Tegernsee
Encyclopedia
Tegernsee is a town in the Miesbach district
of Bavaria, Germany. It is located on the shore of Tegernsee lake
, at an elevation
of 747 m (2451 ft.) above sea level.
The town has its origins in the Tegernsee Abbey
, which was founded in 746. Today it is considered a spa town
, surrounded by an alpine landscape. The economy is mainly based on tourism.
Tegernsee is located on the Bundesstraße 307, which runs from Gmund am Tegernsee
to the Sylvenstein Dam. It is also the terminus for the Tegernsee-Bahn railway.
that arrived in the early Stone Age
. The history of the current region and of the town began with the arrival of the Bavarians in the 6th century. The noble family of the Agilolfings
ruled this region and the entire Duchy of Bavaria
.
The Benedictine
Abbey of Tegernsee was founded in 746 by the brothers Adalbert and Ottokar, of the noble family of Huosi
. The abbey's name derives from Old High German
tegarin seo, meaning large lake. Although much of the town's early history is unknown as a result of Magyar
incursions in the 10th century, it is known that relics of St. Quirinus, which the abbey's founders obtained from Pope Paul I
, were transferred in the 8th century from Rome to Tegernsee to be placed in its first church. The monastery had a substantial influence on the development of Southern Bavaria during the Middle Ages. It fell into decay in 907 after a series of defeats by the Magyars. It was secularized in 921 by Duke Arnulf and reestablished in 979 by Emperor Otto II and Duke Otto I of Bavaria. The emperor appointed a new abbot and granted the right of free election of the abbot, freedom from taxes and imperial protection. Thus removed from the suzerainty
of the Bavarian rulers, the abbey recovered its prosperity and grew culturally and artistically. Workshops were founded for book and glass painting and for goldsmithing. Around 1030 Ruodlieb
, an early German romance of knightly adventure written in Latin verse, was almost certainly written there. In 1165 Holy Roman Emperor Friedrich I
visited the abbey.
Because of its naturally protected position, Tegernsee suffered less from war and hardship than other parts of Bavaria. However, it was infested by the Black Death
during the Thirty Years' War
. The town experienced tribulations during the War of the Austrian Succession
and suffered many casualties in the period from the Austro-Prussian War
in 1866 until the end of World War II. The abbey buildings were used as a military hospital during this last conflict. The valley was overcrowded with evacuees, who were there for protection from the bombing of urban areas. In the final weeks of the war, an SS
division moved into the valley and built defenses against the American forces advancing from Bad Tölz
. The involvement of some of the town's citizens and the withdrawal of the SS division prevented a possible American bombing in the area.
The monastery was secularized in 1803 and was acquired by the Bavarian royal family, the Wittelsbach
s, who made it their summer residence. They brought court life and visitors to the lake, starting the tourism that characterizes the area today.
and Hausham
to the north, Schliersee
to the east and Rottach-Egern
to the south. It is located within the Miesbach district in the Bavarian Alps. The Bavarian state capital, Munich
, is about 50 km (31.1 mi) north of the town, and the Austrian state of Tyrol
is about 20 km (12.4 mi) south.
The Alpbach stream
, whose bed it was planned to clean up in 2010, runs through the center of Tegernsee. The Rottach river
flows partly along the communal limit between Tegernsee and Rottach-Egern. The Baumgartenschneid
, a 1,448-metre-high mountain, is located not far from the town.
As of the 2010 census, Tegernsee had a population of 3,889, of whom 1,672 were male and 2,217 female.
It is possible to visit the buildings of the former Benedictine Abbey of Tegernsee. The complex is composed of the parish church of Saint Quirinus, the former abbey church, and the adjacent north and south wings around the two courtyards. The north wing hosts the Herzoglich Bayerisches Brauhaus Tegernsee (Ducal Bavarian Brewery of Tegernsee), one of Germany's oldest breweries. The entire complex is called Schloss Tegernsee and has been owned by the Wittelsbach family since 1817.
Other historical buildings include the houses of writer Ludwig Ganghofer
and painter Joseph Karl Stieler
, and the summer residence of Lord Acton
. The Olaf Gulbransson Museum has been open since 1966 and is dedicated to the art of the Norwegian painter and caricaturist Olaf Gulbransson
The Museum Tegernseer Tal was established in 1999 in the Old Rectory of Tegernsee. It has 17 exhibition rooms, and its theme is the history and culture of the Tegernsee valley from the Middle Ages to the present. The Tegernseer Volkstheater has been in use since 1898.
The area around the Tegernsee lake serves as a recreational area. It is surrounded by the Bavarian Alps and occupies an area of approximately 9 square kilometers. It offers aquatic sports like swimming and fishing, and other activities including hiking and Nordic walking. It is also possible to reach the summit of the Baumgartenschneid, taking 2 hours to ascend the 700 metres from the town and 1½ hours to descend.
passes about 20 km to the north. The 9559 Tegernsee-Ringlinie bus connects Tegernsee with Rottach-Egern, Bad Wiessee
and Gmund am Tegernsee.
The railway station is the terminus of the privately owned Tegernsee-Bahn
and is linked to Munich by through trains of the Bayerische Oberlandbahn. It is also a principal stop for the pleasure boat services operated on the lake by the Bayerische Seenschifffahrt
company.
, an Austrian town on the Danube.
Dürnstein
, Austria
, an alpine ski racer who won the gold medal in the women's giant slalom at the 2010 Winter Olympics
, and won the giant slalom title in the 2011 Alpine Skiing World Cup
.
The town is also home to the sports association TV Tegernsee, whose chess club plays in the first division of the Bundesliga
.
Miesbach (district)
Miesbach is a district in Bavaria, Germany. It is bounded by the districts of Bad Tölz-Wolfratshausen, Munich and Rosenheim, and by the Austrian state of Tyrol.-History:...
of Bavaria, Germany. It is located on the shore of Tegernsee lake
Tegernsee (lake)
The Tegernsee is a lake in the Bavarian Alps in southern Germany. The lake is the centre of a popular recreation area south-east of Munich. Resorts on the lake include the eponymous Tegernsee, as well as Bad Wiessee, Kreuth, Gmund, and Rottach-Egern....
, at an elevation
Elevation
The elevation of a geographic location is its height above a fixed reference point, most commonly a reference geoid, a mathematical model of the Earth's sea level as an equipotential gravitational surface ....
of 747 m (2451 ft.) above sea level.
The town has its origins in the Tegernsee Abbey
Tegernsee Abbey
Tegernsee Abbey or the Imperial Abbey of Tegernsee is a former Benedictine monastery in the town and district of Tegernsee in Bavaria. Both the abbey and the town that grew up around are named after the Tegernsee, the lake on the shores of which they are located...
, which was founded in 746. Today it is considered a spa town
Spa town
A spa town is a town situated around a mineral spa . Patrons resorted to spas to "take the waters" for their purported health benefits. The word comes from the Belgian town Spa. In continental Europe a spa was known as a ville d'eau...
, surrounded by an alpine landscape. The economy is mainly based on tourism.
Tegernsee is located on the Bundesstraße 307, which runs from Gmund am Tegernsee
Gmund am Tegernsee
Gmund am Tegernsee is a municipality in the district of Miesbach in Bavaria in Germany. The town is located on the north shore of the Tegernsee Lake, and near the source of River Mangfall...
to the Sylvenstein Dam. It is also the terminus for the Tegernsee-Bahn railway.
History
The original settlers of the area around the Tegernsee lake were IllyriansIllyrians
The Illyrians were a group of tribes who inhabited part of the western Balkans in antiquity and the south-eastern coasts of the Italian peninsula...
that arrived in the early Stone Age
Stone Age
The Stone Age is a broad prehistoric period, lasting about 2.5 million years , during which humans and their predecessor species in the genus Homo, as well as the earlier partly contemporary genera Australopithecus and Paranthropus, widely used exclusively stone as their hard material in the...
. The history of the current region and of the town began with the arrival of the Bavarians in the 6th century. The noble family of the Agilolfings
Agilolfings
The Agilolfings were a family of either Frankish or Bavarian nobility that ruled the Duchy of Bavaria on behalf of their Merovingian suzerains from about 550 until 788...
ruled this region and the entire Duchy of Bavaria
Duchy of Bavaria
The Duchy of Bavaria was the only one of the stem duchies from the earliest days of East Francia and the Kingdom of Germany to preserve both its name and most of its territorial extent....
.
The Benedictine
Benedictine
Benedictine refers to the spirituality and consecrated life in accordance with the Rule of St Benedict, written by Benedict of Nursia in the sixth century for the cenobitic communities he founded in central Italy. The most notable of these is Monte Cassino, the first monastery founded by Benedict...
Abbey of Tegernsee was founded in 746 by the brothers Adalbert and Ottokar, of the noble family of Huosi
Huosi
The Huosi were one of the Uradel noble families in the stem duchy of Bavaria during the reign of the Agilolfing dynasty, mentioned in the 743 Lex Baiuvariorum....
. The abbey's name derives from Old High German
Old High German
The term Old High German refers to the earliest stage of the German language and it conventionally covers the period from around 500 to 1050. Coherent written texts do not appear until the second half of the 8th century, and some treat the period before 750 as 'prehistoric' and date the start of...
tegarin seo, meaning large lake. Although much of the town's early history is unknown as a result of Magyar
Magyar
Magyar may refer to:* A nation and an ethnic group native to and primarily associated with Hungarian people* The Hungarian language,...
incursions in the 10th century, it is known that relics of St. Quirinus, which the abbey's founders obtained from Pope Paul I
Pope Paul I
Pope Paul I was pope from May 29, 757 to June 28, 767. He first served as a Roman deacon and was frequently employed by his brother, Pope Stephen II, in negotiations with the Lombard kings....
, were transferred in the 8th century from Rome to Tegernsee to be placed in its first church. The monastery had a substantial influence on the development of Southern Bavaria during the Middle Ages. It fell into decay in 907 after a series of defeats by the Magyars. It was secularized in 921 by Duke Arnulf and reestablished in 979 by Emperor Otto II and Duke Otto I of Bavaria. The emperor appointed a new abbot and granted the right of free election of the abbot, freedom from taxes and imperial protection. Thus removed from the suzerainty
Suzerainty
Suzerainty occurs where a region or people is a tributary to a more powerful entity which controls its foreign affairs while allowing the tributary vassal state some limited domestic autonomy. The dominant entity in the suzerainty relationship, or the more powerful entity itself, is called a...
of the Bavarian rulers, the abbey recovered its prosperity and grew culturally and artistically. Workshops were founded for book and glass painting and for goldsmithing. Around 1030 Ruodlieb
Ruodlieb
Ruodlieb is a fragmentary romance in Latin verse written by an unknown southern German poet who flourished about 1030. He was almost certainly a monk of the Bavarian abbey of Tegernsee....
, an early German romance of knightly adventure written in Latin verse, was almost certainly written there. In 1165 Holy Roman Emperor Friedrich I
Frederick I, Holy Roman Emperor
Frederick I Barbarossa was a German Holy Roman Emperor. He was elected King of Germany at Frankfurt on 4 March 1152 and crowned in Aachen on 9 March, crowned King of Italy in Pavia in 1155, and finally crowned Roman Emperor by Pope Adrian IV, on 18 June 1155, and two years later in 1157 the term...
visited the abbey.
Because of its naturally protected position, Tegernsee suffered less from war and hardship than other parts of Bavaria. However, it was infested by the Black Death
Black Death
The Black Death was one of the most devastating pandemics in human history, peaking in Europe between 1348 and 1350. Of several competing theories, the dominant explanation for the Black Death is the plague theory, which attributes the outbreak to the bacterium Yersinia pestis. Thought to have...
during the Thirty Years' War
Thirty Years' War
The Thirty Years' War was fought primarily in what is now Germany, and at various points involved most countries in Europe. It was one of the most destructive conflicts in European history....
. The town experienced tribulations during the War of the Austrian Succession
War of the Austrian Succession
The War of the Austrian Succession – including King George's War in North America, the Anglo-Spanish War of Jenkins' Ear, and two of the three Silesian wars – involved most of the powers of Europe over the question of Maria Theresa's succession to the realms of the House of Habsburg.The...
and suffered many casualties in the period from the Austro-Prussian War
Austro-Prussian War
The Austro-Prussian War was a war fought in 1866 between the German Confederation under the leadership of the Austrian Empire and its German allies on one side and the Kingdom of Prussia with its German allies and Italy on the...
in 1866 until the end of World War II. The abbey buildings were used as a military hospital during this last conflict. The valley was overcrowded with evacuees, who were there for protection from the bombing of urban areas. In the final weeks of the war, an SS
Schutzstaffel
The Schutzstaffel |Sig runes]]) was a major paramilitary organization under Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party. Built upon the Nazi ideology, the SS under Heinrich Himmler's command was responsible for many of the crimes against humanity during World War II...
division moved into the valley and built defenses against the American forces advancing from Bad Tölz
Bad Tölz
Bad Tölz is a town in Bavaria, Germany, and administrative center of the district of Bad Tölz-Wolfratshausen.- History :Since the retreat of the glaciers at the end of the Ice Age, archaeology has shown continuous occupation of the site of Bad Tölz...
. The involvement of some of the town's citizens and the withdrawal of the SS division prevented a possible American bombing in the area.
The monastery was secularized in 1803 and was acquired by the Bavarian royal family, the Wittelsbach
Wittelsbach
The Wittelsbach family is a European royal family and a German dynasty from Bavaria.Members of the family served as Dukes, Electors and Kings of Bavaria , Counts Palatine of the Rhine , Margraves of Brandenburg , Counts of Holland, Hainaut and Zeeland , Elector-Archbishops of Cologne , Dukes of...
s, who made it their summer residence. They brought court life and visitors to the lake, starting the tourism that characterizes the area today.
Geography
Tegernsee lies on the east shore of the eponymous lake, neighbouring Gmund am TegernseeGmund am Tegernsee
Gmund am Tegernsee is a municipality in the district of Miesbach in Bavaria in Germany. The town is located on the north shore of the Tegernsee Lake, and near the source of River Mangfall...
and Hausham
Hausham
Hausham is a municipality in the district of Miesbach in Bavaria in Germany.-geographical classification:Hausham is located approximately 45 km south of Munich, between Miesbach and Schliersee...
to the north, Schliersee
Schliersee
Schliersee is a small town and a municipality in the district of Miesbach in Bavaria in Germany. It is named after the nearby Lake Schliersee....
to the east and Rottach-Egern
Rottach-Egern
Rottach-Egern is a municipality and town located at Lake Tegernsee in the district of Miesbach in Upper Bavaria, Germany....
to the south. It is located within the Miesbach district in the Bavarian Alps. The Bavarian state capital, 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...
, is about 50 km (31.1 mi) north of the town, and the Austrian state of Tyrol
Tyrol
Tyrol is an historical region in Western Central Europe. The term has its origin in the former County of Tyrol, and today can be referred to different regions and entities.- Prehistory :...
is about 20 km (12.4 mi) south.
The Alpbach stream
Alpbach (Tegernsee)
Alpbach is a river of Bavaria, Germany....
, whose bed it was planned to clean up in 2010, runs through the center of Tegernsee. The Rottach river
Rottach (Tegernsee)
Rottach is a river of Bavaria, Germany....
flows partly along the communal limit between Tegernsee and Rottach-Egern. The Baumgartenschneid
Baumgartenschneid
The Baumgartenschneid is a 1,448 metre high mountain in the Bavarian Prealps above the Tegernsee to the east.- Location and climbing routes :...
, a 1,448-metre-high mountain, is located not far from the town.
As of the 2010 census, Tegernsee had a population of 3,889, of whom 1,672 were male and 2,217 female.
Attractions
Other historical buildings include the houses of writer Ludwig Ganghofer
Ludwig Ganghofer
Ludwig Ganghofer was a German writer who became famous for his homeland novels.-Biography:Born in Kaufbeuren, he graduated from a gymnasium in 1873 and subsequently worked as a fitter in Augsburg engine works...
and painter Joseph Karl Stieler
Joseph Karl Stieler
Joseph Karl Stieler was a German painter. Born in Mainz to a family of engravers and die-cutters, Stieler received some artistic training from his father, August Friedrich Stieler...
, and the summer residence of Lord Acton
John Dalberg-Acton, 1st Baron Acton
John Emerich Edward Dalberg-Acton, 1st Baron Acton, KCVO, DL , known as Sir John Dalberg-Acton, 8th Bt from 1837 to 1869 and usually referred to simply as Lord Acton, was an English Catholic historian, politician, and writer...
. The Olaf Gulbransson Museum has been open since 1966 and is dedicated to the art of the Norwegian painter and caricaturist Olaf Gulbransson
Olaf Gulbransson
Olaf Leonhard Gulbransson was a Norwegian artist, painter and designer. He is probably best known for his caricatures and illustrations.-Biography:...
The Museum Tegernseer Tal was established in 1999 in the Old Rectory of Tegernsee. It has 17 exhibition rooms, and its theme is the history and culture of the Tegernsee valley from the Middle Ages to the present. The Tegernseer Volkstheater has been in use since 1898.
The area around the Tegernsee lake serves as a recreational area. It is surrounded by the Bavarian Alps and occupies an area of approximately 9 square kilometers. It offers aquatic sports like swimming and fishing, and other activities including hiking and Nordic walking. It is also possible to reach the summit of the Baumgartenschneid, taking 2 hours to ascend the 700 metres from the town and 1½ hours to descend.
Economy
Tourism plays an important part in the economy of the city and the district. The local Orthopedic Clinic is the town's largest employer. Since 2003 the city has hosted the annual Tegernsee International Mountain Film Festival, in which movies depicting the life in the mountains compete.Transportation
Tegernsee is located on the Bundesstraße 307, which runs from Gmund am Tegernsee to the Sylvenstein Dam. The Bundesautobahn 8Bundesautobahn 8
is an autobahn in southern Germany that runs 497 km from the Luxembourg A13 motorway at Schengen via Neunkirchen, Pirmasens, Karlsruhe, Stuttgart, Ulm, Augsburg and Munich to the Austrian West Autobahn near Salzburg....
passes about 20 km to the north. The 9559 Tegernsee-Ringlinie bus connects Tegernsee with Rottach-Egern, Bad Wiessee
Bad Wiessee
Bad Wiessee is a spa town on Lake Tegernsee, Bavaria, Germany. The name "Bad" means for "spa" or "baths", while "Wiessee" derives from "West See", meaning "western part of the lake"....
and Gmund am Tegernsee.
The railway station is the terminus of the privately owned Tegernsee-Bahn
TAG Tegernsee Immobilien und Beteiligung
TAG Tegernsee Immobilien und Beteiligungs-AG is a property company from Germany with its head office in Hamburg. Until 1998 as Tegernsee-Bahn it operated the railway line from Schaftlach via Gmund to Tegernsee...
and is linked to Munich by through trains of the Bayerische Oberlandbahn. It is also a principal stop for the pleasure boat services operated on the lake by the Bayerische Seenschifffahrt
Bayerische Seenschifffahrt
The Bayerische Seenschifffahrt GmbH, or Bavarian Lakes Shipping Company, is a company that operates shipping services on several lakes in the German state of Bavaria...
company.
Coat of arms
The coat of arms of Tegernsee is divided into four quarters: the upper left and lower right quarters each depict three golden crowns on a blue background; the other two quarters depict water-lily leaves with entwined stalks above blue waves on a silver background. It was granted in 1886 and is based on the coat of arms of Tegernsee Abbey from 1565.Twin towns
In 2006 Tegernsee twinned with DürnsteinDürnstein
Dürnstein is a small town on the Danube river in the Krems-Land district, in the Austrian state of Lower Austria. It is one of the most visited tourist destinations in the Wachau region and also a well-known wine growing area...
, an Austrian town on the Danube.
DürnsteinDürnstein
Dürnstein is a small town on the Danube river in the Krems-Land district, in the Austrian state of Lower Austria. It is one of the most visited tourist destinations in the Wachau region and also a well-known wine growing area...
, Austria
Sports
Tegernsee is the home town of Viktoria RebensburgViktoria Rebensburg
Viktoria Rebensburg is a champion alpine ski racer, the 2010 Olympic gold medalist in the giant slalom....
, an alpine ski racer who won the gold medal in the women's giant slalom at the 2010 Winter Olympics
Alpine skiing at the 2010 Winter Olympics – Women's giant slalom
The women's giant slalom competition of the Vancouver 2010 Olympics was held at Whistler Creekside in Whistler, British Columbia, on February 24. Following the first run, the event was postponed due to heavy fog in the afternoon; the second run was held the next morning, February 25.Viktoria...
, and won the giant slalom title in the 2011 Alpine Skiing World Cup
2011 Alpine Skiing World Cup
The 45th FIS Alpine Ski World Cup season began on 23 October 2010, in Sölden, Austria, and concluded on 20 March 2011, at the World Cup finals in Lenzerheide, Switzerland.Being an odd-numbered year, the biennial World Championships took place in February...
.
The town is also home to the sports association TV Tegernsee, whose chess club plays in the first division of the Bundesliga
Chess Bundesliga
The term Chess Bundesliga , normally refers to the premier league of team chess in Germany. It is arguably the strongest and longest running league of its kind, attracting many top grandmasters from Europe and beyond....
.
Notable residents
- Joseph Karl StielerJoseph Karl StielerJoseph Karl Stieler was a German painter. Born in Mainz to a family of engravers and die-cutters, Stieler received some artistic training from his father, August Friedrich Stieler...
, a painter in the service of the Bavarian court. - Olaf GulbranssonOlaf GulbranssonOlaf Leonhard Gulbransson was a Norwegian artist, painter and designer. He is probably best known for his caricatures and illustrations.-Biography:...
, Norwegian painter and caricaturist. - Viktoria RebensburgViktoria RebensburgViktoria Rebensburg is a champion alpine ski racer, the 2010 Olympic gold medalist in the giant slalom....
, alpine ski racer, giant slalom gold medallist in the 2010 Winter Olympics. - Ludwig GanghoferLudwig GanghoferLudwig Ganghofer was a German writer who became famous for his homeland novels.-Biography:Born in Kaufbeuren, he graduated from a gymnasium in 1873 and subsequently worked as a fitter in Augsburg engine works...
, author.