Model ship - Bucentaur vom Würmsee

This is a miniature version of the Bucentaur by King Ludwig.

The model is very detailed and produced to a high quality. Many details have been realized. Only the finest woods were selected and all fittings and components were reproduced as faithfully as possible. The panels of the great hall resemble the original and were cast from a special resin. Even the typical elaborate paintings on the Bucentaur’s gunwale were executed with a great deal of craftsmanship.

Here now the very interesting history of the Bucentaur:

The Bucentaur, modeled after the Venetian bucintoro or buzzo d’oro (golden belly), was built from 1662 to 1665. With a length of 29 meters, a width of 8.4 meters and a height of 5 meters (without masts), it was roughly as large as today’s Bernried. A draft of only 0.9 meters allowed operation close to the shore; 80 oarsmen with gilded oars kept the ship on course in any wind.

As the new jewel of the Electoral pleasure fleet, the Bucentaur played a central role in the court festivities around Lake Starnberg. These palace and sea festivals, especially the deer hunts in the shore area between Kempfenhausen and Berg, were the talk of European nobility and attracted visitors from all across Central Europe. They rivaled the celebrations of French King Louis XIV.

The court party was driven from the Munich Residenz to Lake Starnberg on a specially laid and reserved carriage road – the so-called Prince’s Path. In total 18 barriers stopped cross traffic and allowed for a pleasant journey.

Electoral Sea Festival with Bucentaur – Ignaz Bidermann 1738

For grand occasions, 450 to 500 people – guests, court officials, servants, and crews – were on board. When the great hall was feasting, the kitchen ships, the cellar ship, and the sommeliership had to be started up. In 1671 there was an 18-day festival with tournaments, fireworks, hunts, banquets, plays, and operas; the festivities occupied the entire northeast sea area. The preparation and sequence of these celebrations are vividly described by HR Klein. Impressive are the detailed provisioning lists with old designations for poultry and local fish. Local farmers, fishermen, and craftsmen could earn a good living here.

In addition to his castles at Starnberg and Possenhofen, Elector Ferdinand had the Berg Castle built from 1676 as a mooring place for the Bucentaur. Two years later he bought Kempfenhausen Castle with the surrounding lands. In his Forstenrieder Park, deer were released and driven by beaters and dogs through an enclosed, broad trail south of Harkirchen to the Etz valley. There the narrow trail opened funnel-like to the lake and left the animals no choice but to plunge into the water, where they were welcomed by the hunting party.

But one question cannot be answered by HR Klein either: What did the court gentlemen from the Sattlerhof (today Will), from Clausenhof (today Gastl), from Schusterhof (still Schuster), from the Harkirchen courts, and the other courts think about this spectacle? They had already lived on their estates for centuries and led a completely different life than the powdered court society. But that is another story.