Bernau am Chiemsee (, ; officially ) is a municipality in the district of Rosenheim in Upper Bavaria, Germany. It is also categorized as a Luftkurort.
Geography
Topography Bernau lies in the Chiemgau area at the southwestern bank of the Lake Chiemsee. Bernau is close to the Bundesautobahn 8 Munich–Salzburg and the Rosenheim–Salzburg railway. In the south are the Chiemgau Alps () with the prominent Kampenwand. The east is bogland, where peat was harvested. An old railway station for the transport of peat in the bog Kendlmühlfilzen is a reminder of this. Rosenheim is 24 km away, Munich 83 km, Kufstein 35 km, Traunstein 26 km, Salzburg 58 km, and Reit im Winkl 25 km.
At its shore, Bernau features a beach, boat hire, and mooring facilities for the ; it is possible to reach the Herreninsel directly.
The cycling route () around Lake Chiemsee also passes through one of Bernau's districts, Felden.
Neighbouring municipality Neighbouring municipalities are Übersee, Grassau, Aschau, Frasdorf, and Prien.
Community organisation The municipality has two Gemarkungen: Bernau a. Chiemsee and Hittenkirchen. The municipality Bernau am Chiemsee has 38 districts:
Abling Aufing Bach Bergham Bernau am Chiemsee Bichling Chiemseepark Felden Eichet Farbing Gattern Giebing Gröben Hafenstein Heroldsöd Hittenkirchen Hitzelsberg Hötzing Irschen Kothöd Kraimoos Moos Neumühle Osterham Reit Reitham Rudersberg Schleipfen Schörging Steinbach Stocka Stötten Unterbergham Weisham Westerham Wiedendorf Gut Lambelhof Wiesen Wimpasing
History
Before the establishment of the municipality During ancient Rome, Bernau was a popular resort for soldiers because of its convenient and healthy location. The outlines of a villa rustica were found here. This indicates the existence of a Roman bath. A Roman tombstone was also found.Joseph von Hefner: Das römische Bayern in seinen Schrift- und Bildmalen. Munich 1852, p. 195 (online).
Bernau am Chiemsee belonged to the counts of Preysing and was part of the Electorate of Bavaria. Bernau was a part of Hohenaschau, which was granted Blutgerichtsbarkeit. Today's municipality came into being during the administrative reforms in Bavaria of 1818 ().
The Emperor Maximilian I. stayed in Bernau during his campaign against Burg Marquartstein in October 1504. This has been noted on a board at the inn .
Incorporation On 1 May 1978, parts of the dissolved municipality Hittenkirchen were incorporated.
Population development Between 1988 and 2018, the municipality grew from by 1907 inhabitants. Population development Year 1840 1900 1925 1950 1961 1970 1987 1991 1995 2001 2005 2010 2015 Population 843 1089 1474 3606 3788 3792 4859 5802 6176 6612 6727 7129 6811
Religion The majority of the population in Bernau is Catholic. Services take place in the church St. Laurentius, which belongs to the Catholic parish of Bernau. The district Hittenkirchen has its own village church.
Politics Municipal council Twenty honorary council members, together with the full-time mayor, make up the municipal council of Bernau am Chiemsee. The composition of this council following the local elections in 2014 is as follows: 2014 2008 2002 Total of seats 20 20 20 CSU 8 10 10 Bernauer Liste 3 3 3 SPD 2 2 3 Greens 4 2 - Wählergruppe ÜWG 2 2 2 Wählergruppe WMG 1 1 2
Mayor Term1. Mayor2. Mayor3. Mayor2002–2014 Klaus Daiber (CSU) 2014–2020 Philipp Bernhofer (Bernauer Liste) Gerhard Jell (CSU) Alexander Herkner (SPD)since 2020Irene Biebl-Daiber (CSU)Gerhard Jell (CSU)Franz Prassberger (ÜWG)
Local authority finances In 2010, the municipal tax revenue was 4,745,000 euros, 1,676,000 euros of which were trade tax revenues.
Coat of arms and flag Blazon: "" (Silver, at the bottom a blue trimount, with two continuous silver waves going through the mount and above a green House mark consisting of a complex pattern.)
The arms belong to the innkeeper family , who have played an important role in the municipality since the end of the 15th century. The green colour has been freely selected. The trimount alludes to the Aschau coat of arms, which Bernau used to belong to; however, it also stands for the mountains in the Chiemgau area. The waves stand for the position of the town close to Lake Chiemsee. The coat of arms was designed by the engineer and designer Hugo Decker and was approved by the Bavarian Ministry of the Interior in 1956.Hugo Decker: Die Wappen der Gemeinde Bernau. In: Bernauer Heimatkreis (Hrsg.): Heimatbuch der Gemeinde Bernau am Chiemsee. Bernau am Chiemsee 1991, S.57.
The flag is striped green, white, and blue.
Economy and infrastructure Economy In 2010, according to government statistics, there were 281 employees who were subject to social insurance in the manufacturing industry and 338 employees subject to social insurance in the trade and traffic industry in Bernau. 590 employees subject to social insurance were employed in other economic sectors. In the manufacturing sector, there were three businesses, and in the building industry proper, eight. Furthermore, there were 57 farms with an agricultural land of altogether 1394 hectares, of which 1250 hectares were fields not used for agriculture.
Traffic
Rail traffic: Bernau am Chiemsee is one of the stops on the Rosenheim–Salzburg railway route, which is part of the main route Munich–Salzburg–Vienna. The train station has two train tracks and two side platforms, and was opened together with the railway route on 7 May 1860. In 2003, the train station building was modernized and now also includes a kiosk. Bus traffic: Bernau am Chiemsee is serviced by two bus links that are part of the regional traffic company Regionalverkehr Oberbayern. There is a connection to Aschau im Chiemgau, Sachrang, Prien am Chiemsee, Marquartstein, and Reit im Winkl via the bus routes 9502 and 9505.There is also the Chiemseeringlinie, a bus service with a cycle compartment that drives to designated stops in towns and villages around Lake Chiemsee during the summer. During this time, the Chiemsee-Schifffahrt also moors in Felden. Road traffic: In the northwest lies Autobahnanschlussstelle 106 Bernau of the Autobahn A 8 that crosses the Bundesstraße 305.
Education In 2010, there were the following educational institutions: Three nurseries with 200 places. A primary school. The school teaches grades 1-4, and there are two school classes for each grade.
Sport There are sports facilities in Bernau for many disciplines. These include football, basketball, tennis, paddleball, volleyball, boccia, beach volleyball, beach soccer, ballooning, biking in the mountains, downhill, skiing, snowboarding and other winter sports, as well as hiking, climbing, Nordic walking, ice skating, squash, windsurfing, surfing, sailing, and water sports. Furthermore, there are three shooting clubs.
Bernau is home to one of the biggest indoor tennis courts in Germany, as well as one of two places in Germany for the new tennis discipline called Padel. There is also a DAV indoor climbing gym. There are beach volleyball and beach soccer courts at the lake. The lake also offers many opportunities for different water disciplines. Ballooning is offered in the district of Hittenkirchen, as well as in Bernau itself.
Tourism
Bernau is a popular place for tourists due to its tranquility and its proximity to large cities such as Munich and Salzburg. Popular tourist spots apart from the Lake Chiemsee are the Bonnschlössl, the guesthouse Gasthof alter Wirt and the Torfbahnhof, an old rail station for the transportation of peat. There are also many typical Bavarian mountain pastures that still run livestock.
There is a tourist information office in the Chiemseepark Bernau-Felden.
Wellness and rehabilitation clinic Medical-Park Chiemsee, a recognized rehabilitation clinic with the specialist areas of orthopedics, traumatology, and sports medicine. The clinic is housed in a building that used to be an old Autobahn service area building called Rasthaus am Chiemsee.
Landmarks Parish Church St. Laurentius Medieval church St. Bartholomäus im Ortsteil Hittenkirchen Hotel Bonnschlössl Water tower in Bergham War memorial im Hittenkirchen Statues "Griechische Weisen" in the schoolyard of the primary school in Bernau Pillar "Seisersäule" at the entrance to the Catholic parish church St. Laurentius Museum of the old peat train station Torfbahnhof The prison (Justizvollzugsanstalt Bernau) can accommodate about 850 inmates and is one of the largest prisons in Bavaria Wayside chapel in Aufing Forest chapel near Hitzelsberg Place of prayer Mariengrotte in Kraimoos Chapel near Kalvarienberg/Hitzelsberg
Notable people Hugo Decker (1899–1985), member of the German Bundestag MdB (Bavaria Party), Parliamentary leader of the Föderalistische Union (1951–1953) Raimund Eberle (1929–2007), jurist and chief administrator (Regierungspräsident) of Upper Bavaria from 1975 to 1994 Wilfried Klaus (born 1941), actor
Gallery
References
External links
Homepage of the municipality Bernau am Chiemsee