Mainau Things to Do

At the south-west side of the crest of the island, quite near the botanical wine trail and the arboretum, is the Swedish Tower. In the old days it probably served as a watchtower for the castle towards the mainland. The date 1558, above the entrance door, tells us something about its period of origin, as well as the arms of the Teutonic Order and of the commander Georg von Gemmingen. The wood paneling of the upper floor and the pointed helm roof of the Swedish tower are – as in the case of the Gardener´s Tower – owed to the 19th century with its historic architectural view.

The Archway House is located at the entrance of the castle area. It was presumably built by Franz Anton Bagnato, the son of the castle architect. The date 1764 and the coat of arms of the country commander Count Königsegg indicate that. The classical annex goes back to the 19th century. In the old days the moat ran directly along the building. Today it accommodates parts of the Mainau administration as well as the Mainau service centre.

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The Castle of the Teutonic Order was built between 1739 and 1746 according to the plans and under the supervision of Johann Caspar Bagnato. In spite of limited resources, a highly balanced, symmetrical castle construction of great harmony was created. The arms of the two side wings open to the mainland in the shape of a horseshoe, while the broad side is turned towards the lake.
The building rests on a base from which two storeys rise. On the west gable you can see the splendid arms of the Grand Master Clemens August of Bavaria, the country commander Phillipp von Froberg and the Mainau commander Friedrich von Baden. The east gable towards the lake bears the arms of the Teutonic Order.
In his plans, Bagnato abstains from a magnificent, representative hallway as e.g. in the castle of Würzburg. The upper floors are reached via modest staircases in the side wings. The core of the castle is the former audience hall, the so-called "White Hall" with a colour scheme of white and gold, which acquired its modern appearance in 1883. It is open to the public only for concerts or special events. Also the arms hall, central room in the basement floor of the original corps de logis, is accessible to the public within the scope of changing exhibitions. In addition to that you can visit the rooms of the castle café at the crossing point to the palm house. In their clear architectural language, church and castle form a brilliant, harmonical ensemble – they are a unique example of the south German baroque period.

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Together with the castle, the Church St. Marien forms a unique baroque ensemble which ranks among the most splendid historical places of interest of Lake Constance. Inside the church you find a solemn yet cheerful world of sculptures, frescos and stucco. No wonder the castle church provides an atmospheric setting for weddings and for church and worldly concerts.

The Gardener´s Tower, also called Peel Tower, recounts the Mainau history of the Middle Ages and the 19th century. In co-operation with the Bodenseestiftung (Lake Constance Foundation) the Mainau has etablished a modern information centre. Impressive: the multivision with amazing pictures of the scenery of Lake Constance and its outlook for the future

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The Flower Island is located in the Lake Bodensee. Lake is very clean, and I was craving to go and take a swim in it. However, I think that would be illegal. Ducks everywhere, docks, nice pathway along the coast... really a place to relax and forget all your worries....

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While on the island, be sure to stop in and see the Butterfly House. It's a large greenhouse with all sorts of (I think) tropical plants and flowers. But best of all, there are hundreds of beautiful butterflies flying around. Put out your hands and some of the butterflies will even land on your fingers.

These are pleasant gardens to stroll through. There are excellent views of Bodensee (Lake Constance). Admission is €11.90 for adults and €3.90 for children aged 6 to 15. It is open every day from 07:00 to 20:00.

There are the flowers to see, a "Children's Land", and a toddler's playground called "Zwergendorf". There are restaurants on site.

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Right after entering the island (after paying the ticket), you have the first opportunity to take some pictures with the big ducks made from flowers, or the big five meter high flower, made also from flowers, or the big pea-cock withe a great tail made also from flowers.

From Konstanz one can take the bus to the Mainau Island, the bus leave you at few meters from the bridge that you will cross to enter the world of flowers. This is a narrow bridge, giving you views of the Lake Constance and the Mainau Island.