Feldafing
Encyclopedia
Feldafing is a municipality
in Starnberg district
, Bavaria
, Germany
, and is located on the west shore of Lake Starnberg
, southwest of Munich
.
("Sisi").
The name Feldafing is presumably of Bavarian origin. The earliest record of the use of Feldafing is from 1116. At that time, Feldafing was ruled by Ruodolfus de Veldovingen, a member of the Berthold von Andechs family. Since the middle of the 14th century, Feldafing and the Rose Island have belonged to the House of Wittelsbach. Feldafing was, at that time, the largest fishing village on Lake Starnberg
.
At the beginning of the 15th century (1401), Feldafing's Catholic Church was constructed. This church was located most probably on the same site where the Catholic St. Peter and Paul Church stands today.
The 17th century brought a series of changes for Feldafing, mostly including territorial disputes between various patrician families. In 1850, King Maximilian II
, who had known the area of Feldafing since his childhood, acquired the Roseninsel, where he built a Villa in Pompeii-style and a garden house. It was through the planning of the magnificent rotunda of roses in the Villa's garden that the Roseninsel, previously called Wörth, earned its name.
King Ludwig II
adored the Roseninsel and visited it often. The island was also said to have served as a meeting place for the king and his cousin, the Austrian Empress Elisabeth of Bavaria
. Today the island is host to a Villa museum, the beautiful preserved gardens, and various musical and cultural events.
The more recent history of Feldafing begins with the construction of the railroad line in 1864. The former fishing and farming village was transformed. Around the turn of the 20th century, a Villa quarter arose in Feldafing. In 1890 there were approximately 70 houses in Feldafing, and in 1933 there were more than 170. Between 1890 and 1933 the population more than doubled, totaling 1,185 people in 1933. Another population boom took place after World War II
through an influx of refugees and displaced persons.
After World War I
, a golf course was built in Feldafing, one of the first in Germany. Afterwards, other recreation centers such as a beach and tennis club were built. The park and the Rose Island are currently being restored by the Bavarian Administration for State Villas, Gardens and Lakes to their original condition.
During the Nazi
era, Feldafing was the site of an elite school of the Nazi Party, the "Reichsschule Feldafing
", and of a subcamp of the Dachau concentration camp. After the end of World War II
, Feldafing became part of the American zone of occupation. The military administration converted the former Reichsschule and the subcamp into the Feldafing displaced persons camp, part of a network of displaced persons camp
s for Jewish Holocaust
survivors in the US Zone in Bavaria.
(or stilt house) settlements that are part of the Prehistoric Pile dwellings around the Alps
UNESCO
World Heritage Site.
Municipalities of Germany
Municipalities are the lowest level of territorial division in Germany. This may be the fourth level of territorial division in Germany, apart from those states which include Regierungsbezirke , where municipalities then become the fifth level.-Overview:With more than 3,400,000 inhabitants, the...
in Starnberg district
Starnberg (district)
Starnberg is a Kreis in the southern part of Bavaria, Germany. Neighboring districts are Fürstenfeldbruck, Munich, Bad Tölz-Wolfratshausen, Weilheim-Schongau and Landsberg....
, Bavaria
Bavaria
Bavaria, formally the Free State of Bavaria is a state of Germany, located in the southeast of Germany. With an area of , it is the largest state by area, forming almost 20% of the total land area of Germany...
, Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
, and is located on the west shore of Lake Starnberg
Lake Starnberg
Lake Starnberg , 25 kilometers southwest of Munich in southern Bavaria, is Germany's fifth largest freshwater lake and, due to its large average depth, the second richest in water...
, southwest of Munich
Munich
Munich The city's motto is "" . Before 2006, it was "Weltstadt mit Herz" . Its native name, , is derived from the Old High German Munichen, meaning "by the monks' place". The city's name derives from the monks of the Benedictine order who founded the city; hence the monk depicted on the city's coat...
.
History
The history of Feldafing begins on the Roseninsel or Rose Island, the only island in Lake Starnberg. This area has been inhabited since as early as the Neolithic Period. Feldafing is also well known for the Hotel Kaiserin Elisabeth. Both places (Roseninsel and Kaiserin Elisabeth) were favorite vacation spots for the Austrian Empress Elisabeth of BavariaElisabeth of Bavaria
Elisabeth of Austria was the spouse of Franz Joseph I, and therefore both Empress of Austria and Queen of Hungary. She also held the titles of Queen of Bohemia and Croatia, among others...
("Sisi").
The name Feldafing is presumably of Bavarian origin. The earliest record of the use of Feldafing is from 1116. At that time, Feldafing was ruled by Ruodolfus de Veldovingen, a member of the Berthold von Andechs family. Since the middle of the 14th century, Feldafing and the Rose Island have belonged to the House of Wittelsbach. Feldafing was, at that time, the largest fishing village on Lake Starnberg
Lake Starnberg
Lake Starnberg , 25 kilometers southwest of Munich in southern Bavaria, is Germany's fifth largest freshwater lake and, due to its large average depth, the second richest in water...
.
At the beginning of the 15th century (1401), Feldafing's Catholic Church was constructed. This church was located most probably on the same site where the Catholic St. Peter and Paul Church stands today.
The 17th century brought a series of changes for Feldafing, mostly including territorial disputes between various patrician families. In 1850, King Maximilian II
Maximilian II of Bavaria
Maximilian II of Bavaria was king of Bavaria from 1848 until 1864. He was son of Ludwig I of Bavaria and Therese of Saxe-Hildburghausen.-Crown Prince:...
, who had known the area of Feldafing since his childhood, acquired the Roseninsel, where he built a Villa in Pompeii-style and a garden house. It was through the planning of the magnificent rotunda of roses in the Villa's garden that the Roseninsel, previously called Wörth, earned its name.
King Ludwig II
Ludwig II of Bavaria
Ludwig II was King of Bavaria from 1864 until shortly before his death. He is sometimes called the Swan King and der Märchenkönig, the Fairy tale King...
adored the Roseninsel and visited it often. The island was also said to have served as a meeting place for the king and his cousin, the Austrian Empress Elisabeth of Bavaria
Elisabeth of Bavaria
Elisabeth of Austria was the spouse of Franz Joseph I, and therefore both Empress of Austria and Queen of Hungary. She also held the titles of Queen of Bohemia and Croatia, among others...
. Today the island is host to a Villa museum, the beautiful preserved gardens, and various musical and cultural events.
The more recent history of Feldafing begins with the construction of the railroad line in 1864. The former fishing and farming village was transformed. Around the turn of the 20th century, a Villa quarter arose in Feldafing. In 1890 there were approximately 70 houses in Feldafing, and in 1933 there were more than 170. Between 1890 and 1933 the population more than doubled, totaling 1,185 people in 1933. Another population boom took place after World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
through an influx of refugees and displaced persons.
After World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
, a golf course was built in Feldafing, one of the first in Germany. Afterwards, other recreation centers such as a beach and tennis club were built. The park and the Rose Island are currently being restored by the Bavarian Administration for State Villas, Gardens and Lakes to their original condition.
During the Nazi
Nazism
Nazism, the common short form name of National Socialism was the ideology and practice of the Nazi Party and of Nazi Germany...
era, Feldafing was the site of an elite school of the Nazi Party, the "Reichsschule Feldafing
Reichsschule Feldafing
The Reichsschule Feldafing was founded on April 1, 1933 as a 9th class Nazi Party school on Lake Starnberg and was located in a villa neighborhood in Feldafing.-History:...
", and of a subcamp of the Dachau concentration camp. After the end of World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, Feldafing became part of the American zone of occupation. The military administration converted the former Reichsschule and the subcamp into the Feldafing displaced persons camp, part of a network of displaced persons camp
Displaced persons camp
A displaced persons camp or DP camp is a temporary facility for displaced persons coerced into forced migration. The term is mainly used for camps established after World War II in West Germany and in Austria, as well as in the United Kingdom, primarily for refugees from Eastern Europe and for the...
s for Jewish Holocaust
The Holocaust
The Holocaust , also known as the Shoah , was the genocide of approximately six million European Jews and millions of others during World War II, a programme of systematic state-sponsored murder by Nazi...
survivors in the US Zone in Bavaria.
World heritage site
It is home to one or more prehistoric pile-dwellingStilt house
Stilt houses or pile dwellings or palafitte are houses raised on piles over the surface of the soil or a body of water. Stilt houses are built primarily as a protection against flooding, but also serve to keep out vermin...
(or stilt house) settlements that are part of the Prehistoric Pile dwellings around the Alps
Prehistoric Pile dwellings around the Alps
Prehistoric Pile dwellings around the Alps is a series of prehistoric pile-dwelling settlements in and around the Alps built from around 5000 to 500 B.C. on the edges of lakes, rivers or wetlands...
UNESCO
UNESCO
The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization is a specialized agency of the United Nations...
World Heritage Site.