Lake constance
by call_me_rhia
Lake Constance is a beautiful and large lake, in fact it's the largest lake in Germany measuring 536 square kilometres , although it really belongs to three countries, not only Germany.
Here are some facts about its shorelines:
- German shoreline: 173 km
- Swiss shoreline: 72 km
- Austrian shoreline: 28 km I generally like walking along the lakeshore, simly as that - and in particular look at htearchitecture and at the numerous fishermen there. The lake, it appears, is very fishy.
Fastnacht: Jester Guild of the Blätzlebuebe
by Kathrin_E
The typical local jester figure is the Blätzlebue (plural: Blätzlebuebe). In local dialect the small U-shaped pieces of fabric that are sewn all over the Häs are named Blätzle. They do not wear wooden masks but a textile headcover which is also covered in Blätzle, with a red cockscomb on top. Their colours are generally dark. Some even have the edges of each Blätzle embroidered in different colours.
So far I have not yet had the chace to visit Konstanz during Fastnacht to see them in the streets of their hometown. This is on my to-do-list. My photos of the Konstanzer guild were taken during the jester meeting in Bad Cannstatt 2009. They also showed up at the meeting in Singen 2010 - more photos here.
The Fastnacht in Konstanz begins with the Hemdglunker on Carnival Thursday. People dress in white nightshirts and roam the dark streets early in the morning. Later on the guilds visit the schools of the town and 'free' the children.
The main event of the Konstanzer Fastnacht is the big parade on Sunday afternoon.
More Day Trip Options
by Kathrin_E
Due to lack of photos, just a quick list now to give you some names for further research and investigation. This list is far from complete. Konstanz is a great base to explore the lake region and places to visit from here are plenty.
Birnau - baroque pilgrimage church
Unteruhldingen - reconstruction of a prehistoric village according to archeological finds
Lindau - old town on an island in the lake
Bregenz - at the far end of the Bodensee, Austria's small piece of lake shore
Kreuzlingen - a quick walk to Switzerland
Stein am Rhein - the town with the famous painted houses
Schaffhausen - more than just the Rhine Falls , don't miss the well preserved old town and the castle
Winterthur - Gottfried Semper for fans of 19th century architecture, and the amazing Sammlung Oskar Reinhart , a private collection of classical modern art with all the big names
Hegau - the landscape around Singen with its extinct volcanoes and castle ruins like Hohentwiel and Hohenkrähen
Sankt Gallen - another of the most influential early medieval monasteries, present buildings are baroque. The No. 1 treasure is the library with its collection of medieval manuscrips in a splendid baroque hall.
"Imperia" Harbour Statue
by Gentleman75
The statue is 9 metres high and weighting 18 tons. It refers to a 16th-century Italian courtesan of the same name. Honoré de Balzac, the famous French novelist, transported this historic figure to Constance in literary terms. His "Contes Drolatiques" are a literary monument to Imperia. The statue has her arms outstretched and is holding two grotesque figures who have donned an imperial crown and a papal tiara, the insignia of worldly and religious power.
Walking around the harbour
by mauro_pd
The harbour itself is a mile long bank where you can have packs of reaturants and cafes and beergarden; nevertheless it is nice to stroll a little bit on down the line ... also on saturday afternoon it was not too crowded.
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main choir
Konstanz with minster seen from Kreuzlingen
Railway station
beergarden
