2023-10-23 13:19:00
In the heart of Europe there is a lake overlooked by three countries – Swiss, Germanae Austria – and look at a principality, Liechtenstein. And the Lake Constance – Bodensee in German, one of the largest in the Alpine area, a green and blue oasis surrounded by landscapes of rare beauty and a varied and luxuriant nature. There are many itineraries to better experience the area bathed by this freshwater basin with 273 km of banks, which has the Reno river as its main tributary.
We propose one that affects all four countries. Let’s start from the Swiss town of San Gallo (St. Gallen), easily reachable by train, famous for its famous lace but above all for the baroque cathedral, the monastic complex and the library of its abbey, Unesco World Heritage. The library, built in 1755, is one of the most beautiful, largest and oldest convent libraries in the world and preserves the most beautiful rococo style room in Switzerland. To admire the wooden and stucco galleries, the archives where 170,000 ancient volumes and a disputed Egyptian mummy are preserved, you must wear large cloth clogs – provided at the entrance – so as not to damage the fragile flooring. Around the abbey is the elegant historic center with old half-timbered houses, in one of which the doctor, alchemist and astrologer Paracelsus lived, about ten museums of various importance and 111 bow windows, arched windows protruding on the facades.
A short train ride to the lakeside port of Rorschach and an hour of navigation on the lake allow you to reach the German town of Lindau, with the characteristic historic center gathered on an island connected to the mainland by a bridge. Here you can walk among centuries-old buildings, characteristic paved squares, dozens of fountains, a brightly colored fifteenth-century town hall and one of the most beautiful lakefronts in the area. From the port, where you can admire the large sculpture of a Bavarian lion and the white lighthouse, romantic cruises depart – even with dinner – on the waters of the lake. The more sporty can reach and cross the vast area on foot or by bicycle Lindenhofparkwhile for wine tourists there are stops in the numerous cellars, where you can taste the wines of this corner of Germany.
A journey of about an hour, this time by bus, takes you to the medieval Austrian village of Feldkirch, dominated by the imposing Schattenburg Castle, of thirteenth-century origins, now transformed into a museum complete with an inn in the central courtyard. The visit to the fifteenth-century town hall is interesting, with frescoes that tell the history of the town and the vast wooden council hall. It is said that he studied at the old Jesuit school in Feldkirch Conan Doyle, the spiritual father of Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson. The last stage of our journey in the Lake Constance area takes us to the Principality of Liechtenstein, with the capital Vaduz dominated by the prince’s castle (closed to the public). A short walk in the pedestrian area of the historic center allows you to reach the Liechtenstein Art Museuma gigantic black cube in the middle of the city with masterpieces from the 19th century to the contemporary, and to admire the large statue of a reclining woman of Fernando Botero.
A short excursion to the village of Triesenberg offers the opportunity to visit the Museo Walser (Walsermuseum) dedicated to the history, customs and traditions of this migrant population of Germanic origin, who settled in this area in the 13th century. Our journey ends here, there are many other destinations on Lake Constance, first of all therethe flower island of Mainau, to be discovered from time to time, depending on your interests, the season and the time available.
#Nature #abbeys #ancient #cities #invisible #borders #Wandering #Lake #Constance #land #water