The Rose Island in Lake Starnberg

If you pass by Lake Starnberg and have 3-4 hours to spare, you should definitely visit the Rose Island. The Rose Island is an approximately 170m from the shore, 2.56 hectare large, idyllic and car-free island with garden and park facilities. It has a casino called the little castle. The Rose Island can be reached from the Glockensteg in the municipality of Feldafing by ferry for a price of 4.00 euros in 5 minutes. The ferryman, a very friendly contemporary, already tells the most important facts about the island during the crossing. We parked at the beach in Feldafing and then walked from there to the landing stage for about 10 minutes.

A little bit about the history of the island. In 1850, King Ludwig Maximilian II of Bavaria bought the island from the Kugelmiller family, who ran a guesthouse with a bowling alley for the gentlemen and a swing for the ladies at that time. He wanted to build a quiet summer residence on the island. He commissioned the most famous German garden architect of the 19th century, Peter Josef Lanne, and the engineer Franz Jakob Kreuter, to design the island. This is how the casino (in the sense of a summer house) was created in the middle of a park with an oval rose garden as its center. The rose garden with hundreds of tall fragrant roses and a five-meter high blue and white glass column in its center gave the island its current name.

After Maximilian's death, his son, Ludwig II, used the Rose Island to receive state and other guests such as the Russian Empress Maria Alexandrovna and Richard Wagner. Additionally, Ludwig II also appreciated the place for discreet meetings with favorites and friends.

'Sissi' also loved the island. When she visited the nearby Possenhofen Castle, she translated to the island almost daily and is therefore (apart from the gardener) the longest-residing inhabitant of the Rose Island. A meeting between Ludwig II and Sissi was recreated in 1972 with Romy Schneider and Helmut Berger in the film Ludwig II on the Rose Island.

After Ludwig II's death, the interest of the royal family in the island diminished. The casino and rose garden were in a state of decay.

In 1970, the Free State of Bavaria bought the island. It wasn't until 1998, after intensive planning, that the restoration of the island began. Today, the casino and the rose garden have been largely restored to their original state. The casino is very popular with couples for weddings in the summer and autumn. The Feldafing registry office regularly holds wedding ceremonies in the garden hall here. If you're feeling brave, you can visit the casino Tuesday to Sunday from 12:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m. on a very informative guided tour for a price of 3.50 euros. You can see the entrance area, the two large columns, Germany's first flush toilet, and a study.

The main attraction on the island is the oval rose garden with hundreds of tall fragrant roses. During our visit in early July, these roses bloomed fantastically and spread a wonderful rose scent. The rose garden had to be completely redesigned and planted with the support of the Roseninsel Starnberger See association in May 2003. The beds were planted with roses and summer flowers according to Lenné's historical planting plans. In the outer beds, tall roses are planted, the roses become lower towards the center. Bush roses are planted in the field around the glass column. I was particularly impressed by a green rose. I had never seen such a variety anywhere else. Guided tours of the rose garden are also offered from mid-June to the end of August.

In addition, there is a guesthouse on the island that also houses a museum. The theme of this museum is the pile dwellings around the Rose Island. Due to the remains of pile dwellings found there, the island is also a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

If you still have time, you should take a stroll around the island. Benches invite you to linger and the view from various spots on the island over the lake is simply fantastic.