public and sells a huge variety of decorative tin figures. Tours can be arranged for those wanting to learn more. The large number of pottery workshops in town represents an additional contribution to the arts. Diessen is home to a slew of potters and each spring, around Ascension Day, or Christi Himmelfahrt in German, these artists show off their skills and their wares at a weekend-long pottery market, attracting visitors from far and wide.
With such a history of handicrafts, it is no wonder, then, that other artists likewise made Diessen their home. The most famous of these is Carl Orff (1895–1982), whose works include the well-known choral masterpiece Carmina Burana, and who lived in the town together with the author Luise Rinser. Fittingly, there is a museum dedicated to the composer on Carl-Orff-Platz not far from the ferry dock. The museum includes a rich assortment of documents related to Orff’s life as well as instruments he played in his early years. To visit his final resting place, however, a trip across the lake is necessary. He is, befitting the religious motifs of his life’s work, buried at Andechs Monastery.
The final attraction in Diessen is, of course, the Ammersee itself. Both Diessen and nearby St. Alban offer excellent access with their beaches and, for a longer stay, lakeside campsites and hotels. In addition, sailing and windsurfing equipment and lessons can be had for reasonable prices at the Ammersee Segelschule located on the Diessen waterfront. The sailing school also boasts one of Ammersee’s most recognizable symbols: the two-masted Albatros. The 16-meter ship, a gift in 1905 from Czar Nicholas II to King Wilhelm II of Württemburg, has been based in Diessen since 1936 and can be rented, complete with crew. And once on the lake, there is no danger of being deafened by motorboats or wave runners. As on all Bavarian lakes, with the exception of 20 licenses issued on Starnbergersee, motorboats are prohibited on Ammersee.
The next stop on the way up the western shore of the lake is Utting, which, like Diessen, is a quaint town with its own parish church, Mariä Heimsuchung, complete with onion dome. If Ammersee represents the peaceful counterpoint to Starnbergersee’s popularity, then Utting represents the counterpoint to the town of Starnberg’s priceyness. Cheap rents and lower real-estate costs mean that Utting, located not far from the Autobahn, is a haven for all manner of free-lancers, teachers and others trying to avoid expensive Munich rents. For the visitor, Utting offers one of Ammersee’s most charming beer gardens, the Alte Villa. As the name promises, the restaurant attached is housed in one of the numerous, elegant mansions that dot the lake’s shores and is a popular destination of hip Münchner. And while parents are enjoying a cold one, children can spend a couple of hours on the full-sized pirate ship just up the shore. Oddly, however, access to the lake itself must be paid for. Utting’s beach is fenced off and the enclosure may be entered only for a fee.
Utting is also the site of the Seepavillon, a fish hatchery dedicated to preserving Ammersee’s wide variety of aquatic wildlife. It is this variety, one of the largest in Upper Bavaria, that has supported Ammersee’s traditional fishing industry for centuries. Yet because the increasing sediment on the bottom of the lake disturbs reproduction, such hatcheries have become vital in maintaining the fish population. Rounding the north end of the lake, the small town of Schondorf provides a peaceful resting spot for cyclists or a nice lunch spot for boaters, with lakeside beer gardens of its own. Like Diessen, the town had its beginnings as a fishing village in the 12th century and hasn’t grown much in size since. It also possesses a charming, Bavarian-style chapel of its own—St. Jakob’s. It is worth taking a look at for it is one of the few surviving churches in Bavaria constructed from volcanic rock. Additionally, the church, built around 1150, possesses two stories, a rare feature indeed. It remains unclear whether the top story was intended as a hostel for pilgrims or for use as a second sanctuary. Schondorfers also make a point of mentioning that the painter Wilhelm Leibl lived here for a time at the end of the 19th century to escape the bustle of Munich. What they generally neglect to mention is that he stayed for only two years.
The final few kilometers from the north end of the lake back to Herrsching wind through the tiny settlements of Buch and Breitbrunn, and along the occasionally forested, but mostly open lakeshore, affording visitors one last look at the Alps. And for those who decide to stay the night, there are a number of hotels and guesthouses to choose from. Or, jump on the boat in Breitbrunn for an evening cruise. After all, what’s the hurry? The stores in Munich aren’t going to run out of Chiemsee sportswear. You can go shopping next week.
HOW TO GET THERE:
>>>By car: A 96 towards Lindau, take the Greifenberg exit
>>>By train: S6 to Herrsching, departs every 20 minutes
Tourist Information:
www.diessen.net/ammersee-net
www.seenschifffahrt.de
BIRDWATCHERS:
www.ramsar-ammersee.de/Der_Ammersee/der_ammersee.html
