Where? - Lake Starnberg is now almost on the outskirts of Munich, 20 kms south-west from the centre of the city. In Ludwig's day it was out in the countryside.
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How to get there? - By car, it takes about 20 or 30 minutes from Munich to reach the area. Buses run regularly to Starnberg (town) on the northern shore of the Lake.
What is there to see? - The most important place at Lake Starnberg for the Ludwig enthusiast is the small village of Berg, on the eastern shore of the Lake, 4 or 5 kms from Starnberg town. During the early years of Ludwig's reign, his small castle at Berg was one of his favourite residences. Wagner was entertained here when the composer first arrived in Munich, and many of the young King's favourites stayed with him here.
However, Berg is remembered for more darker reasons. It was here that he mysteriously died on the evening of June 13, 1886. The castle where he was 'imprisoned' still stands, although it is now a private residence and closed to the public, and screened by a wall of very tall trees. It was also bombed during air raids on Munich in WW2, so it is somewhat different to the castle Ludwig loved. There is no way viewing this little castle, as I tried to find a view of it for about an hour, and failed miserably! (I walked around it, and didn't start climbing trees if anyone is thinking that!!).
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Berg in the 1890's. The Castle is now a private residence, and this view no longer exists due to the trees having grown considerably in the past 100 years.
The former Castle grounds is now a public park, however, and it was here that Ludwig and Dr. Gudden went for their fateful walk on the afternoon of June 13th, 1886. A cross in the water close to the shore marks the exact spot where Ludwig's body was found, and nearby, on a small hill stands the opulent Votive Chapel, a memorial to Ludwig built in the 1890's. Any budding detectives can retrace the King's steps and picture what happened that afternoon.
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Where to stay? - Because it is so close to Munich, it isn't worth staying around the Lake Starnberg area. However, Berg has one or two small hotels, and Starnberg has hotels too. For the traveller, it's best to think of this area as an outer suburb of Munich, however.
