The votive chapel commemorating King Ludwig II towers proudly over the eastern shore of Lake Starnberg in Leoni. At her feet, a large wooden cross in the water marks the spot where the flamboyant monarch lost his life in June 1886 under circumstances that are still unclear today. The building has been renovated and the work is now complete. Moisture had penetrated the walls and also damaged the wall and ceiling paintings. As part of the Open Monument Day this Sunday, the chapel can now be viewed in its entirety and in its former glory. Normally, an iron portal blocks the way to the interior.
The votive chapel is actually a memorial chapel
Consecrated as a memorial chapel, it soon appeared in early craftsmen’s invoices under the designation “Votive Chapel”, even before the memorial was completed in 1900. Many of these craftsmen were already involved in the construction of Neuschwanstein Castle. A votive church is a church that was built as a sign of thanks for rescue from an emergency, or – as is more obvious in this case – for atonement. The name “votive chapel” thus comes from the vernacular and, according to experts, attests to the mistrust that already prevailed at the time as to how “Kini” really died. Once a year, on the anniversary of the king’s death, old Bavarians loyal to the king meet here and commemorate the monarch with flags and wreaths of flowers.
Fritz Demmel from the Wittelsbach compensation fund oversaw the restoration. “We then tried to restore the building with a whole staff of craftsmen,” says Demmel. Before that, in 2014, a specialist company from Leipzig measured the entire building digitally. “It wasn’t a complete restoration. What was structurally necessary was fixed.” This was mainly due to the moisture in the walls, which was determined after test drilling. For this purpose, an architect experienced in church building, a structural engineer and craftsmen with special knowledge of the preservation of monuments were hired. As part of the Open Monument Day, Demmel gives two free tours of the chapel on Sunday, at 11 a.m. and 1 p.m. Registrations are not necessary.
The Day of the Open Monument has been organized nationwide every year since 1993 by the German Foundation for Monument Protection. Historical buildings and places that are otherwise not accessible or only accessible to a limited extent are to be opened to the public. This year, 5,000 monuments are open and can be visited throughout Germany. With the Open Monument Day, the foundation is participating in the “European Heritage Days” program of the European Union. In addition to the royal chapel, there are ten other monuments in the district of Starnberg that can be visited.
The historic Biller department store in Starnberg used to sell textiles and “colonial goods” and is open on Sundays from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.
(Photo: Ulrike Mertz, oh)
In Starnberg, Claudia Wagner (meet at 9 a.m. and 4 p.m. on the east side of the train station) leads to various monuments in the city, including the former Biller department store, which can also be visited separately from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Karl Hebler from the Society for Archeology and History – Upper Würmtal also gives guided tours in nearby Leutstetten. At 10 a.m. and 2 p.m. he shows those who are interested the grounds of the Villa Rustica, the archaeological site of an old Roman estate. The Lochmannhaus, a farmer’s and fisherman’s house from the early 16th century, at the Lake Starnberg Museum can also be visited. Right next to it, Christian Later from the Bavarian State Office for the Preservation of Monuments will guide you through the archaeological excavation of the former parish church of St. Benedict (at 11 a.m. and 1 p.m.).
The Bajuwarenzimmer in the SchichtWerk Museum in Gilching shows historical exhibits from the time of the Bavarian tribal duchy.
(Photo: Annette Reindel)
A 550-year-old forge can be visited in Erling. From 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., interested parties can learn more about the work of a blacksmith. The Zeitreise association in Gilching provides information at an information stand between 2 p.m. and 5 p.m. about the time travel tunnel in the pedestrian underpass of the new western bypass, which reports on the development of Gilching’s Roman road in twelve pictorial scenes from different eras. At the same time, the association invites you to take a journey through time in the museum Schichtwerk on Brucker Strasse.
If you don’t have time on Sunday, you can also explore Starnberg’s city history with the “Actionbound” app and complete a digital scavenger hunt until the end of the year. More details about the program of the Open Monument Day, including a “monument map”, can also be found online at the Foundation website. However, the votive chapel of the unfortunate fairy tale king can only be visited on this Sunday. After that, the iron gates remain closed for another year.