Feldafing

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 Bavaria ("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 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…