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The people of the Chiemgau region have their roots in Prien am Chiemsee. They feel at home there as the area provides them with all the things that they love. They often wonder how they can make life even more pleasant for their guests and frequently have a brilliant idea, for instance, the Prienavera water activity centre, a magical vision of glass and water, where you can enjoy a feeling of well-being and fun.

From these wonderful surroundings, the guest’s glance falls directly on the palace built by the legendary King Ludwig, who wanted to build a second Versailles and created the Herrenchiemsee Palace, just one of the cultural pearls of this region.

Bavaria’s largest lake, Lake Chiemsee, sometimes called the “Bavarian Ocean”, should be thought of as the remains of a former glacier. It has a surface area of 80 sq. km and a maximum depth of about 74 m. The most important rivers feeding it are the Tiroler Ache and the Prien, while the River Alz is the outlet of the lake at Seebruck, the former Roman fort of Bedaium.

The southern limits of the lake are formed by the Alps. The name Chiemsee is derived from the Old High German first name “Chiemo” (8th century). There is evidence of prehistoric settlements on the three islands in the lake, the Herrenchiemsee and Frauenchiemsee Islands (so called because they were the locations of a monastery and a convent respectively) and the Kraut (herb) Island.

The Celts and Romans settled by the lake, attracted by the abundance of fish. Following conversion to Christianity in the 7th and 8th centuries, Lake Chiemsee and its islands entered the annals of history. The real popular discovery of the lake was due to the early 19th century artists who were attracted by the alpine landscape and Lake Chiemsee itself. Tourist traffic increased considerably in 1886 following the death of King Ludwig II and the subsequent opening of his Herrenchiemsee palace to the public.