The Abbey of Frauenwörth and the Fraueninsel
Our abbey is located in the middle of a pristine, beautiful landscape of the Bavarian Alpine foothills on the Fraueninsel in Lake Chiemsee.
The Fraueninsel rises up to 8 m above the lake level, is 15.5 hectares in size, car-free and can be walked around in 20 minutes on a comfortable shore path. The island is one of the oldest cultural sites in the Chiemgau region.
Alongside Herreninsel and the uninhabited Krautinsel, it is the second largest of the three islands in Lake Chiemsee. In terms of local politics, it belongs to the municipality of Chiemsee in the Upper Bavarian district of Rosenheim.
With over 50 houses, Fraueninsel is now very densely populated and is the smallest political community in all of Bavaria. Our monastery area covers about a third of the total area.
The long and eventful history, the landscape, the people of the area, the spiritual community focused on stability and self-government and the pilgrimage to Blessed Irmengard - the patron saint of the Chiemgau - characterize this wonderful place and exert a special charisma and attraction far and wide.
Since 1828, the world-famous “Frauenchiemsee Artists’ Colony” contributed to the island’s fame. Among others, the painter Max Haushofer and his artists’ guild belonged to this colony.