Lake Constance Attractions Bodensee

Länder: Baden-Württemberg and Bavaria

Lake Constance lies on the southern border of Germany, bounded on the south by Switzerland and, at its southeastern tip, by Austria. The town of Konstanz lies in latitude 47°39' north and longitude 9°10' east; Bregenz, at the southeast end of the lake, in latitude 47°30' north and longitude 9°44' east.

Mean water level: 395 m/1296ft. Area: 545 sq. km/210 sq. mi (Obersee and Überlinger See together 480 sq. km/185 sq. mi, Untersee 65 sq. km/25 sq. mi).

Frontier lines

The national frontier lines in Lake Constance are largely undemarcated. Only the Untersee has a clearly established boundary line along the middle of the lake, laid down under a treaty of 1855 between the Grand Duchy of Baden and the Swiss canton of Thurgau. The Überlinger See, which is bounded on three sides by German territory, falls with the Land of Baden-Württemberg as far as a line from Meersburg to Eichhorn (Konstanz). In the Obersee the international boundary is fixed only for the small inlet at Konstanz, roughly along the middle of the Konstanzer Bucht, under an agreement between Baden and Switzerland.

For the whole of the rest of the Obersee there is no international agreement defining areas of sovereignty; but since the end of the First World War there has been fairly general tacit agreement about frontier lines.

General

Lake Constance, lying below the northern edge of the Alps, is by far the largest lake in Germany, the third largest lake in Central Europe (after Lake Balaton in Hungary and Lake Geneva) and the second largest of the lakes bordering the Alps. From southeast to northwest it is divided into the Obersee, the largest and deepest part of the lake, extending from Bregenz Bay to Eichhorn (Konstanz), and two much narrower, shorter and shallower branches, the Überlinger See between the Bodanrück and Linzgau and the Untersee, separated from the main lake by a strip of land traversed by the Rhine at Konstanz. At its northern end the Untersee splits into the Gnadensee, between the island of Reichenau and the Bodanrück, and the Zeller See, between the Höri and Mettnau peninsulas in Radolfzell Bay.

**Landscape

Lake Constance offers scenery of striking beauty, with its majestic expanse of water and its fringe of old lakeside towns and attractive villages.

Along the south side of the lake is an imposing backdrop of wooded hills and, beyond these, the Appenzell Alps (Säntis, 2,504 m/8,216ft); to the east, beyond the wide valley of the Alpine Rhine, the Vorarlberg Alps and above them Rätikon, with the Schesaplana (2,964 m/9,725ft); and, farther east still, the Bregenzer Wald (Pfänder, 1,064 m/3,491ft) and the Allgäu Alps.

The Upper Swabian foreland to the north of the lake, with the Linzgau to the west, is an upland region with numerous rivers, rising to its highest point at 837 m/2,746ft - a region of scattered villages, woodland, arable fields and orchards.

The shores of the Obersee are mainly flat, with a number of large bays, particularly at the delta of the Rhine, the Dornbirner Ach and the Bregenzer Ach. The long-settled land around the western end of the lake, patterned by the Bodanrück, the Mettnau and Höri peninsulas and the fjord-like Überlinger See, continues to the west without any interruption in the Hegau, which with its boldly shaped hills ranks among the most attractive volcanic landscapes in Germany.

Protection of nature

Various areas on the shores of the lake, particularly near the mouths of the larger tributary rivers, have been declared landscape or nature reserves in order to maintain them in their relatively unspoiled condition. The most important nature reserves are the Wollmatinger Ried, where the Rhine flows from the main lake into the Untersee; the southeastern part of the Mettnau peninsula; various sections of the shores of the Höri peninsula; the Mindelsee and the marshland around its shores; the area around the mouth of the Stockacher Aach; the north shore of the Bodanrück, around the Marienschlucht and between Litzelstetten and Wallhausen; the area around the mouth of the Seefelder Aach between Seefelden and Unteruhldingen; and the Eriskircher Ried around the mouth of the Old Rhine.

The Lake Constance Trail (Bodensee-Rundwanderweg)

Walkers are catered for by the Lake Constance Trail (Bodensee-Rundwanderweg), which encircles the lake at varying distances from its shores and at varying heights for a distance of 272km/169mi, marked by a black arrow curving round a black dot. Within German territory it frequently follows the paths waymarked (blue and yellow lozenge) by the Schwarzwaldverein; on the south side of the lake it coincides with the European long-distance trail No. 5 (Lake Constance to the Adriatic; marked by white signs).

Art and Architecture

There are numerous historic buildings round Lake Constance on which much restoration work has been carried out, and excellent work has also been done in cleaning up and improving the towns and villages. The region offers examples of the artistic achievement of every period and style, and visitors interested in art and architecture may therefore find it helpful to have some notes about the outstanding sights.

Romanesque

The finest examples of Romanesque are to be found on the monastery island of Reichenau (Minster, Mittelzell; St George's, Oberzell; SS. Peter and Paul, Niederzell) and in Konstanz (Minster) and Lindau (St. Peter's).

Gothic

Gothic buildings, both religious and secular, are much more numerous: Konstanz (St. Stephen's, Mauritziusrotunde; Kaufhaus/Council Building), Meersburg (Grethgebäude), Überlingen (Minster), Lindau (Diebsturm), Eriskirch (parish church), Radolfzell (Minster), Markdorf (St. Nicholas's, Stadtschloss), Salem (monastic church), Ravensburg (St. Jodok's, Town Hall, Weigh-House).

Renaissance and Baroque

Impressive Renaissance buildings are the palaces of Heiligenberg and Wolfegg and the town halls of Lindau and Konstanz. The early Baroque period is represented by the Altes Schloss in Meersburg, the Schlosskirche in Friedrichshafen and the Ritterschaftshaus in Radolfzell. The outstanding examples of High Baroque and Roccoco are Weingarten Abbey and the pilgrimage church at Birnau; others are the Neues Schloss in Meersburg, the Imperial Hall in Salem monastery, the Neues Schloss in Tettnang, the old monastic church at Weissenau (near Ravensburg), St Martin's Church in Langenargen and St Mary's in Lindau, and the Schloss and Schlosskirche on the island of Mainau.

Boat Services on Lake Constance

Regular services

Boat services on Lake Constance run from the middle of April to the middle of October. (Passport or equivalent document required for entry to Switzerland or Austria). The main routes are the following (with numerous other intermediate calls, and additional services between some of the intermediate stations):

Konstanz - (Mainau) - Meersburg - Friedrichshafen - Lindau - Bregenz

Konstanz - Meersburg - (Mainau) - Überlingen

Überlingen - Ludwigshafen - Bodman

Kreuzlingen - Konstanz - Reichenau - Radolfzell or Schaffhausen

Lindau - Bad Schachen - Wasserburg - Rohrschach

Ferries

There are ferry services (passengers and cars) all year round between Friedrichshafen and Romanshorn and between Konstanz-Staad and Meersburg (the latter a 24-hour service).

There are also local passenger ferries between Allensbach station and the island of Reichenau (Mittelzell) and across the Rhine at Konstanz.

Excursions

During the summer there are numerous excursions of various kinds (sometimes subject to weather conditions) from the larger towns on the lake (whole-day or half-day trips, shorter breakfast or coffee trips, evening dancing parties, mystery excursions, special trips for particular events).

Boating

Like all shipping on the lake, pleasure craft are subject to the Lake Constance shipping regulations, which everyone in charge of a boat must know.

Persons in charge of a motorboat of over 5 HP or a sailing boat with a sail area over 12 sq. m/130 sq. ft must have a driving or sailing license.

Sailing on the lake is not for the novice. Although the wind usually blows steadily from east or west it is often gusty near the shore. Danger may arise from the storms which blow up suddenly, and attention should be paid to the storm warning lights on the shore.