The Island
has been here for 1000 years. It has of course existed far longer, but the name Lindau first appears in a document in the year 882. It is assumed that a monastery was founded on the island between 810 and 820, and that marked the beginning of Lindau as a town. Just as old, and possibly even older, is St Peter’s Church, perhaps the church of the fishermen who lived on the island earlier still.
A market, originally held in Aeschach on the mainland, was moved to the island in 1079 for reasons of safety, and the town began to develop. This is the town we can still explore today on a walk around the island, with its old houses, its narrow and very narrowest lanes and its cobblestones — uncomfortable for some. And the names of those lanes: Fischergasse, Färbergasse, Schmiedgasse, Salzgasse, Metzgergasse, Pfeiffergässele and so on. In those days the advantages of sharing a quarter evidently outweighed any sense of rivalry …
The town grew through craft and trade, became a Free Imperial City as early as the 13th century, and so alongside the craftsmen’s houses we can also admire grand patrician houses and other large buildings.
Beyond the buildings and the lanes, however, the sights are above all the harbour with Lindau’s landmarks, the lighthouse and the lion, and also the Mangturm on the harbour — the old lighthouse. The town fortifications, the town wall from the 12th and 13th centuries, include the Diebsturm and the various bastions: Gerberschanze, Römerschanze, Lindenschanze, Pulverschanze and so on.
The Lake
Lake Constance, with an area of 536 km², is the third largest lake in Central Europe Lake Balaton and Lake Geneva are larger. It is 63 km long between Bregenz and Bodman and 14 km wide between Friedrichshafen and Romanshorn. At its deepest point, level with Immenstaad, it is 251 m deep, and it lies at an altitude of 395 m.
If you look west across the “Swabian Sea” towards Konstanz, you genuinely see no shore at all, only horizon as at sea. You have to climb the Pfänder, the mountain near Bregenz, to see land and then still only guess at Konstanz.
Three countries share the shores of the lake: Germany the northern shore, Switzerland the southern shore, and Austria a short stretch in the east. Austria with its westernmost province of Vorarlberg, Switzerland with the cantons of St. Gallen, Thurgau and Schaffhausen, and Germany with Bavaria and Baden-Württemberg.
The Rhine is the largest tributary of Lake Constance. It rises in the Swiss Alps and flows into the lake almost directly opposite the island of Lindau. It does not only flow in, though: at Konstanz, or rather Stein am Rhein, it flows out again and continues on its way to the North Sea. The Rhine therefore flows through Lake Constance.
Besides the island of Lindau there are several other islands in the lake: Reichenau and Mainau are certainly the best known. Reichenau for its fruit and vegetable growing, but also for the former Reichenau Monastery, which with its three early and high medieval churches is even a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Mainau owned by the Bernadotte family and the “flower island” of Lake Constance is practically obligatory as a tourist excursion.
The Hinterland
Before the hinterland, it is perhaps worth noticing the mainland, which is everything that is not the island.
Here you can take wonderful walks, always along the lake and for as far as you like. It is three kilometres to Lindenhof Park, a beautiful park with old trees and a large lawn for those who want to sunbathe and swim. A good two kilometres further on you reach the Wasserburg peninsula with its castle. After another two kilometres you come to Nonnenhorn, a fruit and wine village with a lido. If you still have energy, carry on to Kressbronn, to Langenargen, to Eriskirch and as far as Friedrichshafen but that is already more than 20 km and rather one for the bicycle.
You can of course also go in the other eastern direction and walk the nine kilometres to Bregenz. Those who want to hike “properly” carry on for another hour and a half up the Pfänder. From here you can enjoy the incredible view over the lake, but also in every other direction: into the Allgäu, to Austria, to Switzerland. There is also a cable car up the Pfänder, but naturally you can simply stroll around Bregenz instead. Bregenz is, after all, the provincial capital of Vorarlberg.
The hinterland itself offers the best opportunities for walks and hikes: to the Hoyerberg or the Entenberg, around 3 km each, to the Taubenberg, approx. 5 km, on to Unter- or Oberreitnau, 6 km, or to Achberg Castle, which is a good 11 km, and from there a wonderful hike along the Argen down to the lake.
