Cultural highlights are no rarity on Lake Constance. Three such sites are even on the UNESCO World Heritage list. The Monastic Island of Reichenau and the abbey district in St.Gallen only thirty miles away are both seen as hotbeds of European civilisation. In addition to the Monastic Island of Reichenau and the abbey district, you should also take in the city of Constance. In Constance you visit the Archaeological state museum and the Council of Constance, where the only pope election north of the Alps took place. Continue your tour at the reconstructed pile dwellings in the Unteruhldingen open-air museum. At the Campus Galli you can experience at firsthand how the world-famous monastery plan drawn up on Reichenau Island and archived in the abbey library in St.Gallen is being built without machines or modern tools. Round off your day with a guided tour through the historic town of Meßkirch. Your tour ends with the prehistoric pile dwellings in the Federsee museum Bad Buchau.
1. St.Gallen abbey district/abbey library | Switzerland
Built in 1755, the abbey library is one of the largest and oldest abbey libraries in the world. Some 150,000 tomes are kept in the stunning rococo hall with its gently curving wooden galleries and rich moulding, including the world famous monastery plan drawn up on Reichenau Island.
Experience time: 2 hours
2. Monastic Island of Reichenau | Germany
The three Romanesque churches on the island are a perfect example of Early Medieval architecture in Central Europe. The meticulously restored murals emphasise Reichenau’s role as an “artistic centre of considerable significance for European art history of the 10th and 11th centuries”.
Experience time: 2-4 hours
3. Archaeological State Museum Baden-Württemberg, Constance | Germany
The Archaeological State Museum in Constance displays key archaeological discoveries from Baden-Württemberg from the Stone Age to the Middle Ages, including the oldest copper disc from the lake dwellings period, the Roman treasure of Ladenburg, and much more.
Experience time: 2 hours
4. Council of Constance | Germany
It was the first and only pope election north of the Alps that took place between 1414 and 1418 in Constance. Revive the time of the Konstanzer Konzil together with a guided city tour or a dinner at the Council.
Experience time: 1-2 hours
5. Lake Dwelling Museum, Unteruhldingen | Germany
The oldest open-air stone-age museum in Europe. You will be enthralled by the 23 reconstructed pile dwellings from the Stone Age and Bronze Age, the new ARCHAEORAMA, a multimedia show, the Stone Age circuit for families and the special exhibition with original pile dwelling finds.
Experience time: 1-2 hours
6. Campus Galli, Meßkirch | Germany
More than 1,200 years ago, monks on Reichenau Island drew up the perfect plan for a monastery. This plan can still be found in the abbey library in St.Gallen. Day by day since 2013, the world-famous plan has gradually been becoming a reality in Meßkirch without machines or modern tools.
Experience time: 2 - 3 hours
7. A succeful day, Meßkirch | Germany
Discover the rich history of Meßkirch and the atmosphere of centuries past. Follow in the footsteps of famous sons and be entertained by stories and anecdotes of long-forgotten times. A tour of the building site of the Campus Galli Carolingian monastery town, followed by some free time to explore the area is also on your list.
Experience time: 6.5 hours
8. Federsee Museum, Bad Buchau | Germany
No fewer than 4 “prehistoric pile dwellings” (World Heritage site) are located directly on Lake Federsee. With its important archaeological objects and twelve Stone and Bronze Age houses on the open-air site, the nearby Federsee Museum provides the opportunity to learn more about prehistoric living conditions.
Experience time: 2 hours
Tip:
With the Bodensee Card PLUS you get one time free entrance at the Lake Dwelling Museum Unteruhldingen, swimming pools and many other museums along the road.
Overnight stays: 4
Travel information: The transfer between the different stages can be undertaken with your own car/coach or by public transport (rail, bus and in places boat).
Internationale Bodensee Tourismus GmbH
Hafenstr. 6
78462 Constance
Germany