News from the Bavarian Palaces, Gardens and Lakes
Dear partners of the Bavarian Palaces, Gardens and Lakes,
Spring is here, and with it the perfect opportunity to explore the beautiful Bavarian palace landscape!
In this edition of our newsletter we’re inviting you to cycle through the picturesque countryside of Bavaria and experience the impressive sights close up.  
We’re also introducing the Germany-wide project WIRKSAM. The female networks of the Hohenzollerns in the Late Middle Ages) with its fascinating exhibitions and events.
Discover the Pompeiianum in Aschaffenburg and the enchanting Rose Island, a royal retreat for Ludwig II.
A further highlight is the Venus Grotto in Linderhof Palace Park, which has now been reopened to the public!
Last but not least, time slots can now be booked to go round Nymphenburg Palace, ensuring a more relaxing visit.

Allow yourself to be inspired and enjoy the spring to the full! 

The tourism team of the Bavarian Palace Administration
Tourism Newsletter
Content
By bike through the land of palaces
WIRKSAM. Women’s Networks in the House of Hohenzollern in the Late Middle Ages
Pompeiianum – a unique highlight in Aschaffenburg
The myth of the fairy-tale king: Rose Island as a royal retreat
Venus Grotto in Linderhof Palace Park reopened to the public
Time slots for Nymphenburg Palace
 
By bike through the land of palaces
With a network of routes covering around 9,000 km, which enables you to travel all over the Free State, Bavaria is perfect for exploring by bike. There are connecting sections joining up the individual bike routes so you can create a tour that perfectly meets your own requirements.
Have you realized that along these routes you can also easily access numerous sites under the responsibility of the Bavarian Palace Administration?

In this and the next two issues of our newsletter we’re introducing selected route ideas, beginning in this one with the Main Cycle Tour, the Ammer-Amper Cycle Tour and the Altmühltal Cycle Tour.
With these you can enjoy cycling and sightseeing to the full, so that neither exercise nor culture will be neglected during your holiday in Bavaria.

Make a note:
Part 2 of our route suggestions awaits you in the next edition of our newsletter. 
RadlLand Bayern
 
WIRKSAM. Women’s Networks in the House of Hohenzollern in the Late Middle Ages
The Germany-wide project WIRKSAM. Women’s Networks in the House of Hohenzollern in the Late Middle Ages invites you to immerse yourselves in the world of female rulers and princesses!
From July 2025 to summer 2026, exhibitions, events and publications at ten authentic locations will reveal the network that spanned the country starting in Cadolzburg as the ancestral seat of the Franconian (Hohen-)Zollerns und and the Brandenburg electorate – in which women were particularly active.

Exhibitions in Bavarian Palace Administration properties: 
  • Cadolzburg: ‘Eine Frau an der Macht. Elisabeth von Bayern (1383–1442)’ (A woman in power. Elisabeth of Bavaria) (31.7.–19.10.2025)
  • Burghausen Castle Museum:‘Frauenzimmer – Frauenhof’ (Women and their domain at court) (17.9.–14.12.2025)
  • Neuburg Palace: ‘Ehebande – (Ohn)Macht der Frauen?’ (Marriage bonds – disempowering or empowering women?) (6.12.2025–1.3.2026)
  • Trausnitz Castle, Landshut: ‘Fürstliche Hochzeiten – Netzwerke für die Zukunft’ (Princely weddings – networks for the future) (1.5.2026–2.8.2026)
Further information (tickets, procedure at the venue etc.) is contained in this Factsheet.
Factsheet
 
Pompeiianum – a unique highlight in Aschaffenburg
Discover the Pompeiianum, a fascinating example of Roman architecture and culture that was built under King Ludwig of Bavaria between 1840 and 1848. This impressive reconstruction of a Roman villa with colourful murals and artistic mosaic floors was based on ancient models. The special exhibition ‘INSPIRATION POMPEJI – Die Innenausstattung des Pompejanums’ (Pompeii reimagined – the interior decoration of the Pompeiianum), created to mark the 175th anniversary of the Pompeiianum, can be seen until 31.10.2025.

Tip: The Pompeiianum is picturesquely located on a hill with vineyards high above the River Main and is part of the Aschaffenburg Palace Garden. Combine the visit with Johannisburg Palace, which with its impressive Renaissance architecture and valuable collections is well worth seeing. Schönbusch Palace and Park with its extensive gardens and lakes, will provide an idyllic finishing touch to your stay in Aschaffenburg.
Palaces and gardens in Aschaffenburg
 
The myth of the fairy-tale king: Rose Island as a royal retreat
The idyllic Rose Island in Lake Starnberg covers an area of 2.56 hectares (around 632 acres) and features the Rose Garden designed by Peter Joseph Lenné and the charming ‘Casino’, a small island villa that became one of King Ludwig II’s favourite places.
Here he received illustrious guests such as the Russian Czarina Maria Alexandrowna, Richard Wagner and Empress Elisabeth of Austria. Surrounded by thousands of roses, King Ludwig could devote himself to reading far away from the constraints of protocol.

Tip: It’s particularly worth visiting the island when the roses are blooming. On the guided tours offered during the main blooming season, visitors can find out all about the history of the rose and the Rose Garden.
Rose Island – Starnberger See
 
Venus Grotto in Linderhof Palace Park reopened to the public
The Venus Grotto, a highpoint of King Ludwig II’s illusionist architecture, is newly resplendent after comprehensive restoration measures. It was recently reopened to visitors, who can now see it again in its original historical form.

Tickets for the grotto during the summer season 2025 can only be obtained at the Linderhof cash desk. For technical reasons we’re unable to offer online tickets for it this year, but modification of the ticket structure is planned for next year. Information will be sent to you in time in our newsletter and on the website.

You can also find ticket options for the 2025 summer season and important information for your visit on the website. For groups of 15 persons and over it is possible to book in advance by e-mail, fax or letter (fee €1.50 per person).
Further details
 
Time slots for Nymphenburg Palace
For several years now, Nymphenburg Palace has been getting increasingly popular and visitor numbers have been continually rising. To make visits to the palace as relaxing as possible for everyone, time slots with a fixed contingent of tickets have been introduced for the 2025 summer season. The park pavilions and the Marstallmuseum are not affected by this.

The newly reorganized ticket shop offers hourly time slots for visits to Nymphenburg Palace, which applies whether you have an individual ticket for the palace or a combined ticket for all the buildings in the complex. All the important information about the procedure in Nymphenburg is summarized on the website.
Further details
 
Bayerische Verwaltung der staatlichen Schlösser, Gärten und Seen
Schloss Nymphenburg, Eingang 16, 80638 München
Postal address: Postfach 20 20 63, 80020 München

Telephone +49 89 1 79 08-0, Telefax +49 89 1 79 08-154
poststelle@bsv.bayern.de

Authorized representative: Bernd Schreiber (President)
Official data protection officer: Datenschutzbeauftragter@bsv.bayern.de

VAT identification number in accordance with § 27 a German VAT Act: DE129523435
Customs/EORI number: DE4781333