Lake Constance

Lake Constance© Ursula Cramer / Travanto

The Lake Constance

The Lake Constance is a popular holiday destination throughout the year. Visitors are excited about the various recreational possibilities and the Mediterranean climate at the so-called “Swabian Sea”. Ranging from the town Stein am Rhein to Bregenz, the Lake Constance covers a length of 80 kilometers. The largest town at the Lake Constance is the city of Constance whose symbol is the Imperia. This undressed female figure built by the Lake Constance artist Peter Lenk alludes with a wink to the Constance Vatican Council. Everyone looking for a romantic place should visit the town of Meersburg where you find the eldest residential castle and lots of pretty half-timbered buildings. In the New Castle in Meersburg the handwriting of the Baroque master Balthasar Neumann becomes apparent.

Friedrichshafen is the most famous town at the Lake Constance. It has once been the center for airship construction. In the Zeppelin Museum you can learn everything about this topic. A great destination for a day-trip is Lindau with its famous harbour entrance bordered with two Bavarian lions, certainly the most popular subject for photos at the Lake Constance. A walk on the palm-fringed promenade completes a perfect day in Lindau. On the island of Mainau you will dive into an ocean of colours and fragrances, on the island of Reichenau you find one of the biggest fruit and vegetable growing areas, known far beyond the frontiers of the Lake Constance region. Above the lake the pilgrim church Birnau rises up on a hill.

Vacation Rentals and Holiday Homes at Lake Constance

Lake Constance view© Sigrid Halbing / Travanto

Places of interest at the Lake Constance

Affenberg Salem
The Affenberg Salem is an adventure for the whole family. Approximately 200 monkeys life in the outdoor enclosure, as well as deer and birds. At the entrance every visitor receives a bag of popcorn which they can feed to the animals. It is fascinating to see how human the monkeys behave. If you want to learn more about our animal ancestors you can join a guided tour of the territory.

Sea Life Constance
The Sea Life in Constance is home to numerous underwater animals. In 30 pools you can find creatures of different seas like the North Sea, the Red Sea and of course the Lake Constance. Among many others you see sharks, seahorses, colourful fish, jellyfish and crabs. Very popular are the Gentoo penguins and the green sea turtles. At the interactive touching basin visitors can experience how it feels to touch a starfish or a crab. Especially children love this part of the aquarium.

Salem Castle
The Salem Castle is one of the most famous buildings at the Lake Constance. The long history of the former monastery started with the beginning of the construction work in the 12th century. Over time it has developed to one of the most important monasteries in Germany due to its economic success in salt mining and wine-growing. The 30-year-long war did also not leave the Salem Castle unaffected – massive destructions made it necessary to rebuild the castle what gave it a complete new glory. In 1920 the German Chancellor Prince Max von Baden has converted the castle into an elite boarding school, what it is still today. Beside the magnificent buildings you should not miss the beautiful park areas surrounding the castle.

Marienschlucht
A popular walking destination is the Marienschlucht, located on the peninsula Bodanrück in the Constance district. The canyon is over 100 meters deep and partially only one meter broad what means you are enclosed by the high cliffs. To get into the canyon you have to walk numerous wooden stairs that lead down into the Marienschlucht. While climbing down you can listen to the rushing streams and enjoy the beautiful nature with the stunning cliffs. The Marienschlucht is also accessible via ship or canoe.

Meersburg
One of the symbols of the Lake Constance region is the Meersburg, a castle built in the 7th century. Today you do not find any parts of original walls anymore. Its existence has been mentioned for the first time in the 12th century what gives us an idea of the age of the building. Today the castle is a museum where visitors can learn everything about life in medieval times. Discover the different parts of the castle like the kitchen, the weapon room, the dungeon and the knight’s room. A very interesting place is the death room of the poetess Annette von Droste-Hülshoff who has lived at the castle from 1841 until 1848.

Dornier Museum Friedrichshafen
At the Dornier Museum in Friedrichshafen everything is about the history of aerospace. The focus is on the extraordinary work of the famous aircraft manufacturer Claude Dornier and his company “Dornier-Werke” that is now part of the EADS. The museum with a surface area of 5000 square meters and a park area of 25,000 square meters is located directly at the airport in Friedrichshafen. The exhibition contains of different airplanes, engines, satellites and other technological developments.

Zeppelin Museum Friedrichshafen
At the Zeppelin Museum in Friedrichshafen you can learn everything about airships. The exhibition that comprises an area of 4000 square meters welcomes numerous visitors every year. Airships are existing since the 19th century. Today they are only used for advertising and not for transport anymore. The focus of the museum is the development of this fascinating transport method. In addition to that you find an exhibition of art work what makes the museum a perfect mixture of art and technology.

Pfahlbaumuseum Unteruhldingen
A very popular place to visit at the Lake Constance is the Pfahlbaumuseum in the town of Unteruhldingen. On the basis of several stilt houses the museum illustrates life in the Stone Age and the Bronze Age. Topic-related movies, workshops, different experiments and projects as well as numerous special events give the visitors a comprehensive picture how farmers and fishermen lived and worked at the Lake Constance in the past. In the “house of questions” you find solutions to interesting problems.

Lake Constance Circular Trail
If you want to get a good impression of the whole Lake Constance region you should go on a walkin-or cycling tour on the Lake Constance circular trail. The 250-kilometer-long trail leads through three different countries, Germany, Austria and Switzerland. At some parts the trail is going directly along the lake, through nature reserves and further into the back country. You will discover small villages and bigger towns and will get to know people, traditions, nature and culture of the Lake Constance region. There are different ways to explore the Lake Constance trial: You can do the whole tour or you can just do parts of the tour for a daytrip or an overnight trip. The whole trail is marked with arrows with a white dot.

Church St. Nicholas
The most important sight in the town of Überlingen is the church St. Nicholas, the biggest late Gothic church at the Lake Constance, built between 14th and 16th century. With its high North Tower the church is even bigger than the ancient Überlinger Town Hall built in the 15th century. An eye-catcher is definitely the altar. It is decorated with 23 life-sized figures.

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