Reichenau

6km/4mi west of Konstanz, in the Untersee, lies the island of Reichenau, connected with the mainland by a causeway. With an area of 428 hectares/1057 acres, it is the largest island in Lake Constance; cultivation of early vegetables (37 hectares/91 acres under glass).

The three churches belonging to the once world-famed monastery of Reichenau, founded in 724 by Charles Martel, Charlemagne's grandfather, are among the finest examples of Early Romanesque art in Germany, both for their architecture and for their magnificent frescoes. They are St George's Church in Oberzell (fine wall paintings of the Ottonian period), the Minster of St Mary and St Mark (rich treasury in sacristy) and the church of SS. Peter and Paul in Niederzell