St Bartholomä, Konigssee

Before leaving Konigssee we did a boat trip across Lake Konigssee to see the striking St. Bartholomä church and the small settlement surrounding it.

Konigssee Lake is the cleanest in Germany because, since 1909, only pedal, rowing or electric boats have been allowed on it. It was originally carved by glaciers thousands of years ago, during the ice age.

Konigssee Lake is 7.7 km in length and 1.7 km at its widest point. At its deepest point, it is 190 metres, but on average it’s about 100 metres deep, making it the 3rd deepest lake in Germany. The Watzmann Mountain to the east reaches almost 2743 metres above the lake’s shimmering green ripples. It was a very calm smooth and quiet boat ride to St. Bartholomä.

While not as old as previous churches we have seen with the original 12th century church being demolished, this 17th century church is very striking with its two different onion domes and three red domed roofs. Without all the bells and whistles of many other churches we have visited, the simplicity of this church is just perfect for the amazing location it is in. With the reflections from the clear lake to the mountains soaring behind as a beautiful backdrop it was too easy to take too many photos of this church.

We enjoyed a lovely walk along the water edge and through the grounds, taking time to just enjoy the silence and the serenity of the location. Pictures and words can’t truely describe how magical this place is. It is so good to see that the area is preserved as a national park and it is so well looked after. It was a lovely start to our day.Read more