Christlieger is the name of the only island in the

Königssee The Königssee () is a natural lake in the southeast Berchtesgadener Land district of the German state of Bavaria, near the Austrian border. Most of the lake is within the Berchtesgaden National Park. Description Situated within the Bercht ...

lake in

Bavaria Bavaria, officially the Free State of Bavaria, is a States of Germany, state in the southeast of Germany. With an area of , it is the list of German states by area, largest German state by land area, comprising approximately 1/5 of the total l ...

Germany Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It lies between the Baltic Sea and the North Sea to the north and the Alps to the south. Its sixteen States of Germany, constituent states have a total popu ...

. It is located near the northern end of the lake, at . It is also called Johannesinsel (John's Island or St. John's), after the

marble Marble is a metamorphic rock consisting of carbonate minerals (most commonly calcite (CaCO3) or Dolomite (mineral), dolomite (CaMg(CO3)2) that have recrystallized under the influence of heat and pressure. It has a crystalline texture, and is ty ...

statue A statue is a free-standing sculpture in which the realistic, full-length figures of persons or animals are carved or Casting (metalworking), cast in a durable material such as wood, metal or stone. Typical statues are life-sized or close to ...

John of Nepomuk John of Nepomuk (or John Nepomucene) (; ; ) ( 1345 – 20 March 1393) was a saint of Bohemia (a western part of what is now the Czech Republic) who was drowned in the Vltava river at the behest of King Wenceslaus IV of Bohemia. Later accounts st ...

that was erected on the island in 1711. The island is 61 meters long north-south and up to 26 meters wide, with an area of 1260 square meters (0.31

acre The acre ( ) is a Unit of measurement, unit of land area used in the Imperial units, British imperial and the United States customary units#Area, United States customary systems. It is traditionally defined as the area of one Chain (unit), ch ...

s). On the eastern side, small boats can land, but not the passenger boats going to St. Bartholomä. The island is part of the municipality of

Schönau am Königssee Schönau am Königssee is a Municipalities of Germany, municipality in the district of Berchtesgadener Land in the Germany, German state of Bavaria. It is located at the northern end of the Königssee lake. Geography Schönau is surrounded by t ...

. The land is owned by the

Free State of Bavaria Bavaria, officially the Free State of Bavaria, is a state in the southeast of Germany. With an area of , it is the largest German state by land area, comprising approximately 1/5 of the total land area of Germany, and with over 13.08 million ...

Statue

A well-known monument on the island is the statue of John of Nepomuk, patron saint protector from floods and drowning. The statue is about 180 cm high and made of

. It stands on a hill in the northern portion of the island, on top of a

pedestal A pedestal or plinth is a support at the bottom of a statue, vase, column, or certain altars. Smaller pedestals, especially if round in shape, may be called socles. In civil engineering, it is also called ''basement''. The minimum height o ...

about two meters high. The statue was erected in 1711 and donated by Johann Anton Zeitlmayer, director of chancellery and land judge of the

Berchtesgaden Provostry Berchtesgaden Provostry or the Prince-Provostry of Berchtesgaden () was an immediate (') principality of the Holy Roman Empire, held by a canonry (a collegiate foundation of Canons Regular) led by a Prince-Provost. Geography The territory co ...

, after all four passengers involved in a boat accident had been rescued. Since the erection of this statue, the island has also been called ''Johannesinsel'' (John's island or St. John's). It is believed that previously a statue of

Apostle An apostle (), in its literal sense, is an emissary. The word is derived from Ancient Greek ἀπόστολος (''apóstolos''), literally "one who is sent off", itself derived from the verb ἀποστέλλειν (''apostéllein''), "to se ...

Bartholomew Bartholomew was one of the twelve apostles of Jesus according to the New Testament. Most scholars today identify Bartholomew as Nathanael, who appears in the Gospel of John (1:45–51; cf. 21:2). New Testament references The name ''Bartholomew ...

was at this location.

Platform

The platform on which the pedestal of the statue rests is enclosed by

balustrade A baluster () is an upright support, often a vertical moulded shaft, square, or lathe-turned form found in stairways, parapets, and other architectural features. In furniture construction it is known as a spindle. Common materials used in its ...

s, and stairs lead to it from north and south. On the eastern side, the platform is supported by a brick wall that has two marble boards attached to it, with the inscriptions referring to the erection of the statue in 1711 and to its renovation in 1811. In front of the wall are two small stone

pyramid A pyramid () is a structure whose visible surfaces are triangular in broad outline and converge toward the top, making the appearance roughly a pyramid in the geometric sense. The base of a pyramid can be of any polygon shape, such as trian ...

s. Their history and meaning is unknown. Next to this part of the island is the boat landing place. At the southern end of the island, a third stone pyramid was built in the course of the renovation starting in 1810.

Grotto

Under the platform is a

grotto A grotto or grot is a natural or artificial cave or covered recess. Naturally occurring grottoes are often small caves near water that are usually flooded or often flooded at high tide. Sometimes, artificial grottoes are used as garden fea ...

, which is accessible through an iron gate from the west. The grotto has a square floor plan, and the side panels have two niches each. At the rear wall is a fountain made of red marble, dated to the late 16th century. It is unknown whether the grotto already existed in 1711, or when the well was constructed.

Literature

* ''Die „Christlieger“ bekommt ein neues Gesicht. Umfangreiche Quellenforschung und viel Fingerspitzengefühl für die Sanierung der Königssee-Insel erforderlich.'' Berchtesgadener Anzeiger, Nr. 181, 21 September 1991, Berchtesgaden 1991, Berchtesgadener Anzeiger Verlag. * Elmar D. Schmid: ''St. Bartholomä am Königssee. Amtlicher Führer'', 6. Auflage, München 1991, Bayerische Verwaltung der Staatlichen Schlösser, Gärten und Seen. * ''Geschichte von Berchtesgaden'', Band 2,1: Vom Beginn der Wittelsbachischen Administratium bis zum Übergang an Bayern 1810, Teil 1: Politik - Gesellschaft - Wirtschaft- Recht, Berchtesgaden 1993, Plenk Verlag,

References

{{authority control Lake islands of Germany Islands of Bavaria Berchtesgadener Land