Constance town
by call_me_rhia
Constance town is a typical medieval town with twisting and at times cobbled gables and lanes. It's the largest town on Lake Constance and has approximatly 80000 inhanbitants. The old town is particularly well-preserved and charming - disorienting, too; but you soon retrace yout steps as its not very large. I like the fact that it's lively and vibrant, and this is due to the fact that it's home of a reknowned university. Plenty of young people around - as well as cosy bars and bier-kellers.
Ferdinand Zeppelin
by call_me_rhia
Down by the lake, not far from the Statue of Imperia, you can see a statue dedicated to the Graf (Count) Ferdinand Zeppelin (1838 - 1917). Constance, in fact , was his birthplace.
Zeppelin dedicated his life in experimenting with hot air ballons, aiming at creating a ballon that could be "flown" like a plane, and which could carry passengers, too.
He succeeded in this plan by making it a rigid balloon: he used it for several flights over the Lake of Constance. He called it "luftschiff", which literally means boat of the sky.
Eventually commercial use of these ballons was stopped, but this happened only after his death.
DAY TRIP OPTIONS: Reichenau Island
by Kathrin_E
Reichenau is the biggest island in the lakes. It divides Untersee and Gnadensee and is connected to the northern lake bank by a dam. The name translates to "rich island" and refers to its fruitful soil and mild climate as well as the wealth and reputation of the Benedictine monasteries. The landscape views define the meaning of "lovely".
In 724 the peregrine bishop and missionary Pirmin discovered the island and founded the first of three monasteries. The Benedictine abbeys of Reichenau - Oberzell, Mittelzell and Niederzell - soon became a cultural and religious centre and were one of the most influential abbeys in Central Europe during the early middle ages. Many of the most famous illuminated manuscripts of that era were written and painted on the Reichenau.
In 2000 the "monastery island" has been granted the status of Unesco World Heritage.
Visit the three Romanesque churches. Not to be missed: the treasure chamber of the abbey at Mittelzell with the most precious medieval church art.
Don't forget to enjoy the landscape. From the ridge of the island you overlook the entire Untersee and the surrounding landscape, the hills of Thurgau and the volcanic rocks in Hegau. The entire island is more or less a vegetable garden. A lot of the greens we find on the markets in the fegion have grown here.
Reichenau page of the administration of palalces and gradens in Baden-Württemberg
Website of Reichenau tourist information
How to get there: Easiest and most pleasant, take a cruise boat from Konstanz and travel along the stretch of river between the two lakes, then over to the island. From the boat landing you walk about 15 minutes across the ridge to Mittelzell. Otherwise it is a bit tricky without a car because bus connections are not as good as one would like them to be.
Exploring the rest of the island means covering some distances. The island is small but not that small. It can be walked if, and only if you have lots of time and physical ressources. Having or renting a bike would be perfect. Or by car, of course.
Train station
by Vanity666
An excellent train service connects Konstanz to the airport in Zürich. The train station at Zürich airport is in the basement of the terminal. Trains to Konstanz run at least every hour and the journey takes about one hour. Most train connections require changing in Weinfelden. On weekdays there are also eight direct trains to Konstanz. A return train ticket costs 48 SFR. Please note that if you come from Switzerland you will arrive at the Swiss train station of Konstanz (Schweizerbahnhof), only 50 meters from the main station, located in Germany (Konstanz Hauptbahnhof).
Seerhein – The “Lake Rhine”
by Kathrin_E
What is generally named and depicted as “Bodensee” in fact consists of two separate lakes. These are connected by a short piece of river in between. The so-called Seerhein begins at the lake bridge in Konstanz and opens into the Untersee at Gottlieben. Its total length is 4 kms. The entire Northern bank and the eastern half of the southern bank are German territory. For 2 kms the Swiss-German border runs in the middle of the river.
A boat cruise, for example from Konstanz to Reichenau island, is a pleasant and relaxing way of experiencing this stretch of river. The northern side is mostly covered in reeds: the Wollmatinger Ried is a nature reserve with rich wildlife, especially birds.
Satellite photo of the lake region with the stretch of river between the two lakes
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Wessenberg house, picture gallery
northern side choir
signs for cyclers
cafe room
