Übersee

Übersee
Übersee at Chiemsee
Coat of arms
Übersee Location of Übersee within Traunstein district
Coordinates: 47°49′N 12°28′E / 47.817°N 12.467°E / 47.817; 12.467Coordinates: 47°49′N 12°28′E / 47.817°N 12.467°E / 47.817; 12.467
Country	Germany
State	Bavaria
Admin. region	Oberbayern
District	Traunstein
Government
• Mayor	Marc Nitschke (CSU)
Area
• Total	30.53 km2 (11.79 sq mi)
Elevation	525 m (1,722 ft)
Population (2017-12-31)[1]
• Total	5,056
• Density	170/km2 (430/sq mi)
Time zone	CET/CEST (UTC+1/+2)
Postal codes	83236
Dialling codes	08642
Vehicle registration	TS
Website	www.gemeinde-uebersee.de

Übersee is a municipality in the rural district of Traunstein in upper Bavaria, Germany. It lies on the south shore of lake Chiemsee.

Geography

History

Übersee was very committed to agriculture for most of its recorded existence. After World War II ended, tourism became increasingly important and let the village thrive. The „Sommerfrischler“ - as they are called in the local dialect - were middle- to upper-class people from big cities who spent their vacation at lake Chiemsee in the summer months during the time of the economic boom after WWII. Furthermore, the village is connected to major transit roads between Munich and the Alps. Functioning partly as an „entrance to the Achental“, Übersee is a good starting point for visitors who wish to explore both the lakeside and the mountains.

In the past, Übersee suffered many times from floods of nearby river Tiroler Ache. This threat was minimized by building a dam in the 1930s. Still to this day, drained bits of ancient river beds can be found throughout the village.

Culture

The house of late German impressionst painter Julius Exter (1863-1939) is used today as a seasonal art exhibition and artesanal market for fellow local artists. Generally, Übersee - because of its location amidst mountains and lake Chiemsee - attracted a number of artists and painters in the past which are now commonly referred to as "Chiemseemaler" (Chiemsee Painters). Exter is considered to be the one of the first and the most famous one, being in close contact with the world-famous Franz Marc and having opened a painting school in his house.

The new-folk/techno/brass-rock band LaBrassBanda has its origins in Übersee, where singer Stefan Dettl founded the band in 2006.

In the Chiemgau region, Übersee is famous for its large Church. The Roman Catholic St. Nikolaus church was built by munich Architect Joseph Elsner in a neo-gothic style. Because of its impressive size compared to the relatively small village (with a Tower over 75 meters tall), it is often referred to as the "Achental-Cathedral".

Economy

Because of its location between lake Chiemsee and the alpine foothills and its connection to a major highway and railway between Munich and Salzburg, tourism plays a very big role in Übersee's economy, the most important group being daily-tourists from the regions of Munich and northern Austria. Particularly in the summertime, many local residents offer rooms and flats for travellers, a practice that has been quite common in the area eversince the 1950s' economic boom.

Übersee's northernmost neighbourhood, Feldwies, offers a lakeshore-beach park with various bars and extensive grastronomy. In the summertime, the local boatline Chiemsee Schifffahrt connects the beach to Frauenchiemsee island.

Also, agriculture has not disappeared and is still practiced, often in traditionally-oriented methods, as well as fishing.

People associated with the village

• Walter L. Brendel (1923-2013), painter, worked and lived in Feldwies
• Christian Ehrig (*1964), journalist and foreign correspondent, born in Übersee
• Julius Exter (1863-1939), impressionist painter, close friend of Franz Marc, worked and lived in Übersee in his final years
• Franz Sales Gebhardt-Westerbuchberg (1895-1969), painter, worked in the Chiemgau region
• Klaus Steiner (*1953), politician (former bavarian state-senator), born in Übersee
• Georg Einerdinger (1943-2015), actor, born in Übersee

References