Bodensee
   HOME

TheInfoList



OR:

Lake Constance (, ) refers to three
bodies of water A body of water or waterbody is any significant accumulation of water on the surface of Earth or another planet. The term most often refers to oceans, seas, and lakes, but it includes smaller pools of water such as ponds, wetlands, or more ra ...
on the
Rhine The Rhine ( ) is one of the List of rivers of Europe, major rivers in Europe. The river begins in the Swiss canton of Graubünden in the southeastern Swiss Alps. It forms part of the Swiss-Liechtenstein border, then part of the Austria–Swit ...
at the northern foot of the
Alps The Alps () are some of the highest and most extensive mountain ranges in Europe, stretching approximately across eight Alpine countries (from west to east): Monaco, France, Switzerland, Italy, Liechtenstein, Germany, Austria and Slovenia. ...
:
Upper Lake Constance The ''Obersee'' ('Upper Lake'), also known as Upper Lake Constance, is the much larger of the two parts of Lake Constance, the other part being the ''Untersee (Lake Constance), Untersee'' (). The two parts are separated by the Bodanrück peninsul ...
(''Obersee''),
Lower Lake Constance The ''Untersee'' (German for ''Lower Lake''), also known as Lower Lake Constance, is the smaller of the two lakes that together form Lake Constance. The boundary between Switzerland and Germany runs through it. The lake surrounds several islands ...
(''Untersee''), and a connecting stretch of the Rhine, called the
Seerhein The Seerhein (; cf. Rheinsee) is a river about long, in the basin of Lake Constance (). It is the outflow of the Upper Lake Constance and the main tributary of the Lower Lake Constance. The water level of the Lower Lake is about below the level ...
(). These waterbodies lie within the Lake Constance Basin () in the
Alpine Foreland The Alpine Foreland, less commonly called the Bavarian Foreland,Dickinson, Robert E (1964). ''Germany: A regional and economic geography'' (2nd ed.). London: Methuen, pp. 585-586. . Bavarian Plateau or Bavarian Alpine Foreland (), refers to a tria ...
through which the
Rhine The Rhine ( ) is one of the List of rivers of Europe, major rivers in Europe. The river begins in the Swiss canton of Graubünden in the southeastern Swiss Alps. It forms part of the Swiss-Liechtenstein border, then part of the Austria–Swit ...
flows. The nearby ''
Mindelsee The Mindelsee is a Proglacial lake in Radolfzell, Baden-Württemberg Germany. Its current area is approximately with an average depth of . it extends approximately in a northwest-southeast direction with a width of around . The lake is locate ...
'' is not considered part of Lake Constance. The lake is situated where
Germany Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It lies between the Baltic Sea and the North Sea to the north and the Alps to the south. Its sixteen States of Germany, constituent states have a total popu ...
,
Switzerland Switzerland, officially the Swiss Confederation, is a landlocked country located in west-central Europe. It is bordered by Italy to the south, France to the west, Germany to the north, and Austria and Liechtenstein to the east. Switzerland ...
, and
Austria Austria, formally the Republic of Austria, is a landlocked country in Central Europe, lying in the Eastern Alps. It is a federation of nine Federal states of Austria, states, of which the capital Vienna is the List of largest cities in Aust ...
meet. Its shorelines lie in the German states of
Baden-Württemberg Baden-Württemberg ( ; ), commonly shortened to BW or BaWü, is a states of Germany, German state () in Southwest Germany, east of the Rhine, which forms the southern part of Germany's western border with France. With more than 11.07 million i ...
and
Bavaria Bavaria, officially the Free State of Bavaria, is a States of Germany, state in the southeast of Germany. With an area of , it is the list of German states by area, largest German state by land area, comprising approximately 1/5 of the total l ...
; the
Swiss cantons The 26 cantons of Switzerland are the member states of the Swiss Confederation. The nucleus of the Swiss Confederacy in the form of the first three confederate allies used to be referred to as the . Two important periods in the development of ...
of St. Gallen,
Thurgau Thurgau (; ; ; ), anglicized as Thurgovia, and formally as the Canton of Thurgau, is one of the 26 cantons forming the Swiss Confederation. It is composed of five districts. Its capital is Frauenfeld. Thurgau is part of Eastern Switzerland. I ...
, and
Schaffhausen Schaffhausen (; ; ; ; ), historically known in English as Shaffhouse, is a list of towns in Switzerland, town with historic roots, a municipalities of Switzerland, municipality in northern Switzerland, and the capital of the canton of Schaffh ...
; and the Austrian state of
Vorarlberg Vorarlberg ( ; ; , , or ) is the westernmost States of Austria, state () of Austria. It has the second-smallest geographical area after Vienna and, although it also has the second-smallest population, it is the state with the second-highest popu ...
. The actual locations of the country borders within the lake are disputed. The
Alpine Rhine The Alpine Rhine Valley () is a glacial alpine valley, formed by the Alpine Rhine ( ), the part of the Rhine between the confluence of the Anterior Rhine and Posterior Rhine at Reichenau and Lake Constance. It covers three countries, with se ...
forms, in its original course (
Alter Rhein The Alter Rhein (; German for ''Old Rhine'') is the old river bed of the Alpine Rhine in St. Gallen and Vorarlberg in the Alpine Rhine Valley, which was cut off when the Rhine was straightened during the 20th century. These cut-off arms hav ...
), the Austro-Swiss border and flows into the lake from the south. The
High Rhine High Rhine (, ; kilometres 0 to 167 of the Rhine) is the section of the Rhine between Lake Constance () and the city of Basel, flowing in a general east-to-west direction and forming mostly the Germany–Switzerland border. It is the first of fo ...
flows westbound out of the lake and forms (with the exception of the
Canton of Schaffhausen The canton of Schaffhausen, also canton of Schaffhouse (; ; ; ), is the northernmost Cantons of Switzerland, canton of Switzerland. The principal city and capital of the canton is Schaffhausen. The canton's territory is divided into three non-co ...
, Rafzerfeld and
Basel-Stadt Canton of Basel-Stadt or Basel-City ( ; ; ; ) is one of the 26 cantons forming the Swiss Confederation. It is composed of three municipalities with Basel as the capital. It is traditionally considered a " half-canton", the other half being B ...
) the
German-Swiss border The German-speaking part of Switzerland ( ; ; ; ) comprises about 65 percent of Switzerland (North Western Switzerland, Eastern Switzerland, Central Switzerland, most of the Swiss Plateau and the greater part of the Swiss Alps). The variety ...
as far as to the city of
Basel Basel ( ; ), also known as Basle ( ), ; ; ; . is a city in northwestern Switzerland on the river Rhine (at the transition from the High Rhine, High to the Upper Rhine). Basel is Switzerland's List of cities in Switzerland, third-most-populo ...
. The
Leiblach The Leiblach is a tributary of Lake Constance ('' Obersee'') and the Rhine, respectively. It forms the Austria–Germany border near the lake. Geography The Leiblach source is near the German municipality of Heimenkirch, flowing to the southwest ...
forms the
Austria–Germany border The border between the modern states of Austria and Germany () has a length of , or respectively. It is the longest international border of Austria and the tied longest border of Germany with another country (the other one being the border wit ...
east of the lake. The most populous towns on the Upper Lake are
Constance Constance may refer to: Places * Constance, Kentucky, United States, an unincorporated community * Constance, Minnesota, United States, an unincorporated community * Mount Constance, Washington State, United States * Lake Constance (disambiguat ...
(),
Friedrichshafen Friedrichshafen ( or ; Low Alemannic: ''Hafe'' or ''Fridrichshafe'') is a city on the northern shoreline of Lake Constance (the ''Bodensee'') in Southern Germany, near the borders of both Switzerland and Austria. It is the district capital (''K ...
,
Bregenz Bregenz (; ) is the capital of Vorarlberg, the westernmost states of Austria, state of Austria. The city lies on the east and southeast shores of Lake Constance, the third-largest freshwater lake in Central Europe, between Switzerland in the wes ...
,
Lindau Lindau (, ''Lindau am Bodensee''; ; Low Alemannic German, Low Alemannic: ''Lindou'') is a major Town#Germany, town and Lindau (island), island on the eastern side of Lake Constance (''Bodensee'' in German) in Bavaria, Germany. It is the capital ...
,
Überlingen Überlingen (; ) is a German city on the northern shore of Lake Constance (Bodensee) in Baden-Württemberg near the German-Swiss border, border with Switzerland. After the city of Friedrichshafen, it is the second-largest city in the Bodenseek ...
and
Kreuzlingen Kreuzlingen () is a municipality in the district of Kreuzlingen in the canton of Thurgau in north-eastern Switzerland. It is the seat of the district and is the second-largest city of the canton, after Frauenfeld, with a population of about 22 ...
. The largest town on the Lower Lake is
Radolfzell Radolfzell am Bodensee (, ) is a town in the state of Baden-Württemberg, Germany, located at the western end ( Zeller Lake) of Lake Constance, approximately northwest of the city of Konstanz (Constance). It is the third largest town, after Ko ...
. The largest islands are
Reichenau Reichenau may refer to: *Reichenau Island, a German island in Lake Constance **Reichenau Abbey, a former Benedictine monastery on the island **Reichenau, Baden-Württemberg, a municipality that encompasses the namesake island and five separate area ...
in the Lower Lake, and
Lindau Lindau (, ''Lindau am Bodensee''; ; Low Alemannic German, Low Alemannic: ''Lindou'') is a major Town#Germany, town and Lindau (island), island on the eastern side of Lake Constance (''Bodensee'' in German) in Bavaria, Germany. It is the capital ...
and
Mainau Mainau also referred to as Mav(e)no(w), Maienowe (in 1242), Maienow (in 1357), Maienau, Mainowe (in 1394) and Mainaw (in 1580) is an island in Lake Constance (on the Southern shore of the Überlinger See near the city of Konstanz, Baden-Würt ...
in the Upper Lake.
Bodanrück Bodanrück () is the wide peninsula that divides Lake Constance () into '' Überlinger See'' (part of '' Obersee'') and '' Gnadensee'', which is part of '' Untersee''. At its southern end, it reaches the '' Seerhein'', which links ''Obersee'' wi ...
, a large peninsula, separates the Upper and Lower Lake. While in English and in the
Romance languages The Romance languages, also known as the Latin or Neo-Latin languages, are the languages that are Language family, directly descended from Vulgar Latin. They are the only extant subgroup of the Italic languages, Italic branch of the Indo-E ...
, the lake is named after the city of
Constance Constance may refer to: Places * Constance, Kentucky, United States, an unincorporated community * Constance, Minnesota, United States, an unincorporated community * Mount Constance, Washington State, United States * Lake Constance (disambiguat ...
, the German name derives from the village of Bodman (municipality of
Bodman-Ludwigshafen Bodman-Ludwigshafen is a municipality in the district of Konstanz in Baden-Württemberg in Germany, located on the most western shore of Lake Überlingen, the north-western part of the Upper Lake of Lake Constance (). The municipality consist ...
), in the northwesternmost corner of the lake.


Description

Lake Constance is located along the
Rhine The Rhine ( ) is one of the List of rivers of Europe, major rivers in Europe. The river begins in the Swiss canton of Graubünden in the southeastern Swiss Alps. It forms part of the Swiss-Liechtenstein border, then part of the Austria–Swit ...
between the
Alpine Rhine The Alpine Rhine Valley () is a glacial alpine valley, formed by the Alpine Rhine ( ), the part of the Rhine between the confluence of the Anterior Rhine and Posterior Rhine at Reichenau and Lake Constance. It covers three countries, with se ...
, its main
tributary A tributary, or an ''affluent'', is a stream or river that flows into a larger stream (''main stem'' or ''"parent"''), river, or a lake. A tributary does not flow directly into a sea or ocean. Tributaries, and the main stem river into which they ...
, and the
High Rhine High Rhine (, ; kilometres 0 to 167 of the Rhine) is the section of the Rhine between Lake Constance () and the city of Basel, flowing in a general east-to-west direction and forming mostly the Germany–Switzerland border. It is the first of fo ...
, its outflow. It is the third largest freshwater lake by surface area in Central and Western Europe (and the second largest in volume), after
Lake Geneva Lake Geneva is a deep lake on the north side of the Alps, shared between Switzerland and France. It is one of the List of largest lakes of Europe, largest lakes in Western Europe and the largest on the course of the Rhône. Sixty percent () ...
and (in surface area)
Lake Balaton Lake Balaton () is a freshwater rift lake in the Transdanubian region of Hungary. It is the List of largest lakes of Europe, largest lake in Central Europe, and one of the region's foremost tourist destinations. The Zala River provides the larges ...
. It is long, and, nearly at its widest point. It covers about , and is above
sea level Mean sea level (MSL, often shortened to sea level) is an mean, average surface level of one or more among Earth's coastal Body of water, bodies of water from which heights such as elevation may be measured. The global MSL is a type of vertical ...
. Its greatest depth is , exactly in the middle of the Upper Lake. Its volume is about . The lake has two parts. The main east section, called Obersee or "Upper Lake", covers about , including its northwestern arm, the Überlinger See (), and the smaller west section, called Untersee or "Lower Lake", with an area of about . The connection between these two lakes is the
Seerhein The Seerhein (; cf. Rheinsee) is a river about long, in the basin of Lake Constance (). It is the outflow of the Upper Lake Constance and the main tributary of the Lower Lake Constance. The water level of the Lower Lake is about below the level ...
(lit.: "Rhine of the Lake(s)"). Geographically, usually it is not considered to be part of the lake, but a very short river. The Lower Lake Constance is loosely divided into three sections around the
Island of Reichenau Reichenau Island () is an island in Lake Constance in Southern Germany. It lies almost due west of the city of Konstanz, between the Gnadensee and the Untersee, two parts of Lake Constance. With a total land surface of and a circumference ...
. The two German parts, the
Gnadensee The Gnadensee is part of Lower Lake Constance (), the western part of the lake. Description The Gnadensee lies between Allensbach in the north and the island of Reichenau in the south. In the west it extends to the Mettnau peninsula ( Radolfz ...
(lit.: "Lake Mercy") north of the island and north of the peninsula of Mettnau (the
Markelfinger Winkel The Markelfinger Winkel is the part of Lake Constance Lake Constance (, ) refers to three bodies of water on the Rhine at the northern foot of the Alps: Upper Lake Constance (''Obersee''), Lower Lake Constance (''Untersee''), and a connectin ...
), and the Zeller See, south of Radolfzell and to the northwest of the Reichenau island, and the mainly Swiss
Rheinsee The ''Untersee'' (German for ''Lower Lake''), also known as Lower Lake Constance, is the smaller of the two lakes that together form Lake Constance. The boundary between Switzerland and Germany runs through it. The lake surrounds several islands ...
(lit.: "Lake Rhine") – not to be mistaken for the ''Seerhein'' (lit.: "Rhine of the Lake(s)") at its start – to the south of the island and with its southwestern arm leading to its effluent in
Stein am Rhein Stein am Rhein (abbreviated as Stein a. R.) is a historic town and a municipality in the canton of Schaffhausen in Switzerland. It is located at the outfall of Lower Lake Constance on the High Rhine river, about halfway between the town of Scha ...
. The water of the
regulated Regulation is the management of complex systems according to a set of rules and trends. In systems theory, these types of rules exist in various fields of biology and society, but the term has slightly different meanings according to context. Fo ...
Alpine Rhine flows into the lake in the southeast near
Bregenz Bregenz (; ) is the capital of Vorarlberg, the westernmost states of Austria, state of Austria. The city lies on the east and southeast shores of Lake Constance, the third-largest freshwater lake in Central Europe, between Switzerland in the wes ...
, Austria, then through the Upper Lake Constance hardly targeting the ''Überlinger See'', into the ''Seerhein'' in the town of
Konstanz Konstanz ( , , , ), traditionally known as Constance in English, is a college town, university city with approximately 83,000 inhabitants located at the western end of Lake Constance in the Baden-Württemberg state of south Germany. The city ho ...
, then through the ''Rheinsee'' virtually without feeding both German parts of the Lower Lake, and finally feeds the start of the
High Rhine High Rhine (, ; kilometres 0 to 167 of the Rhine) is the section of the Rhine between Lake Constance () and the city of Basel, flowing in a general east-to-west direction and forming mostly the Germany–Switzerland border. It is the first of fo ...
in Swiss town
Stein am Rhein Stein am Rhein (abbreviated as Stein a. R.) is a historic town and a municipality in the canton of Schaffhausen in Switzerland. It is located at the outfall of Lower Lake Constance on the High Rhine river, about halfway between the town of Scha ...
. The lake itself is an important source of drinking water for southwestern Germany. The culminating point of the lake's drainage basin is the Swiss peak Piz Russein of the Tödi massif of the
Glarus Alps The Glarus Alps () are a mountain range in central Switzerland. They are bordered by the Uri Alps and the Schwyz Alps to the west, the Lepontine Alps to the south, the Appenzell Alps to the northeast. The eastern part of the Glarus Alps contains ...
at above sea level. It starts with the creek ''Aua da Russein'' (lit.: "Water of the Russein").


History

Lake Constance was formed by the
Rhine Glacier The Rhine Glacier was a glacier during the last glacial period and was responsible for the formation of the Lake Constance Lake Constance (, ) refers to three bodies of water on the Rhine at the northern foot of the Alps: Upper Lake Constan ...
during the
Quaternary glaciation The Quaternary glaciation, also known as the Pleistocene glaciation, is an alternating series of glacial period, glacial and interglacial, interglacial periods during the Quaternary period that began 2.58 Year#SI prefix multipliers, Ma (million ...
ice age and is a ''
Zungenbecken A ''Zungenbecken'' (), also called a tongue basin or tongue-basin, is part of a succession of ice age geological landforms, known as a glacial series. It is a hollow that is left behind by the ice mass, as the snout of the glacier () recedes, ...
'' or Tongue lake. After the end of the last glacial period, about 10,000 years ago, the Obersee and Untersee still formed a single lake. The downward erosion of the
High Rhine High Rhine (, ; kilometres 0 to 167 of the Rhine) is the section of the Rhine between Lake Constance () and the city of Basel, flowing in a general east-to-west direction and forming mostly the Germany–Switzerland border. It is the first of fo ...
caused the lake level to gradually sink and a sill, the ''Konstanzer Schwelle'', to emerge. The Rhine, the
Bregenzer Ach The Bregenzer Ach (also: ''Bregenzer Ache'') is the main river of the Bregenz Forest () in the Austrian state of Vorarlberg. It is a tributary to Lake Constance and the River Rhine, respectively. Geography The source of the river is above ...
, and the
Dornbirner Ach The Dornbirner Ach (also called ''Dornbirner Ache'') is a long stream in Vorarlberg, Austria, and a tributary of Lake Constance () and the Rhine, respectively. It flows through two gorges in its upper part, the Alploch Gorge and the Rappenloch G ...
carry sediments from the
Alps The Alps () are some of the highest and most extensive mountain ranges in Europe, stretching approximately across eight Alpine countries (from west to east): Monaco, France, Switzerland, Italy, Liechtenstein, Germany, Austria and Slovenia. ...
to the lake, thus gradually decreasing the depth and reducing the extension of the lake in the southeast. In antiquity, the two lakes had different names; later, for reasons which are unknown, they came to have the same name. In the 19th century, there were five different local
time zone A time zone is an area which observes a uniform standard time for legal, Commerce, commercial and social purposes. Time zones tend to follow the boundaries between Country, countries and their Administrative division, subdivisions instead of ...
s around Lake Constance. Constance, belonging to the
Grand Duchy of Baden The Grand Duchy of Baden () was a German polity on the east bank of the Rhine. It originally existed as a sovereign state from 1806 to 1871 and later as part of the German Empire until 1918. The duchy's 12th-century origins were as a Margravia ...
, adhered to
Karlsruhe Karlsruhe ( ; ; ; South Franconian German, South Franconian: ''Kallsruh'') is the List of cities in Baden-Württemberg by population, third-largest city of the States of Germany, German state of Baden-Württemberg, after its capital Stuttgart a ...
time, Friedrichshafen used the time of the
Duchy of Württemberg The Duchy of Württemberg () was a duchy located in the south-western part of the Holy Roman Empire. It was a Imperial Estate, state of the Holy Roman Empire from 1495 to 1803. The dukedom's long survival for over three centuries was mainly du ...
, in Lindau, the Bavarian Munich time was observed, and Bregenz used Prague time, while the Swiss shore used Berne time. One would have needed to travel only to visit five time zones. Given the amount of trade and traffic over Lake Constance, this led to serious confusion. Public clocks in harbors used three different clock faces, depending on the destinations offered by the boat companies. In 1892, all German territories used
CET CET or cet may refer to: Places * Cet, Albania * Cet, standard astronomical abbreviation for the constellation Cetus * Colchester Town railway station (National Rail code CET), in Colchester, England Arts, entertainment, and media * Comcast En ...
, the Austrian railways had already introduced CET the previous year and Switzerland followed in 1894. Because traffic timetables had not been yet updated, CET became the sole valid time around and on Lake Constance in 1895.


Name

The earliest recorded reference to the lakes is by
Roman Roman or Romans most often refers to: *Rome, the capital city of Italy *Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD *Roman people, the people of Roman civilization *Epistle to the Romans, shortened to Romans, a letter w ...
geographer
Pomponius Mela Pomponius Mela, who wrote around AD 43, was the earliest known Roman geographer. He was born at the end of the 1st century BC in Tingentera (now Algeciras) and died  AD 45. His short work (''De situ orbis libri III.'') remained in use nea ...
around AD 43, calling the upper lake ''Lacus Venetus'' and the lower lake ''Lacus Acronius'', the Rhine passing through both. Around AD 75, the naturalist
Pliny the Elder Gaius Plinius Secundus (AD 23/24 79), known in English as Pliny the Elder ( ), was a Roman Empire, Roman author, Natural history, naturalist, and naval and army commander of the early Roman Empire, and a friend of the Roman emperor, emperor Vesp ...
called them both ''Lacus Raetiae Brigantinus'' after the main Roman town on the lake, '' Brigantium'' (later Bregenz). This name is associated with the
Celtic Celtic, Celtics or Keltic may refer to: Language and ethnicity *pertaining to Celts, a collection of Indo-European peoples in Europe and Anatolia **Celts (modern) *Celtic languages **Proto-Celtic language *Celtic music *Celtic nations Sports Foot ...
Brigantii The Brigantii (Gaulish: ''Brigantioi'', 'the eminent, high ones') were a Gallic tribe who lived southeast of Lake Constance (''Lacus Brigantinus''), in the area of present-day Bregenz (''Brigantion''), in Austria's state of Vorarlberg, during the ...
who lived here, although it is not clear whether the place was named after the tribe or the inhabitants of the region were named after their main settlement.
Ammianus Marcellinus Ammianus Marcellinus, occasionally anglicized as Ammian ( Greek: Αμμιανός Μαρκελλίνος; born , died 400), was a Greek and Roman soldier and historian who wrote the penultimate major historical account surviving from antiquit ...
later used the form ''Lacus Brigantiae''. The current German name of ''Bodensee'' derives from the place name Bodman, which probably originally derived from the
Old High German Old High German (OHG; ) is the earliest stage of the German language, conventionally identified as the period from around 500/750 to 1050. Rather than representing a single supra-regional form of German, Old High German encompasses the numerous ...
''bodamon'' which meant "on the soils", indicating a place on level terrain by the lake. This place, situated at the west end of Lake Überlingen (''Überlinger See''), had a more supraregional character for a certain period in the
early Middle Ages The Early Middle Ages (or early medieval period), sometimes controversially referred to as the Dark Ages (historiography), Dark Ages, is typically regarded by historians as lasting from the late 5th to the 10th century. They marked the start o ...
as a
Frankish Frankish may refer to: * Franks, a Germanic tribe and their culture ** Frankish language or its modern descendants, Franconian languages, a group of Low Germanic languages also commonly referred to as "Frankish" varieties * Francia, a post-Roman ...
imperial palace (''Königspfalz''),
Alamanni The Alemanni or Alamanni were a confederation of Germanic tribes * * * on the Upper Rhine River during the first millennium. First mentioned by Cassius Dio in the context of the campaign of Roman emperor Caracalla of 213 CE, the Alemanni c ...
an ducal seat and
mint Mint or The Mint may refer to: Plants * Lamiaceae, the mint family ** ''Mentha'', the genus of plants commonly known as "mint" Coins and collectibles * Mint (facility), a facility for manufacturing coins * Mint condition, a state of like-new ...
, which is why the name may have been transferred to the lake ("lake, by which Bodman is situated" = ''Bodmansee''). From 833 or 834, in Latin sources, the name appears in its Latinised form ''lacus potamicus''. Therefore, the name actually derived from the Bodman ''Pfalz'' (Latinized as ''Potamum'') was wrongly assumed by monastic scholars like
Walahfrid Strabo Walafrid, alternatively spelt Walahfrid, nicknamed Strabo (or Strabus, i.e. "squint-eyed") (c. 80818 August 849), was an Alemannic Benedictine monk and theological writer who lived on Reichenau Island in southern Germany. Life Walafrid Strabo ...
to be derived from the Greek word ''potamos'' for "river" and meant "river lake". They may also have been influenced by the fact that the Rhine flowed through the lake.
Wolfram von Eschenbach Wolfram von Eschenbach (; – ) was a German knight, poet and composer, regarded as one of the greatest epic poets of medieval German literature. As a Minnesinger, he also wrote lyric poetry. Life Little is known of Wolfram's life. Ther ...
describes it in
Middle High German Middle High German (MHG; or ; , shortened as ''Mhdt.'' or ''Mhd.'') is the term for the form of High German, High German language, German spoken in the High Middle Ages. It is conventionally dated between 1050 and 1350, developing from Old High ...
as the ''Bodemensee'' or ''Bodemsee'' which has finally evolved into the present German name, ''Bodensee''. The name may be linked to that of the
Bodanrück Bodanrück () is the wide peninsula that divides Lake Constance () into '' Überlinger See'' (part of '' Obersee'') and '' Gnadensee'', which is part of '' Untersee''. At its southern end, it reaches the '' Seerhein'', which links ''Obersee'' wi ...
, the hill range between Lake Überlingen and the Lower Lake, and the history of the House of Bodman. The German name of the lake, ''Bodensee'', has been adopted by many other languages, for example: Dutch: ''Bodenmeer'', Danish: ''Bodensøen'', Norwegian: ''Bodensjøen'', Swedish: ''Bodensjön'', Finnish: ''Bodenjärvi'', Russian: ''Боденское озеро'', Polish: ''Jezioro Bodeńskie'', Czech: ''Bodamské jezero'', Slovak: ''Bodamské jazero'', Hungarian: ''Bodeni-tó'', Serbo-Croatian: ''Bodensko jezero'', Albanian: ''Liqeni i Bodenit''. After the
Council of Constance The Council of Constance (; ) was an ecumenical council of the Catholic Church that was held from 1414 to 1418 in the Bishopric of Constance (Konstanz) in present-day Germany. This was the first time that an ecumenical council was convened in ...
in the 15th century, the alternative name ''Lacus Constantinus'' was used in the (Roman Catholic) Romance language area. This name, which had been attested as early as 1187 in the form ''Lacus Constantiensis'', came from the town of Konstanz at the outflow of the Rhine from the Obersee, whose original name, Constantia, was in turn derived from the Roman emperor,
Constantius Chlorus Flavius Valerius Constantius ( – 25 July 306), also called Constantius I, was a Roman emperor from 305 to 306. He was one of the four original members of the Tetrarchy established by Diocletian, first serving as Caesar (title), ''caesar'' ...
(around 300 AD). Hence the French: ''Lac de Constance'', Italian: ''Lago di Costanza'', Portuguese: ''Lago de Constança'', Spanish: ''Lago de Constanza'', Romanian: ''Lacul Constanța'', Greek: ''Λίμνη της Κωνσταντίας – Limni tis Konstantias''. The Arabic, بحيرة كونستانس ''buħaira Konstans'' and the Turkish, ''Konstanz gölü'', probably go back to the French form of the name. Even in Romance-influenced English the name "Lake Constance" gained a foothold and was then exported into other languages such as Hebrew: ימת קונסטנץ ''yamat Konstanz'' and Swahili: ''Ziwa la Konstanz''. In many languages both forms exist in parallel e.g. Romansh: ''Lai da Constanza'' and ''Lai Bodan'', Esperanto: ''Konstanca Lago'' and ''Bodenlago''. The poetic name, "
Swabia Swabia ; , colloquially ''Schwabenland'' or ''Ländle''; archaic English also Suabia or Svebia is a cultural, historic and linguistic region in southwestern Germany. The name is ultimately derived from the medieval Duchy of Swabia, one of ...
n Sea", was adopted by authors of the
early modern era The early modern period is a historical period that is defined either as part of or as immediately preceding the modern period, with divisions based primarily on the history of Europe and the broader concept of modernity. There is no exact date ...
and the
Enlightenment Enlightenment or enlighten may refer to: Age of Enlightenment * Age of Enlightenment, period in Western intellectual history from the late 17th to late 18th century, centered in France but also encompassing (alphabetically by country or culture): ...
from ancient authors, possibly
Tacitus Publius Cornelius Tacitus, known simply as Tacitus ( , ; – ), was a Roman historian and politician. Tacitus is widely regarded as one of the greatest Roman historians by modern scholars. Tacitus’ two major historical works, ''Annals'' ( ...
. However, this assumption was based on an error (similar to that of the
Teutoburg Forest The Teutoburg Forest ( ; ) is a range of low, forested hills in the German states of Lower Saxony and North Rhine-Westphalia. Until the 17th century, the official name of the hill ridge was Osning. It was first renamed the ''Teutoburg Forest'' ...
and the
Taunus The Taunus () is a mountain range in Hesse and Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany, located north west of Frankfurt and north of Wiesbaden. The tallest peak in the range is '' Großer Feldberg'' at 878 m; other notable peaks are '' Kleiner Feldberg' ...
): the Romans sometimes used the name ''Mare Suebicum'' for the
Baltic Sea The Baltic Sea is an arm of the Atlantic Ocean that is enclosed by the countries of Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Germany, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Russia, Sweden, and the North European Plain, North and Central European Plain regions. It is the ...
, not Lake Constance. In times when the Romans had located the so-called "
Suebi file:1st century Germani.png, 300px, The approximate positions of some Germanic peoples reported by Graeco-Roman authors in the 1st century. Suebian peoples in red, and other Irminones in purple. The Suebi (also spelled Suavi, Suevi or Suebians ...
", then an Elbe Germanic tribe near a sea, this was understandable. The authors of the
Early Modern Period The early modern period is a Periodization, historical period that is defined either as part of or as immediately preceding the modern period, with divisions based primarily on the history of Europe and the broader concept of modernity. There i ...
overlooked this and adopted the name for the largest lake in the middle of the former
Duchy of Swabia The Duchy of Swabia (; ) was one of the five stem duchy, stem duchies of the medieval Kingdom of Germany, German Kingdom. It arose in the 10th century in the southwestern area that had been settled by Alemanni tribes in Late Antiquity. While th ...
, which also included parts of today's Switzerland. Today the name Swabian Sea (''Schwäbisches Meer'') is only used jocularly as a hyperbolic term for Lake Constance.


Key facts

No
Paleolithic The Paleolithic or Palaeolithic ( years ago) ( ), also called the Old Stone Age (), is a period in human prehistory that is distinguished by the original development of stone tools, and which represents almost the entire period of human prehist ...
finds have been made in the immediate vicinity of the lake, because the region of Lake Constance was long covered by the
Rhine Glacier The Rhine Glacier was a glacier during the last glacial period and was responsible for the formation of the Lake Constance Lake Constance (, ) refers to three bodies of water on the Rhine at the northern foot of the Alps: Upper Lake Constan ...
. The discovery of stone tools (
microlith A microlith is a small Rock (geology), stone tool usually made of flint or chert and typically a centimetre or so in length and half a centimetre wide. They were made by humans from around 60,000 years ago, across Europe, Africa, Asia and Austral ...
s) indicate that
hunters and gatherers A hunter-gatherer or forager is a human living in a community, or according to an ancestrally derived lifestyle, in which most or all food is obtained by foraging, that is, by gathering food from local naturally occurring sources, especially wi ...
of the
Mesolithic The Mesolithic (Ancient Greek language, Greek: μέσος, ''mesos'' 'middle' + λίθος, ''lithos'' 'stone') or Middle Stone Age is the Old World archaeological period between the Upper Paleolithic and the Neolithic. The term Epipaleolithic i ...
period (Middle Stone Age, 8,000–5,500 BC) frequented the area without settling, however. Only hunting camps have been confirmed. The earliest Neolithic farmers, who belonged to the
Linear Pottery culture The Linear Pottery culture (LBK) is a major archaeological horizon of the European Neolithic period, flourishing . Derived from the German ''Linearbandkeramik'', it is also known as the Linear Band Ware, Linear Ware, Linear Ceramics or Incis ...
, also left no traces behind, because the Alpine foreland lay away from the routes along which they had spread during the 6th millennium BC. This changed only in the middle and late
Neolithic The Neolithic or New Stone Age (from Ancient Greek, Greek 'new' and 'stone') is an archaeological period, the final division of the Stone Age in Mesopotamia, Asia, Europe and Africa (c. 10,000 BCE to c. 2,000 BCE). It saw the Neolithic Revo ...
when shore settlements were established, the so-called pile dwelling and
wetland settlement A wetland is a distinct semi-aquatic ecosystem whose groundcovers are flooded or saturated in water, either permanently, for years or decades, or only seasonally. Flooding results in oxygen-poor (anoxic) processes taking place, especially in ...
s, which have now been uncovered mainly on Lake Überlingen, the Constance Hopper and on the Obersee. At
Unteruhldingen Unteruhldingen is a small village, part of the town of Uhldingen-Mühlhofen, on the northwestern shore of Lake Constance, Germany. It is home to the Pfahlbau Museum Unteruhldingen, Pfahlbauten, an open-air museum displaying reconstructions of Neoli ...
, a pile dwelling village has been reconstructed, and now forms an open air museum. In 2015, a 20 km line of about 170 man-made dated in the Neolithic period or early Bronze Age was discovered on the south-west shore of the lake between Bottighofen and Romanshorn. (3 pages) :49/ref> Grave finds from Singen am Hohentwiel date to the beginning of the Early
Bronze Age The Bronze Age () was a historical period characterised principally by the use of bronze tools and the development of complex urban societies, as well as the adoption of writing in some areas. The Bronze Age is the middle principal period of ...
and shore settlements were repeatedly built during the
Neolithic Period The Neolithic or New Stone Age (from Greek 'new' and 'stone') is an archaeological period, the final division of the Stone Age in Mesopotamia, Asia, Europe and Africa (c. 10,000 BCE to c. 2,000 BCE). It saw the Neolithic Revolution, a wid ...
and the Bronze Age (up to 800 BC). During the following
Iron Age The Iron Age () is the final epoch of the three historical Metal Ages, after the Chalcolithic and Bronze Age. It has also been considered as the final age of the three-age division starting with prehistory (before recorded history) and progre ...
the settlement history is interrupted. The settlement of the shore of Lake Constance during the
Hallstatt period The Hallstatt culture was the predominant Western and Central European archaeological culture of the Late Bronze Age (Hallstatt A, Hallstatt B) from the 12th to 8th centuries BC and Early Iron Age Europe (Hallstatt C, Hallstatt D) from the 8th to ...
is attested by grave mounds, which today are usually found in forests where they have been protected from the destruction by agriculture. Since the late Hallstatt period, the peoples living on Lake Constance are referred to as the
Celts The Celts ( , see Names of the Celts#Pronunciation, pronunciation for different usages) or Celtic peoples ( ) were a collection of Indo-European languages, Indo-European peoples. "The Celts, an ancient Indo-European people, reached the apoge ...
. During the
La Tène period LA most frequently refers to Los Angeles, the second most populous city in the United States of America. La, LA, or L.A. may also refer to: Arts and entertainment Music * La (musical note), or A, the sixth note *"L.A.", a song by Elliott Smi ...
from 450 BC, the population density decreases, as can be deduced partly due from the fact that no more grave mounds were built. For the first time, written reports on Lake Constance have survived. Thus, we learn that the
Helvetians The Helvetii (, , Gaulish: *''Heluētī''), anglicized as Helvetians, were a Celtic tribe or tribal confederation occupying most of the Swiss plateau at the time of their contact with the Roman Republic in the 1st century BC. According to Jul ...
settled by the lake in the south, the
Rhaetians The Raeti ( ; spelling variants: ''Rhaeti'', ''Rheti'' or ''Rhaetii'') were a confederation of Alpine tribes, whose language and culture were related to those of the Etruscans. Before the Roman conquest, they inhabited present-day Tyrol in Austr ...
in the area of the
Alpine Rhine Valley The Alpine Rhine Valley () is a glacial alpine valley, formed by the Alpine Rhine ( ), the part of the Rhine between the confluence of the Anterior Rhine and Posterior Rhine at Reichenau and Lake Constance. It covers three countries, with se ...
and the
Vindelici The Vindelici (Gaulish: ) were a Gallic people dwelling around present-day Augsburg (Bavaria) during the Iron Age and the Roman period. Name They are mentioned as by Horace (1st c. BC), as (; var. ) by Strabo (early 1st c. AD), as and (var ...
in the north-east. The most important places on the lake were
Bregenz Bregenz (; ) is the capital of Vorarlberg, the westernmost states of Austria, state of Austria. The city lies on the east and southeast shores of Lake Constance, the third-largest freshwater lake in Central Europe, between Switzerland in the wes ...
(Celtic ''Brigantion'') and today's
Constance Constance may refer to: Places * Constance, Kentucky, United States, an unincorporated community * Constance, Minnesota, United States, an unincorporated community * Mount Constance, Washington State, United States * Lake Constance (disambiguat ...
. In the course of the Roman Alpine campaign of 16/15 BC, the Lake Constance region was integrated into the
Roman Empire The Roman Empire ruled the Mediterranean and much of Europe, Western Asia and North Africa. The Roman people, Romans conquered most of this during the Roman Republic, Republic, and it was ruled by emperors following Octavian's assumption of ...
. During the campaign, there was also supposed to have been a battle on Lake Constance. The geographer,
Pomponius Mela Pomponius Mela, who wrote around AD 43, was the earliest known Roman geographer. He was born at the end of the 1st century BC in Tingentera (now Algeciras) and died  AD 45. His short work (''De situ orbis libri III.'') remained in use nea ...
, makes the first mention in 43 AD of Lake Constance as two lakes – the ''Lacus Venetus'' (Upper Lake) and the ''Lacus Acronius'' (Untersee) – with the Rhine flowing through both.
Pliny the Elder Gaius Plinius Secundus (AD 23/24 79), known in English as Pliny the Elder ( ), was a Roman Empire, Roman author, Natural history, naturalist, and naval and army commander of the early Roman Empire, and a friend of the Roman emperor, emperor Vesp ...
referred to Lake Constance as ''Lacus Brigantinus'' for the first time. The most important Roman site was Bregenz, which soon became subject to Roman municipal law and later became the seat of the Prefect of the Lake Constance fleet. The Romans were also in
Lindau Lindau (, ''Lindau am Bodensee''; ; Low Alemannic German, Low Alemannic: ''Lindou'') is a major Town#Germany, town and Lindau (island), island on the eastern side of Lake Constance (''Bodensee'' in German) in Bavaria, Germany. It is the capital ...
, but settled only on the hills around Lindau as the lakeshore was swampy. Other Roman towns were ''Constantia'' (Constance) and ''Arbor Felix'' (
Arbon Arbon is a historic town and a municipality and district capital of the district of Arbon in the canton of Thurgau in Switzerland. Arbon is located on the southern shore of Lake Constance, on a railway line between Konstanz/Romanshorn and ...
). After the borders of the Roman Empire were drawn back to the Rhine boundary in the 3rd century BC, the Alemanni gradually settled on the north shore of Lake Constance and, later, on the south bank as well. After the introduction of
Christianity Christianity is an Abrahamic monotheistic religion, which states that Jesus in Christianity, Jesus is the Son of God (Christianity), Son of God and Resurrection of Jesus, rose from the dead after his Crucifixion of Jesus, crucifixion, whose ...
, the cultural significance of the region grew as a result of the founding of
Reichenau Abbey Reichenau Abbey was a Benedictine monastery on Reichenau Island (known in Latin as Augia Dives) in southern Germany. It was founded in 724 by the itinerant Saint Pirmin, who is said to have fled Visigothic Spain ahead of the Moorish invaders, w ...
and the
Bishopric of Constance The Prince-Bishopric of Constance () was a small Hochstift, ecclesiastical principality of the Holy Roman Empire from the mid-12th century until its German Mediatisation, secularisation in 1802–1803. In his dual capacity as prince and as bisho ...
. Under the rule of the
Hohenstaufen The Hohenstaufen dynasty (, , ), also known as the Staufer, was a noble family of unclear origin that rose to rule the Duchy of Swabia from 1079, and to royal rule in the Holy Roman Empire during the Middle Ages from 1138 until 1254. The dynast ...
s, Imperial Diets (''Reichstage'') were held by Lake Constance. In Constance, too, a treaty was drawn up between the Hohenstaufen emperor and the
Lombard League The Lombard League (; ) was an alliance of cities formed in 1167, and supported by the popes, to counter the attempts by the Hohenstaufen Holy Roman emperors to establish direct royal administrative control over the cities of the Kingdom of It ...
. Lake Constance also played an important role as a trading post for goods being traded between German and Italian states. During the
Thirty Years' War The Thirty Years' War, fought primarily in Central Europe between 1618 and 1648, was one of the most destructive conflicts in History of Europe, European history. An estimated 4.5 to 8 million soldiers and civilians died from battle, famine ...
, there were various conflicts over the control of the region during the
Lake War The naval war on Lake Constance () was a series of conflicts that took place on Lake Constance, beginning in 1632, in the context of the Thirty Years' War (1618 to 1648). At that time various powers ruled different parts of the shoreline: in the ...
(1632–1648). After the
War of the Second Coalition The War of the Second Coalition () (1798/9 – 1801/2, depending on periodisation) was the second war targeting French Revolution, revolutionary French First Republic, France by many European monarchies, led by Kingdom of Great Britain, Britai ...
(1798–1802), which also affected the region and during which Austrian and French
flotilla A flotilla (from Spanish, meaning a small ''flota'' ( fleet) of ships), or naval flotilla, is a formation of small warships that may be part of a larger fleet. Composition A flotilla is usually composed of a homogeneous group of the same cla ...
s operated on Lake Constance, there was a reorganisation of state relationships.


Historical maps

* 1540: the map ''Lacus Constantiensis'' by Johannes Zwick and
Thomas Blarer Thomas may refer to: People * List of people with given name Thomas * Thomas (name) * Thomas (surname) * Saint Thomas (disambiguation) * Thomas Aquinas (1225–1274) Italian Dominican friar, philosopher, and Doctor of the Church * Thomas the A ...
shows topographic names, towns and the Rhine. * 1555: the map of the route of the Rhine (''Rhinelaufkarte'') by Caspar Vopel includes a topographical map of Lake Constance with its larger towns, the tributaries and the course of the Rhine. * 1633: the Swabian map by
Johannes Janssonius Johannes Janssonius (1588, in Arnhem – buried July 11, 1664, in Amsterdam) (born Jan Janszoon, in English also Jan Jansson) was a Dutch cartographer and publisher who lived and worked in Amsterdam in the 17th century. Biography Jansson ...
, Amsterdam: ''Totius Sveviae novissima tabula'' shows Lake Constance with islands, tributaries, towns and villages. * 1675: The Lake Constance map, ''Lacos Acronianus sive Bodamicus'', by Nikolaus David Hautt based on Andreas Arzet SJ shows Lake Constance with the adjacent lands.


Geography


Divisions

Lake Constance is located in the foothills of the
Alps The Alps () are some of the highest and most extensive mountain ranges in Europe, stretching approximately across eight Alpine countries (from west to east): Monaco, France, Switzerland, Italy, Liechtenstein, Germany, Austria and Slovenia. ...
. The shore length of both main lakes is long. Of this, are located in Germany (
Baden-Württemberg Baden-Württemberg ( ; ), commonly shortened to BW or BaWü, is a states of Germany, German state () in Southwest Germany, east of the Rhine, which forms the southern part of Germany's western border with France. With more than 11.07 million i ...
,
Bavaria Bavaria, officially the Free State of Bavaria, is a States of Germany, state in the southeast of Germany. With an area of , it is the list of German states by area, largest German state by land area, comprising approximately 1/5 of the total l ...
), run through Austria and through Switzerland. If the upper and lower lakes are combined, Lake Constance has a total area of , the third largest lake in
Central Europe Central Europe is a geographical region of Europe between Eastern Europe, Eastern, Southern Europe, Southern, Western Europe, Western and Northern Europe, Northern Europe. Central Europe is known for its cultural diversity; however, countries in ...
by area after
Lake Balaton Lake Balaton () is a freshwater rift lake in the Transdanubian region of Hungary. It is the List of largest lakes of Europe, largest lake in Central Europe, and one of the region's foremost tourist destinations. The Zala River provides the larges ...
() and
Lake Geneva Lake Geneva is a deep lake on the north side of the Alps, shared between Switzerland and France. It is one of the List of largest lakes of Europe, largest lakes in Western Europe and the largest on the course of the Rhône. Sixty percent () ...
(). It is also the second largest by water volume ()Uta Mürle, Johannes Ortlepp, Peter Rey, Internationale Gewässerschutzkommission für den Bodensee (publ.): ''Der Bodensee: Zustand – Fakten – Perspektiven.'' 2nd revised edition. Bregenz, 2004, , p. 10. after Lake Geneva () and extends for over between
Bregenz Bregenz (; ) is the capital of Vorarlberg, the westernmost states of Austria, state of Austria. The city lies on the east and southeast shores of Lake Constance, the third-largest freshwater lake in Central Europe, between Switzerland in the wes ...
and
Stein am Rhein Stein am Rhein (abbreviated as Stein a. R.) is a historic town and a municipality in the canton of Schaffhausen in Switzerland. It is located at the outfall of Lower Lake Constance on the High Rhine river, about halfway between the town of Scha ...
. Its
catchment area A catchment area in human geography, is the area from which a location, such as a city, service or institution, attracts a population that uses its services and economic opportunities. Catchment areas may be defined based on from where people are ...
is around , and reaching as far south as
Lago di Lei Lago di Lei ( Lombard: ''Lach de Lei'') is a reservoir in the Valle di Lei, powering the Hinterrhein storage power stations. The reservoir is almost entirely in Italy, but the barrage was built on territory ceded by Italy to Switzerland (municip ...
in Italy. The area of the Obersee, or Upper Lake, is . It extends from Bregenz to
Bodman-Ludwigshafen Bodman-Ludwigshafen is a municipality in the district of Konstanz in Baden-Württemberg in Germany, located on the most western shore of Lake Überlingen, the north-western part of the Upper Lake of Lake Constance (). The municipality consist ...
for over and is wide between
Friedrichshafen Friedrichshafen ( or ; Low Alemannic: ''Hafe'' or ''Fridrichshafe'') is a city on the northern shoreline of Lake Constance (the ''Bodensee'') in Southern Germany, near the borders of both Switzerland and Austria. It is the district capital (''K ...
and
Romanshorn Romanshorn is a Municipalities of Switzerland, municipality in the district of Arbon (district), Arbon in the Cantons of Switzerland, canton of Thurgau in Switzerland. History Romanshorn was probably settled in the 7th century, and is first menti ...
. At its deepest point between Fischbach and
Uttwil Uttwil is a municipality in the district of Arbon in the canton of Thurgau in Switzerland. Geography Uttwil has an area, , of . Of this area, or 52.8% is used for agricultural purposes, while or 30.6% is forested. Of the rest of the land, ...
, it is deep. The three small bays on the
Vorarlberg Vorarlberg ( ; ; , , or ) is the westernmost States of Austria, state () of Austria. It has the second-smallest geographical area after Vienna and, although it also has the second-smallest population, it is the state with the second-highest popu ...
shore have their own names: the Bay of Bregenz, off
Hard Hard means something that is difficult to do. It may also refer to: * Hardness, resistance of physical materials to deformation or fracture * Hard water, water with high mineral content Arts and entertainment * Hard (TV series), ''Hard'' (TV ser ...
and
Fußach Fußach is a municipality in the district of Bregenz in the Austrian state of Vorarlberg Vorarlberg ( ; ; , , or ) is the westernmost States of Austria, state () of Austria. It has the second-smallest geographical area after Vienna and, alth ...
is the Bay of Fussach and, west of that is the Wetterwinkel. Farther west, now in Switzerland, is the Bay of Rorschach. To the north, on the Bavarian side, is the Bay of Reutin. The railway embankment from the mainland to the island of Lindau and the motorway bridge over the lake border the so-called Little Lake (''Kleiner See''), which is located between the Lindau village of Aeschach and the island. The northwestern, finger-shaped arm of the Obersee is called Überlinger See (or Überlingersee in
Swiss Standard German Swiss Standard German (SSG; ), or Swiss High German ( or ; ), referred to by the Swiss as , or , is the written form of one (German language, German) of four languages of Switzerland, national languages in Switzerland, besides French language, Fr ...
), or
Lake Überlingen Lake Überlingene.g. see Kolumban Hutter, Yongqi Wang and Irina P. Chubarenko. "Trasverse Internal Wave Motion in Lake Überlingen" in ''Physics of Lakes: Volume 2: Lakes as Oscillators''. London: Springer, 2011, p. 179. ( Standard German of ...
. It is sometimes regarded as a separate lake, the boundary between Lake Überlingen and the rest of the Upper Lake runs approximately along the line between the southeast tip of Bodanrück (the ''Hörnle'', which belongs to the town of Konstanz) and Meersburg. The Constance Hopper lies between the German and Swiss shores east of
Konstanz Konstanz ( , , , ), traditionally known as Constance in English, is a college town, university city with approximately 83,000 inhabitants located at the western end of Lake Constance in the Baden-Württemberg state of south Germany. The city ho ...
. The Obersee and Untersee are connected by the
Seerhein The Seerhein (; cf. Rheinsee) is a river about long, in the basin of Lake Constance (). It is the outflow of the Upper Lake Constance and the main tributary of the Lower Lake Constance. The water level of the Lower Lake is about below the level ...
. The Untersee, or Lower Lake, which is separated from the Obersee and from its north-west arm, the Überlinger See, by the large peninsula of
Bodanrück Bodanrück () is the wide peninsula that divides Lake Constance () into '' Überlinger See'' (part of '' Obersee'') and '' Gnadensee'', which is part of '' Untersee''. At its southern end, it reaches the '' Seerhein'', which links ''Obersee'' wi ...
, has an area of . It is strongly characterised and divided into different areas by
end moraine A terminal moraine, also called an end moraine, is a type of moraine that forms at the terminal (edge) of a glacier, marking its maximum advance. At this point, debris that has accumulated by plucking and abrasion, has been pushed by the front e ...
s, various glacial snouts and
medial moraine A moraine is any accumulation of unconsolidated debris ( regolith and rock), sometimes referred to as glacial till, that occurs in both currently and formerly glaciated regions, and that has been previously carried along by a glacier or ice s ...
s. These various areas of the lake have their own names. North of
Reichenau Island Reichenau Island () is an island in Lake Constance in Southern Germany. It lies almost due west of the city of Konstanz, between the Gnadensee and the Untersee, two parts of Lake Constance. With a total land surface of and a circumference o ...
is the
Gnadensee The Gnadensee is part of Lower Lake Constance (), the western part of the lake. Description The Gnadensee lies between Allensbach in the north and the island of Reichenau in the south. In the west it extends to the Mettnau peninsula ( Radolfz ...
. West of the island of Reichenau, between the peninsula of
Höri Höri is a municipality in the district of Bülach in the canton of Zürich in Switzerland, and belongs to the Glatt Valley (German: ''Glattal''). History Höri is first mentioned in as ''Hoerein''. Geography Höri has an area of . Of this ar ...
and the peninsula of
Mettnau Mettnau is a peninsula, located east of the town of Radolfzell in the western part of Lake Constance. It lies between the '' Markelfingen corner'' in the north and the '' Zeller See'' in the south and has a length of 3.5 kilometers and a width of ...
is the Zeller See (or Zellersee in Swiss Standard German), or
Lake Zell Lake Zell (; ) is a small freshwater lake in the Austrian Alps. It takes its name from the city of Zell am See, which is located on a small delta protruding into the lake. The lake is long and across at its widest. It is up to 73 metres deep ...
. North of the peninsula and swamp land Mettnau lies the lake part Markelfinger Winkel. The
drumlin A drumlin, from the Irish word ("little ridge"), first recorded in 1833, in the classical sense is an elongated hill in the shape of an inverted spoon or half-buried egg formed by glacial ice acting on underlying unconsolidated till or groun ...
s of the southern Bodanrück continue along the bed of these northern parts of the lake. South of the Reichenau, from
Gottlieben Gottlieben is a municipality in the district of Kreuzlingen in the canton of Thurgau in Switzerland. History Gottlieben is first mentioned around the end of the 10th century as ''Gotiliubon''. It was originally part of the land owned by the B ...
to
Eschenz Eschenz is a municipality in Frauenfeld District in the canton of Thurgau in Switzerland. History The prehistoric shore village on ''Werd Island'' and in the ''Seeäckern'' area (northeast of Eschenz) are rich archeological sites that have cont ...
, stretches the ''Rheinsee'' (lit.: "Rhine Lake") with strong Rhine currents in places. Previously this lake part was named Lake Bernang after the village of Berlingen. On most of the maps the name of the ''Rheinsee'' is not shown, because this place is best suited for the name of the Untersee.''Der Bodensee: drei Teile, ein See.''
In: ''Seespiegel.'' Edition 20.


Emergence and future

The present-day shape of Lake Constance has resulted from the combination of several factors: * The
tectonic Tectonics ( via Latin ) are the processes that result in the structure and properties of the Earth's crust and its evolution through time. The field of ''planetary tectonics'' extends the concept to other planets and moons. These processes ...
Lake Constance Basin between the Alps and the Jura was created in the
Jurassic The Jurassic ( ) is a Geological period, geologic period and System (stratigraphy), stratigraphic system that spanned from the end of the Triassic Period million years ago (Mya) to the beginning of the Cretaceous Period, approximately 143.1 Mya. ...
and
Tertiary Tertiary (from Latin, meaning 'third' or 'of the third degree/order..') may refer to: * Tertiary period, an obsolete geologic period spanning from 66 to 2.6 million years ago * Tertiary (chemistry), a term describing bonding patterns in organic ch ...
periods. * The current
Alpine Rhine The Alpine Rhine Valley () is a glacial alpine valley, formed by the Alpine Rhine ( ), the part of the Rhine between the confluence of the Anterior Rhine and Posterior Rhine at Reichenau and Lake Constance. It covers three countries, with se ...
was initially a tributary of the Danube. * Over time, the basin was captured by the
High Rhine High Rhine (, ; kilometres 0 to 167 of the Rhine) is the section of the Rhine between Lake Constance () and the city of Basel, flowing in a general east-to-west direction and forming mostly the Germany–Switzerland border. It is the first of fo ...
as a result of
headward erosion Headward erosion is erosion at the origin of a stream channel, which causes the origin to move back away from the direction of the stream flow, lengthening the stream channel.Essentials of Geology, 3rd Ed, Stephen Marshak It can also refer t ...
(
fluvial erosion In geography and geology, fluvial sediment processes or fluvial sediment transport are associated with rivers and streams and the deposits and landforms created by sediments. It can result in the formation of ripples and dunes, in fractal-shaped ...
). ** The capture was not always only along the present Rhine valley;
Lake Überlingen Lake Überlingene.g. see Kolumban Hutter, Yongqi Wang and Irina P. Chubarenko. "Trasverse Internal Wave Motion in Lake Überlingen" in ''Physics of Lakes: Volume 2: Lakes as Oscillators''. London: Springer, 2011, p. 179. ( Standard German of ...
marks part of an older valley course. * The river valleys were deepened during several cold periods by the
Rhine Glacier The Rhine Glacier was a glacier during the last glacial period and was responsible for the formation of the Lake Constance Lake Constance (, ) refers to three bodies of water on the Rhine at the northern foot of the Alps: Upper Lake Constan ...
from the valley of the Alpine Rhine (
glacial erosion Erosion is the action of surface processes (such as Surface runoff, water flow or wind) that removes soil, Rock (geology), rock, or dissolved material from one location on the Earth's crust#Crust, Earth's crust and then sediment transport, tran ...
). * Behind the present impressive traces of the
Würm Ice Age Wurm or Würm may refer to: Places * Wurm (Rur), a river in North Rhine-Westphalia in western Germany * Würm (Amper), a river in Bavaria, southeastern Germany ** Würm glaciation, an Alpine ice age, named after the Bavarian river * Würm (Nagold ...
, the effects of older cold periods can no longer be explored in any detail. Lake Constance now represents, above all, a
zungenbecken A ''Zungenbecken'' (), also called a tongue basin or tongue-basin, is part of a succession of ice age geological landforms, known as a glacial series. It is a hollow that is left behind by the ice mass, as the snout of the glacier () recedes, ...
or
glacial lake A glacial lake is a body of water with origins from glacier activity. They are formed when a glacier erodes the land and then melts, filling the depression created by the glacier. Formation Near the end of the last glacial period, roughly 10,0 ...
of the Würm Glaciation. * During a later phase of the ice age, only the Obersee was glaciated. As the glacier retreated further, the glacial meltwaters flowed out of the emerging Überlingen See through the older more northerly valley into the present High Rhine valley. * Due to the advancing headward erosion, the present course of the High Rhine was finally (again) reconnected to Lake Constance. Like any glacial lake, Lake Constance will also silt up by
sedimentation Sedimentation is the deposition of sediments. It takes place when particles in suspension settle out of the fluid in which they are entrained and come to rest against a barrier. This is due to their motion through the fluid in response to th ...
. This process can best be observed at the mouths of the larger rivers, especially that of the Alpine Rhine. The
silting up Siltation is water pollution caused by particulate terrestrial clastic material, with a particle size dominated by silt or clay. It refers both to the increased concentration of suspended sediments and to the increased accumulation (temporary or ...
process is accelerated by ever-increasing erosion by the Rhine and the associated reduction in the level of the lake.


Tributaries

The main tributary of Lake Constance is the
Alpine Rhine The Alpine Rhine Valley () is a glacial alpine valley, formed by the Alpine Rhine ( ), the part of the Rhine between the confluence of the Anterior Rhine and Posterior Rhine at Reichenau and Lake Constance. It covers three countries, with se ...
. The Alpine Rhine and the
Seerhein The Seerhein (; cf. Rheinsee) is a river about long, in the basin of Lake Constance (). It is the outflow of the Upper Lake Constance and the main tributary of the Lower Lake Constance. The water level of the Lower Lake is about below the level ...
do not mix greatly with the waters of the lake and flow through the lakes along courses that change relatively little. There are also numerous smaller tributaries (236 in all). The most important tributaries of the Obersee are (counterclockwise) the
Dornbirner Ach The Dornbirner Ach (also called ''Dornbirner Ache'') is a long stream in Vorarlberg, Austria, and a tributary of Lake Constance () and the Rhine, respectively. It flows through two gorges in its upper part, the Alploch Gorge and the Rappenloch G ...
,
Bregenzer Ach The Bregenzer Ach (also: ''Bregenzer Ache'') is the main river of the Bregenz Forest () in the Austrian state of Vorarlberg. It is a tributary to Lake Constance and the River Rhine, respectively. Geography The source of the river is above ...
,
Leiblach The Leiblach is a tributary of Lake Constance ('' Obersee'') and the Rhine, respectively. It forms the Austria–Germany border near the lake. Geography The Leiblach source is near the German municipality of Heimenkirch, flowing to the southwest ...
,
Argen The Argen is a river in Baden-Württemberg, Germany. It flows into Lake Constance between Kressbronn am Bodensee and Langenargen as the third largest tributary to the lake. It is long; if one includes the Obere Argen and its source river Seele ...
,
Schussen The Schussen () is a tributary of Lake Constance (), which drains to the High Rhine, in the southern portion of Upper Swabia in Baden-Württemberg (Germany). Course From its source, not far from the Lake Feder, around north of Bad Schussen ...
,
Rotach The Rotach is a tributary of Lake Constance, which drains to the Rhine, in the German state of Baden-Württemberg. The river source is near the municipality of Wilhelmsdorf. It flows southward through Horgenzell and Oberteuringen before empty ...
, Brunnisach,
Seefelder Aach The Seefelder Aach is a river in the districts of Sigmaringen and Bodenseekreis, Tübingen region, southern Baden-Württemberg, Germany. It is approximately 55 kilometres long and flows into Lake Constance. It has a catchment area of 279 km ...
,
Stockacher Aach Stockacher Aach is a river of Baden-Württemberg, Germany. It is a tributary to Lake Constance, which is drained by the Rhine. It passes through Stockach and flows into Lake Constance near Bodman-Ludwigshafen. See also *List of rivers of Baden- ...
, Salmsacher Aach, the Aach near Arbon, Steinach,
Goldach Goldach is a municipality in the ''Wahlkreis'' (constituency) of Rorschach in the canton of St. Gallen in Switzerland. History Goldach is first mentioned in 789 as ''Goldaha'', though this comes from a later copy of the original document. In ...
and the Old Rhine. The outflow of the Obersee is the
Seerhein The Seerhein (; cf. Rheinsee) is a river about long, in the basin of Lake Constance (). It is the outflow of the Upper Lake Constance and the main tributary of the Lower Lake Constance. The water level of the Lower Lake is about below the level ...
, which in turn is the main tributary of the Untersee. The most important tributary of the Untersee is the
Radolfzeller Aach The Radolfzeller Aach (also known as Hegauer Aach) is a right or north tributary of the Rhine in the Hegau region, southern Baden-Württemberg (Germany). It is approximately long and drains into Lower Lake Constance. Most of its waters derive f ...
. The source of the Radolfzeller Aach is the
Aachtopf The Aachtopf () is Germany's biggest karst spring, south of the western end of the Swabian Jura near the town of Aach, Baden-Württemberg, Aach. It produces an average of 8,500 litres per second. Most of the water stems from the River Danube whe ...
, a
karst spring A karst spring or karstic spring is a Spring (hydrology), spring (exsurgence, outflow of groundwater) that is part of a karst hydrological system. Description Because of their often conical or inverted bowl shape, karst springs are also known i ...
whose waters mostly derive from the
Danube Sinkhole Sinkhole in the Danube near Möhringen Schematic of the sinkhole locations and the route to Aachtopf Completely dry Danube riverbed right , Sink hole on the southern bank of the Danube, at the main sinkhole site below Immendingen Sign ...
. Therefore, the
Danube The Danube ( ; see also #Names and etymology, other names) is the List of rivers of Europe#Longest rivers, second-longest river in Europe, after the Volga in Russia. It flows through Central and Southeastern Europe, from the Black Forest sou ...
is indirectly also a tributary of the Rhine. Because the Alpine Rhine brings with it drift from the mountains and deposits this material as
sediment Sediment is a solid material that is transported to a new location where it is deposited. It occurs naturally and, through the processes of weathering and erosion, is broken down and subsequently sediment transport, transported by the action of ...
, the Bay of Bregenz will silt up in a few centuries time. The silting up of the entire Lake Constance is estimated to take another ten to twenty thousand years.


Outflows, evaporation, water extraction

The outflow of the Untersee is the
High Rhine High Rhine (, ; kilometres 0 to 167 of the Rhine) is the section of the Rhine between Lake Constance () and the city of Basel, flowing in a general east-to-west direction and forming mostly the Germany–Switzerland border. It is the first of fo ...
with the
Rhine Falls The Rhine Falls ( / Swiss German: , a singular noun) is a waterfall on the High Rhine in Switzerland. It is the most powerful waterfall in Europe and a popular tourist attraction. The falls are located on the border between the cantons of S ...
at
Schaffhausen Schaffhausen (; ; ; ; ), historically known in English as Shaffhouse, is a list of towns in Switzerland, town with historic roots, a municipalities of Switzerland, municipality in northern Switzerland, and the capital of the canton of Schaffh ...
. Both the average precipitation of 0.45 km3/a and evaporation which averages 0.29 km3/a cause a net change in the level of Lake Constance that is less when compared to the influence of the inflows and outflows. Further quantities of lake water are extracted by municipal waterworks around the lake and the water company of Bodensee-Wasserversorgung.


Islands

In Lake Constance there are ten
island An island or isle is a piece of land, distinct from a continent, completely surrounded by water. There are continental islands, which were formed by being split from a continent by plate tectonics, and oceanic islands, which have never been ...
s that are larger than . By far the largest is the
island of Reichenau Reichenau Island () is an island in Lake Constance in Southern Germany. It lies almost due west of the city of Konstanz, between the Gnadensee and the Untersee, two parts of Lake Constance. With a total land surface of and a circumference ...
in the Untersee, which belongs to the municipality of
Reichenau Reichenau may refer to: *Reichenau Island, a German island in Lake Constance **Reichenau Abbey, a former Benedictine monastery on the island **Reichenau, Baden-Württemberg, a municipality that encompasses the namesake island and five separate area ...
. The former
abbey of Reichenau Reichenau Abbey was a Benedictine monastery on Reichenau Island (known in Latin as Augia Dives) in southern Germany. It was founded in 724 by the itinerant Saint Pirmin, who is said to have fled Visigothic Spain ahead of the Moorish invaders, w ...
is a
UNESCO The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO ) is a List of specialized agencies of the United Nations, specialized agency of the United Nations (UN) with the aim of promoting world peace and International secur ...
World Heritage Site World Heritage Sites are landmarks and areas with legal protection under an treaty, international treaty administered by UNESCO for having cultural, historical, or scientific significance. The sites are judged to contain "cultural and natural ...
due to its three early and highly medieval churches. The island is also known for its intensive cultivation of
fruit In botany, a fruit is the seed-bearing structure in flowering plants (angiosperms) that is formed from the ovary after flowering. Fruits are the means by which angiosperms disseminate their seeds. Edible fruits in particular have long propaga ...
and
vegetables Vegetables are edible parts of plants that are consumed by humans or other animals as food. This original meaning is still commonly used, and is applied to plants collectively to refer to all edible plant matter, including flowers, fruits, ...
. The island of
Lindau Lindau (, ''Lindau am Bodensee''; ; Low Alemannic German, Low Alemannic: ''Lindou'') is a major Town#Germany, town and Lindau (island), island on the eastern side of Lake Constance (''Bodensee'' in German) in Bavaria, Germany. It is the capital ...
is located in the east of the Obersee, and is the second largest island. On it is the old town and main railway station of Lindau. The third largest island is
Mainau Mainau also referred to as Mav(e)no(w), Maienowe (in 1242), Maienow (in 1357), Maienau, Mainowe (in 1394) and Mainaw (in 1580) is an island in Lake Constance (on the Southern shore of the Überlinger See near the city of Konstanz, Baden-Würt ...
in the southeast of Lake Überlingen. The owners, the family of Bernadotte, have set up the island as a tourist attraction and created botanical gardens and wildlife enclosures. Relatively large, but uninhabited and inaccessible because of their status as nature reserves, are two islands off the
Wollmatinger Ried The nature reserve of Wollmatinger Ried – Untersee – Gnadensee is a protected area on the shores of Lake Constance in Germany. It has an area of 767 hectares and is the largest and most important nature reserve on the German side of Lake Consta ...
: the
Triboldingerbohl Triboldingerbohl, also known as Triboltingen or großes Bohl or Langenrain, is the fourth largest island of Lake Constance, with an area of . It is long and up to wide. It is located in the easternmost part of the Untersee (Lake Constance), ne ...
which has an area of and Mittler or Langbohl which is just in area. Smaller islands in the Obersee are: * Dominican Island (''Dominikanerinsel'') separated by a six-metre-wide ditch from the old town of
Constance Constance may refer to: Places * Constance, Kentucky, United States, an unincorporated community * Constance, Minnesota, United States, an unincorporated community * Mount Constance, Washington State, United States * Lake Constance (disambiguat ...
which is home to the Steigenberger Hotel () * The tiny island of
Hoy Hoy may refer to: People Given name * Hoy Menear (died 2023), American politician * Hoy Phallin (born 1995), Cambodian footballer * Hoy Wong (1920–2009), American bartender Surname * Hoy (surname), a Scottish and Irish surname * H ...
near Lindau * The ten artificial islands on the Rhine Causeway on the Fußach side * The little island by the port of
Romanshorn Romanshorn is a Municipalities of Switzerland, municipality in the district of Arbon (district), Arbon in the Cantons of Switzerland, canton of Thurgau in Switzerland. History Romanshorn was probably settled in the 7th century, and is first menti ...
* The Wollschweininsel (officially ''Wulesaueninsle'') by the Seepark in
Kreuzlingen Kreuzlingen () is a municipality in the district of Kreuzlingen in the canton of Thurgau in north-eastern Switzerland. It is the seat of the district and is the second-largest city of the canton, after Frauenfeld, with a population of about 22 ...
In the Untersee are: * the islands of Werd, Mittleres Werdli and Unteres Werdli which together form the Werd Islands group are located at the outflow of the Rhine from the Untersee at Stein am Rhein into the
High Rhine High Rhine (, ; kilometres 0 to 167 of the Rhine) is the section of the Rhine between Lake Constance () and the city of Basel, flowing in a general east-to-west direction and forming mostly the Germany–Switzerland border. It is the first of fo ...
. * The so-called Liebesinsel ("Love Island", , southwest of the Mettnau peninsula.


Peninsulas

In Lake Constance there are several peninsulas which vary greatly in size: * The
Bodanrück Bodanrück () is the wide peninsula that divides Lake Constance () into '' Überlinger See'' (part of '' Obersee'') and '' Gnadensee'', which is part of '' Untersee''. At its southern end, it reaches the '' Seerhein'', which links ''Obersee'' wi ...
, the largest peninsula, separates the Überlinger See (Obersee) from the Untersee. It covers an area of . * The
Mettnau Mettnau is a peninsula, located east of the town of Radolfzell in the western part of Lake Constance. It lies between the '' Markelfingen corner'' in the north and the '' Zeller See'' in the south and has a length of 3.5 kilometers and a width of ...
in the Untersee, which extends towards the Island of Reichenau, separates Zeller See in the south from the Markelfinger Winkel in the north. It has a surface area of . * The
Höri Höri is a municipality in the district of Bülach in the canton of Zürich in Switzerland, and belongs to the Glatt Valley (German: ''Glattal''). History Höri is first mentioned in as ''Hoerein''. Geography Höri has an area of . Of this ar ...
, (about 45-square-kilometres) also extends towards the Island of Reichenau, and separates the Zeller See to the north from the Rheinsee to the south. * In the southeast, near the mouth of the new Rhine Canal, the Rohrspitz juts out about into the lake and forms the western perimeter of the Bay of Fußach. It has an area of about 50 hectares. * The Wasserburg peninsula has a castle, Schloss Wasserburg, and the parish church of St. George. The peninsula is on the northeastern shore of the Obersee between the Bay of Nonnenhorn in the west and Bay of Wasserburg in the east. It has an area of and was an island until 1720, when the
Fugger The House of Fugger () is a German family that was historically a prominent group of European bankers, members of the fifteenth- and sixteenth-century mercantile patriciate of Augsburg, international mercantile bankers, and venture capitalists. ...
s built a causeway. In March 2009, 27 people lived on the peninsula. * The Galgeninsel ("Gallows Island") in the Bay of Reutin is also a peninsula that was formerly an island. It is only 0.16 hectares in area.


Shore

The shores of Lake Constance consist mainly of gravel. In some places there are also sandy beaches, such as the Rohrspitz in the Austrian section of the lake, the
Langenargen Langenargen is a town in the district of Bodensee in Baden-Württemberg in Germany. Demographics Population development: Sports Langenargen is an ideal venue for sports such as sailing. The town's location on the shores of the Bodensee ...
and Marienschlucht. According to the data of the International Water Protection Commission for the Lake Constance, the approximate shore length is (see
Coastline paradox The coastline paradox is the counterintuitive observation that the coastline of a landmass does not have a well-defined length. This results from the fractal curve-like properties of coastlines; i.e., the fact that a coastline typically has a f ...
). The inflow of water is constantly changing, mainly due to rain and the snow melt in the Alps. Its average surface area is about (in Switzerland the absolute value is slightly higher in m above sea level). The more or less regular seasonal fluctuations in the water level also lead to slight variations in shore length and differences in the shore zone habitats (depending on high and low water).


Transportation


Road

Roads westbound
Bundesstraße 33 ''Bundesstraße'' (, ), abbreviated ''B'', is the denotation for Germany, German and Austrian national highways. Germany Germany's ''Bundesstraßen'' network has a total length of about 40,000 km. German ''Bundesstraßen'' are labelled ...
(B 33, highway),
Bundesautobahn 81 is a motorway in Germany. It branches off the A 3 at the Würzburg-West triangle and ends near the border with Switzerland. The oldest part of the A 81 between the Weinsberg intersection ( A 6) near Heilbronn and Dreieck Leo ...
(A 81), at Stockach, Konstanz:
Bundesautobahn 98 is a long motorway in southern Germany, originally intended to connect Weil am Rhein with the A 8 near Irschenberg. Currently, only three relatively short unconnected sections have been constructed: *Weil am Rhein to near Eichsel, wh ...
(A 98), Switzerland:
Autobahn 7 is the longest German Autobahn and the longest national motorway in Europe at 963 km (598 mi). It bisects the country almost evenly between east and west. In the north, it starts at the border with Denmark as an extension of the Danish part of ...
(A7), Autobahn 1 (A 1), Autobahn 23 (A 23) and eastbound at Bregenz Rheintal/Walgau Autobahn (A 14), at Lindau
Bundesautobahn 96 is a motorway in southern Germany, leading from the Austrian border ( A14) near Lindau (Lake Constance) through Memmingen, Landsberg am Lech to Munich. Two European routes lead through the autobahn: E 43 and E 54. It was first plan ...
(A 96),
Bundesstraße 31 The Bundesstraße 31 (B 31) is a federal highway or '' Bundesstraße'' running from east to west in South Germany. It runs from Breisach on the border with France to the Sigmarszell junction on the Bundesautobahn 96 (A 96) near Linda ...
(B 31)


Ship / Ferry

There are eight main harbors offering boat services across the Upper Lake: ;Austria: *
Bregenz Bregenz (; ) is the capital of Vorarlberg, the westernmost states of Austria, state of Austria. The city lies on the east and southeast shores of Lake Constance, the third-largest freshwater lake in Central Europe, between Switzerland in the wes ...
;Switzerland: * Rorschach *
Romanshorn Romanshorn is a Municipalities of Switzerland, municipality in the district of Arbon (district), Arbon in the Cantons of Switzerland, canton of Thurgau in Switzerland. History Romanshorn was probably settled in the 7th century, and is first menti ...
;Germany: *
Lindau Lindau (, ''Lindau am Bodensee''; ; Low Alemannic German, Low Alemannic: ''Lindou'') is a major Town#Germany, town and Lindau (island), island on the eastern side of Lake Constance (''Bodensee'' in German) in Bavaria, Germany. It is the capital ...
*
Friedrichshafen Friedrichshafen ( or ; Low Alemannic: ''Hafe'' or ''Fridrichshafe'') is a city on the northern shoreline of Lake Constance (the ''Bodensee'') in Southern Germany, near the borders of both Switzerland and Austria. It is the district capital (''K ...
*
Meersburg Meersburg () is a town in Baden-Württemberg in the southwest of Germany. It is on Lake Constance. It is known for its medieval city. The lower town ("Unterstadt") and upper town ("Oberstadt") are reserved for pedestrians only, and connected by t ...
*
Unteruhldingen Unteruhldingen is a small village, part of the town of Uhldingen-Mühlhofen, on the northwestern shore of Lake Constance, Germany. It is home to the Pfahlbau Museum Unteruhldingen, Pfahlbauten, an open-air museum displaying reconstructions of Neoli ...
(touristic harbor) *
Konstanz Konstanz ( , , , ), traditionally known as Constance in English, is a college town, university city with approximately 83,000 inhabitants located at the western end of Lake Constance in the Baden-Württemberg state of south Germany. The city ho ...
Additionally, car ferries link Romanshorn to Friedrichshafen, and Konstanz to Meersburg. Between 1869 and 1976, there used to be
train ferries A train ferry is a ship (ferry) designed to carry railway vehicles, as well as their cargoes and passengers. Typically, one level of the ship is fitted with railway tracks, and the vessel has a door at the front and/or rear to give access to t ...
across the lake. Several smaller harbors on the Upper Lake offer boat trips along the German or Swiss coast (with one continuing over the Old Rhine to
Rheineck Rheineck is a municipality in the ''Wahlkreis'' (constituency) of Rheintal in the canton of St. Gallen in Switzerland. History Rheineck is first mentioned about 1163 as ''castellum Rinegge''. In 1218 it was mentioned as ''Rinegg''. An older ...
). The harbour in Konstanz is also served by the ''
Schweizerische Schifffahrtsgesellschaft Untersee und Rhein The ''Schweizerische Schifffahrtsgesellschaft Untersee und Rhein AG'' (commonly abbreviated to URh), , is an ''Aktiengesellschaft'' (AG) based in the Swiss town of Schaffhausen. It operates regular boat lines (spring–autumn) between Schaffhaus ...
'' (URh), which operates via the ''
Seerhein The Seerhein (; cf. Rheinsee) is a river about long, in the basin of Lake Constance (). It is the outflow of the Upper Lake Constance and the main tributary of the Lower Lake Constance. The water level of the Lower Lake is about below the level ...
'', Lower Lake and
High Rhine High Rhine (, ; kilometres 0 to 167 of the Rhine) is the section of the Rhine between Lake Constance () and the city of Basel, flowing in a general east-to-west direction and forming mostly the Germany–Switzerland border. It is the first of fo ...
to
Schaffhausen Schaffhausen (; ; ; ; ), historically known in English as Shaffhouse, is a list of towns in Switzerland, town with historic roots, a municipalities of Switzerland, municipality in northern Switzerland, and the capital of the canton of Schaffh ...
. It docks at the harbours of
Kreuzlingen Kreuzlingen () is a municipality in the district of Kreuzlingen in the canton of Thurgau in north-eastern Switzerland. It is the seat of the district and is the second-largest city of the canton, after Frauenfeld, with a population of about 22 ...
, Konstanz,
Gottlieben Gottlieben is a municipality in the district of Kreuzlingen in the canton of Thurgau in Switzerland. History Gottlieben is first mentioned around the end of the 10th century as ''Gotiliubon''. It was originally part of the land owned by the B ...
,
Ermatingen Ermatingen is a Municipalities of Switzerland, municipality in the district of Kreuzlingen (district), Kreuzlingen in the Cantons of Switzerland, canton of Thurgau in Switzerland. History The Stone Age Westerfeld and Büge shoreline settlements w ...
,
Reichenau Reichenau may refer to: *Reichenau Island, a German island in Lake Constance **Reichenau Abbey, a former Benedictine monastery on the island **Reichenau, Baden-Württemberg, a municipality that encompasses the namesake island and five separate area ...
,
Mannenbach Salenstein is a municipality in Kreuzlingen District in the canton of Thurgau in Switzerland. Salenstein was the home village of Napoleon III, who lived at Castle Arenenberg in his youth. History In the ''Eichholz'' area near Salenstein, ...
, Berlingen,
Gaienhofen Gaienhofen is a municipality in the district of Konstanz in Baden-Württemberg in Germany. It is located at the border with Switzerland. Since 1974, Gaienhofen consists of four villages: Gaienhofen, Gundholzen, Hemmenhofen and Horn. Attraction ...
,
Steckborn Steckborn is a municipality in Frauenfeld District in the canton of Thurgau in Switzerland. It is located on the south-western arm of Lake Constance known in German as the Untersee ("Lower Lake"). History The area around Steckborn was alrea ...
,
Hemmenhofen Gaienhofen is a municipality in the district of Konstanz (district), Konstanz in Baden-Württemberg in Germany. It is located at the border with Switzerland. Since 1974, Gaienhofen consists of four villages: Gaienhofen, Gundholzen, Hemmenhofen a ...
, Wangen,
Mammern Mammern is a municipality in Frauenfeld District in the canton of Thurgau, Switzerland, on Lake Constance. History Finds from the Neolithic Age, Bronze Age (including stilt houses and stone hatchets) and the Early Middle Ages show that there was ...
,
Öhningen Öhningen is a municipality on the western edge of Lake Constance where it forms the border between Switzerland and the district of Konstanz (or Constance) in Baden-Württemberg in Germany. World Heritage Site It is home to one or more prehisto ...
,
Stein am Rhein Stein am Rhein (abbreviated as Stein a. R.) is a historic town and a municipality in the canton of Schaffhausen in Switzerland. It is located at the outfall of Lower Lake Constance on the High Rhine river, about halfway between the town of Scha ...
,
Diessenhofen Diessenhofen is a village and a municipality in Frauenfeld District in the canton of Thurgau in Switzerland. The village is situated on the south shore of the High Rhine just opposite the German town of Gailingen am Hochrhein. History Diessenhof ...
, Büsingen and Schaffhausen.
Radolfzell Radolfzell am Bodensee (, ) is a town in the state of Baden-Württemberg, Germany, located at the western end ( Zeller Lake) of Lake Constance, approximately northwest of the city of Konstanz (Constance). It is the third largest town, after Ko ...
and Iznang are also linked by a boat line over the Lower Lake (to Konstanz).


Rail

A network of several
railway line Rail transport (also known as train transport) is a means of transport using wheeled vehicles running in tracks, which usually consist of two parallel steel rails. Rail transport is one of the two primary means of land transport, next to road ...
s surrounds the lake. The lines are operated by regional train services (
S-Bahn The S-Bahn ( , ), , is a hybrid urban rail, urban–suburban rail system serving a metropolitan region predominantly in German language, German-speaking countries. Some of the larger S-Bahn systems provide service similar to rapid transit syst ...
,
RegioExpress RegioExpress, commonly abbreviated to RE, is a Train categories in Europe, category of fast regional train service in Switzerland, run by Swiss Federal Railways (SBB CFF FFS) or other railway companies (such as Treni Regionali Ticino Lombardia, ...
,
Regional-Express In Germany, Luxembourg and Austria, the Regional-Express (; RE, or in Austria: REX) is a type of regional train. It is similar to a semi-fast train, with a top speed of and an average speed of about as it calls at fewer stations than ''R ...
) spreading over four countries (
Austria Austria, formally the Republic of Austria, is a landlocked country in Central Europe, lying in the Eastern Alps. It is a federation of nine Federal states of Austria, states, of which the capital Vienna is the List of largest cities in Aust ...
,
Germany Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It lies between the Baltic Sea and the North Sea to the north and the Alps to the south. Its sixteen States of Germany, constituent states have a total popu ...
,
Liechtenstein Liechtenstein (, ; ; ), officially the Principality of Liechtenstein ( ), is a Landlocked country#Doubly landlocked, doubly landlocked Swiss Standard German, German-speaking microstate in the Central European Alps, between Austria in the east ...
,
Switzerland Switzerland, officially the Swiss Confederation, is a landlocked country located in west-central Europe. It is bordered by Italy to the south, France to the west, Germany to the north, and Austria and Liechtenstein to the east. Switzerland ...
). In Switzerland, they belong to S-Bahn St. Gallen and trains are operated by THURBO (
Swiss Federal Railways Swiss Federal Railways (, SBB; , CFF; , FFS) is the national railway company of Switzerland. The company was founded in 1902 and is headquartered in Bern. It used to be a State-owned enterprise, government institution, but since 1999 it has be ...
, SBB),
Südostbahn The Südostbahn (German language, German, ) – commonly abbreviated to SOB – is a Switzerland, Swiss railway company, and a network in Central Switzerland, Central and Eastern Switzerland. It resulted from the merger of the Schweizerische S ...
(SOB) and
Appenzell Railways Appenzell Railways (, AB) is a Swiss railway company with headquarters in Herisau. It operates a network of railways and a bus line in the cantons of Appenzell Innerrhoden, Appenzell Ausserrhoden, St. Gallen and Thurgau. It was founded in 2006 ...
(AB). The so-called belt railway () along the northern shore is operated by
DB Regio DB Regio AG () is a subsidiary of Deutsche Bahn which operates regional and commuter train services in Germany. It is a 100% subsidiary of the Deutsche Bahn Group and therefore part of the DB Regio business segment, which also includes DB Regionn ...
and
SBB GmbH SBB GmbH, also known as SBB Deutschland, is a railway company that operates services in Germany and the Swiss cantons, cantons of Canton of Basel-City, Basel-City and Canton of Schaffhausen, Schaffhausen in Switzerland. It is a subsidiary of Swis ...
. In Austria and Liechtenstein, train services are operated by
Austrian Federal Railways The Austrian Federal Railways ( , formally or () and formerly the or ''BBÖ'' ), now commonly known as ÖBB (), is the national railway company of Austria, and the administrator of Liechtenstein's railways. The ÖBB group i ...
(ÖBB) for the
Vorarlberg S-Bahn Vorarlberg S-Bahn () is a label for regional rail services in the westernmost Austrian States of Austria, state of Vorarlberg. The S-Bahn services also connect to stations in the Germany, German town of Lindau, the Switzerland, Swiss towns of S ...
. Regional train services around Lake Constance are marketed as
Bodensee S-Bahn Bodensee S-Bahn is an international marketing effort grouping various regional rail services (S-Bahn, R/RB, RE, RE/REX) around Lake Constance () in Austria, Germany and Switzerland. Cross-border rail and bus services along with Lake Constance ...
.
Railway station Rail transport (also known as train transport) is a means of transport using wheeled vehicles running in railway track, tracks, which usually consist of two parallel steel railway track, rails. Rail transport is one of the two primary means of ...
s close to harbours are, among others: , , , , , , and . Long-distance trains ( RJ/RJX, EC/ECE, IC (DB)/ IC (SBB), IR,
IRE Ire or IRE may refer to: Ire * Extreme anger; intense fury * Irē, the Livonian name for Mazirbe, Latvia * A town in Oye, Nigeria * ''Ire'' (album), a 2015 album by the Australian metalcore band Parkway Drive * Ire (Iliad), a town mentioned in ...
) link larger lakeside railway stations (e.g., , , , , ) with major cities.


Air

Two
airport An airport is an aerodrome with extended facilities, mostly for commercial Aviation, air transport. They usually consist of a landing area, which comprises an aerially accessible open space including at least one operationally active surf ...
s are located near the lake's shores:
Friedrichshafen Airport Friedrichshafen Airport (, ; also known as ''Bodensee Airport Friedrichshafen'') is a minor international airport 1.9 miles (3 km) north of Friedrichshafen, Germany, on the banks of Lake Constance (German: ''Bodensee''). It is the third bi ...
(Germany) and St. Gallen–Altenrhein Airport (Switzerland).
Zeppelin NT The Zeppelin NT (''"Neue Technologie"'', German language, German for ''new technology'') is a class of helium-filled airships being manufactured since the 1990s by the German company Luftschiffbau Zeppelin, Zeppelin Luftschifftechnik GmbH (ZLT) ...
offers touristic
zeppelin A Zeppelin is a type of rigid airship named after the German inventor Ferdinand von Zeppelin () who pioneered rigid airship development at the beginning of the 20th century. Zeppelin's notions were first formulated in 1874Eckener 1938, pp. 155 ...
flights around Lake Constance departing from Friedrichshafen Airport.


Climate

The climate of the Lake Constance area is characterised by mild temperatures with moderate gradients, thanks to the balancing and retarding effect of the large body of water. It has a
subtropical The subtropical zones or subtropics are geographical zone, geographical and Köppen climate classification, climate zones immediately to the Northern Hemisphere, north and Southern Hemisphere, south of the tropics. Geographically part of the Ge ...
microclimate, which allows the cultivation of some exotic fruits and trees. Constance counts 2069 sunshine hours a year and is therefore considered one of the sunniest cities in Germany. Winters are generally short and mild, although night temperatures can fall under 0°C, especially from December to February. Typically day temperatures range between +5 and +12°C, while nights with +1 to +8°C on average stay cold, though mostly without long and severe frosts. The
Föhn A Foehn, or Föhn (, , , ), is a type of dry, relatively warm downslope wind in the lee of a mountain range. It is a rain shadow wind that results from the subsequent adiabatic warming of air that has dropped most of its moisture on windw ...
, a warm wind from the
Mediterranean Sea The Mediterranean Sea ( ) is a sea connected to the Atlantic Ocean, surrounded by the Mediterranean basin and almost completely enclosed by land: on the east by the Levant in West Asia, on the north by Anatolia in West Asia and Southern Eur ...
, that regularly blows through the Alps, can cause temperatures between 15 and 20°C with sunshine for several days, while on the other hand fog creates a few cold days between 1 and 5°C each year. Generally, Lake Constance is affected more by fog than neighboring regions more inland. Spring goes from March to May and is usually sunny, with day temperatures between 15 and 22°C but still relatively cold water. This is also resulting in still cold night temperatures that range between 4°C in March and 12°C in May only. As the lake temperature heats up by the increasing warm days, the nights are also becoming milder, though moderated a little bit by the height and lake. This results in average morning lows of 16-18°C during the high summer months. Lake Constance counts one of the highest amount of tropical nights in Germany (lowest temperature at 20°C or more). The days in Summers (June-September) are warm to hot with day temperatures of 26-33°C on average, decreasing to around 20°C until the end of September. Humidity levels raise noticeable and temperatures often move up to 35°C between June and August. This increases the
heat index The heat index (HI) is an index that combines air temperature and relative humidity, in shade (shadow), shaded areas, to posit a human-perceived equivalent temperature, as how hot it would feel if the humidity were some other value in the Shade (s ...
, causing Lake Constance to have a stressful climate. The region receives most of its sunny days during high summer. In the recent years, in 2018 and 2022, the water levels fall to new record lows due to weeks without significant rain. On the other hand, the closeness to the Alps can cause thunderstorms in the evenings that sometimes occur out of nowhere. While the official bathing season ends in September, the average lake temperature stays around 20°C until October. Autumn is generally the time when Lake Constance starts to experience more foggy mornings again, but the day temperatures still range between 21 in the beginning and 10-12°C at the end of the season. Night temperatures fall from 13°C in September to an average of 5°C in November. Lake Constance is one of the best known wine growing regions in Germany and experiences several outdoor events during harvest time in autumn. Lake Constance is also considered to be a risky and challenging lake for water sports because of the danger of gusty winds which can whip up waves as the weather changes suddenly. The most dangerous wind is the föhn, a warm down-slope wind from the Alps, which spreads out across the water, especially through the
Alpine Rhine Valley The Alpine Rhine Valley () is a glacial alpine valley, formed by the Alpine Rhine ( ), the part of the Rhine between the confluence of the Anterior Rhine and Posterior Rhine at Reichenau and Lake Constance. It covers three countries, with se ...
and can generate waves several metres high. Similarly dangerous for those unfamiliar with the area, are the sudden stormy gusts of wind during summer thunderstorms. They constantly claim victims from the water sports fraternity. During a thunderstorm in July 2006, waves reached heights of up to 3.50 metres. For these reasons, there is a storm warning system in all three neighbouring countries. For
storm warning At sea, a storm warning is a warning issued by the National Weather Service of the United States when winds between are occurring or predicted to occur soon. The winds must not be associated with a tropical cyclone. If the winds are associate ...
purposes, Lake Constance is divided into three warning regions (west, centre and east). Warnings can be issued for each region independently. A "high winds" warning will be issued when
squall A squall is a sudden, sharp increase in wind speed lasting minutes, as opposed to a wind gust, which lasts for only seconds. They are usually associated with active weather, such as rain showers, thunderstorms, or heavy snow. Squalls refer to the ...
s are expected of between 25 and 33 
knots A knot is a fastening in rope or interwoven lines. Knot or knots may also refer to: Other common meanings * Knot (unit), of speed * Knot (wood), a timber imperfection Arts, entertainment, and media Films * ''Knots'' (film), a 2004 film * ''Kn ...
or registering
force In physics, a force is an influence that can cause an Physical object, object to change its velocity unless counterbalanced by other forces. In mechanics, force makes ideas like 'pushing' or 'pulling' mathematically precise. Because the Magnitu ...
6 to 8 on the
Beaufort scale The Beaufort scale ( ) is an empirical measure that relates wind speed to observed conditions at sea or on land. Its full name is the Beaufort wind force scale. It was devised in 1805 by Francis Beaufort a hydrographer in the Royal Navy. It ...
. A
gale warning A ''gale warning'' is an alert issued by national weather forecasting agencies around the world in an event that maritime locations currently or imminently experiencing winds of gale force on the Beaufort scale. Gale warnings (and gale watch ...
announces the likelihood of gale-force winds, i.e. those at speeds as of 34 knots or more or force 8 on the Beaufort scale. In order to issue these warnings, orange-coloured flashing lights are installed around the lake, which flash at a frequency of 40 times per minute for high winds or 90 times per minute for gales. It can happen that, due to the differently regulated responsibilities and assessments, a gale warning is issued on the Swiss side of the Obersee, but not on the German or Austrian shores, and vice versa. Ships and ferries on Lake Constance indicate a gale warning by hoisting a ''Sturmballon'' ("storm ball") up the mast.


Freeze over

A one-hundred year event is the freezing over of Lake Constance, when the Lower Lake and the Upper Lake are completely frozen over so that people can safely cross the lake on foot. The last so-called ''Seegfrörne'' ( Alemannic) event was in 1963. The following is a list of
years A year is a unit of time based on how long it takes the Earth to orbit the Sun. In scientific use, the tropical year (approximately 365 solar days, 5 hours, 48 minutes, 45 seconds) and the sidereal year (about 20 minutes longer) are more exa ...
in which Lake Constance froze over partially or completely: *875, 895 *1074, 1076 *1108 *1217, 1227, 1277 *1323, 1325, 1378, 1379, 1383 *1409, 1431, 1435 (complete), 1460, 1465, 1470, 1479 *1512, 1517, 1553, 1560 (complete), 1564, 1565, 1571, 1573 (complete) *1684, 1695 (complete) *1788, 1796 (complete) *1830 (complete), 1880 (complete) *1929, 1963 (complete) Certain parts of the lake freeze over more frequently, mainly due to their shallow depth of water and shelter, as is the case, for example, of the so-called
Markelfinger Winkel The Markelfinger Winkel is the part of Lake Constance Lake Constance (, ) refers to three bodies of water on the Rhine at the northern foot of the Alps: Upper Lake Constance (''Obersee''), Lower Lake Constance (''Untersee''), and a connectin ...
between the municipality of
Markelfingen Radolfzell am Bodensee (, ) is a town in the state of Baden-Württemberg, Germany, located at the western end ( Zeller Lake) of Lake Constance, approximately northwest of the city of Konstanz (Constance). It is the third largest town, after Ko ...
and the
Mettnau Mettnau is a peninsula, located east of the town of Radolfzell in the western part of Lake Constance. It lies between the '' Markelfingen corner'' in the north and the '' Zeller See'' in the south and has a length of 3.5 kilometers and a width of ...
peninsula.


Floods

* A
100-year flood A 100-year flood, also called a 1% flood,Holmes, R.R., Jr., and Dinicola, K. (2010) ''100-Year flood–it's all about chance 'U.S. Geological Survey General Information Product 106/ref> is a flood event at a level that is reached or exceeded onc ...
around June 1999 (
Pfingsthochwasser 1999 The 1999 Pentecost flood () was a 100-year flood around the Pentecost season in 1999 that mostly affected Bavaria, Vorarlberg and Tirol. It was caused by heavy rainfall coinciding with the regular Alpine meltwater. By late May, the annual spring ...
) raised the level about 2 metres above normal, flooding harbors and many shoreline buildings and hotels. * In late August 2005, heavy rain raised the level by more than in a few days. The rains caused widespread flooding and washed out highways and railroads. * Frequent rainfall and snowmelt in the summer of 2024 raised water levels to above normal level.


International borders

The lake lies where the countries of Austria, Germany, and Switzerland meet. Beyond areas less than deep, considered to be under the jurisdiction of the nearest country, there is no legally binding agreement as to where the borders lie between the three countries. However, Switzerland holds the view that the border runs through the middle of the lake, Austria is of the opinion that the contentious area belongs to all the states on its banks, which is known as a "
condominium A condominium (or condo for short) is an ownership regime in which a building (or group of buildings) is divided into multiple units that are either each separately owned, or owned in common with exclusive rights of occupation by individual own ...
", and Germany holds an ambiguous opinion. Legal questions pertaining to ship transport and fishing are regulated in separate treaties. Disputes occasionally arise. One concerns a
houseboat A houseboat is a boat that has been designed or modified to be used primarily for regular dwelling. Most houseboats are not motorized, as they are usually moored or kept stationary, fixed at a Berth (moorings), berth, and often tethered to ...
which was moored in two states (
ECJ The European Court of Justice (ECJ), officially the Court of Justice (), is the supreme court of the European Union in matters of European Union law. As a part of the Court of Justice of the European Union, it is tasked with interpreting EU ...
c. 224/97 Erich Ciola); another concerns the rights to fish in the Bay of Bregenz. In relation to the latter, an Austrian family was of the opinion that it alone had the right to fish in broad portions of the bay. However, this was accepted neither by the Austrian courts nor by the organs and courts of the other states.


Ecology


Flora

Until the 19th century, Lake Constance was a natural lake. Since then, nature has been heavily influenced by clearing and the cultivation of much of the land around its shores. However, some near-natural areas have been largely conserved, especially in the nature reserves, or were re-naturalised. As a result, the Lake Constance region has some unusual ecological features. These include the large forested area on the
Bodanrück Bodanrück () is the wide peninsula that divides Lake Constance () into '' Überlinger See'' (part of '' Obersee'') and '' Gnadensee'', which is part of '' Untersee''. At its southern end, it reaches the '' Seerhein'', which links ''Obersee'' wi ...
, the occurrence of marsh gentian and
orchid Orchids are plants that belong to the family Orchidaceae (), a diverse and widespread group of flowering plants with blooms that are often colourful and fragrant. Orchids are cosmopolitan plants that are found in almost every habitat on Eart ...
s of the genera ''
Dactylorhiza ''Dactylorhiza'' is a genus of flowering plants in the orchid family Orchidaceae. Its species are commonly called marsh orchids or spotted orchids. ''Dactylorhiza'' were previously classified under ''Orchis'', which has two round tubers. Descrip ...
'' and ''
Orchis ''Orchis'' is a genus in the orchid family (Orchidaceae), occurring mainly in Europe and Maghreb, Northwest Africa, and ranging as far as Tibet, Mongolia, and Xinjiang. The name is from the Ancient Greek ὄρχις ''orchis'', meaning "testicl ...
'' in the Wollmatinger Ried, and the
Siberian iris ''Iris sibirica'', commonly known as Siberian iris or Siberian flag, is a species of flowering plant in the family Iridaceae. It is a rhizomatous herbaceous perennial, from Europe (including France, Italy, Switzerland, Austria, Czech Republic, Sl ...
(''Iris sibirica'') in the Eriskircher Ried, which was therefore given its own name.Planet Wissen – Bodensee
/ref> One unique species among the local flora is the
Lake Constance forget-me-not ''Myosotis rehsteineri'' is a species of flowering plant belonging to the family Boraginaceae. Its native range is Alps The Alps () are some of the highest and most extensive mountain ranges in Europe, stretching approximately across eig ...
(''Myosotis rehsteineri''), whose habitat is restricted to undisturbed limestone gravel beaches.


Fauna


Birds

Lake Constance is also the home of numerous bird species, many of which nest in its nature reserves, such as the
Wollmatinger Ried The nature reserve of Wollmatinger Ried – Untersee – Gnadensee is a protected area on the shores of Lake Constance in Germany. It has an area of 767 hectares and is the largest and most important nature reserve on the German side of Lake Consta ...
or the
Mettnau Mettnau is a peninsula, located east of the town of Radolfzell in the western part of Lake Constance. It lies between the '' Markelfingen corner'' in the north and the '' Zeller See'' in the south and has a length of 3.5 kilometers and a width of ...
peninsula. 412 species have so far been recorded.


= Songbirds

= The ten most common breeding bird species at Lake Constance according to a 2000–2003 survey in descending order are the: blackbird,
chaffinch The Eurasian chaffinch, common chaffinch, or simply the chaffinch (''Fringilla coelebs'') is a common and widespread small passerine bird in the finch family. The male is brightly coloured with a blue-grey cap and rust-red underparts. The fema ...
,
house sparrow The house sparrow (''Passer domesticus'') is a bird of the Old World sparrow, sparrow family Passeridae, found in most parts of the world. It is a small bird that has a typical length of and a mass of . Females and young birds are coloured pa ...
,
great tit The great tit (''Parus major'') is a small passerine bird in the tit family Paridae. It is a widespread and common species throughout Europe, the Middle East, Central Asia and east across the Palearctic to the Amur River, south to parts of No ...
,
blackcap The Eurasian blackcap (''Sylvia atricapilla'') is a bird usually known simply as the blackcap. It is a common and widespread typical warbler. It has mainly olive-grey upperparts and pale grey underparts, and differences across the five subspec ...
,
starling Starlings are small to medium-sized passerine (perching) birds known for the often dark, glossy iridescent sheen of their plumage; their complex vocalizations including mimicking; and their distinctive, often elaborate swarming behavior, know ...
,
robin Robin most commonly refers to several species of passerine birds. Robin may also refer to: Animals * Australasian robins, red-breasted songbirds of the family Petroicidae * Many members of the subfamily Saxicolinae (Old World chats), inclu ...
, chiffchaff,
greenfinch The greenfinches are small passerine birds in the genus ''Chloris'' in the subfamily Carduelinae within the Fringillidae. The species have a Eurasian distribution except for the European greenfinch, which also occurs in North Africa. These fin ...
, and
blue tit The Eurasian blue tit (''Cyanistes caeruleus'') is a small passerine bird in the tit (bird), tit family, Paridae. It is easily recognizable by its blue and yellow plumage and small size. Eurasian blue tits, usually resident bird, resident a ...
.


= Waterfowl

= In spring, the Lake Constance is an important breeding ground, especially for the
coot Coots are medium-sized water birds that are members of the rail family, Rallidae. They constitute the genus ''Fulica'', the name being the Latin term for "coot". Coots have predominantly black plumage, and—unlike many rails—they are usual ...
and
great crested grebe The great crested grebe (''Podiceps cristatus'') is a member of the grebe family of water birds. The bird is characterised by its distinctive appearance, featuring striking black, orange-brown, and white plumage, and elaborate courtship displa ...
. Typical waterfowl include the:
shoveler The shovelers or shovellers are four species of dabbling ducks with long, broad spatula-shaped beaks: * Red shoveler, ''Anas platalea'' * Cape shoveler, ''Anas smithii'' * Australasian shoveler, ''Anas rhynchotis'' * Northern shoveler, ''Ana ...
,
goldeneye ''GoldenEye'' is a 1995 spy film, the seventeenth in the List of James Bond films, ''James Bond'' series produced by Eon Productions, and the first to star Pierce Brosnan as the fictional Secret Intelligence Service, MI6 agent James Bond (lit ...
,
goosander The common merganser (North American) or goosander (Eurasian) (''Mergus merganser'') is a large sea duck of rivers and lakes in forested areas of Europe, Asia, and North America. The common merganser eats mainly fish. It nests in holes in trees. ...
,
pochard Pochard is a common name used for several species of diving ducks: *Four species in the genus ''Aythya'': ** Common pochard, ''Aythya ferina'' ** Baer's pochard, ''Aythya baeri'' ** Ferruginous pochard, ''Aythya nyroca'' ** Madagascar pochard, ' ...
,
grey heron The grey heron (''Ardea cinerea'') is a long-legged wading bird of the heron family, Ardeidae, native throughout temperate Europe and Asia, and also parts of Africa. It is resident in much of its range, but some populations from the more norther ...
, pintail,
tufted duck The tufted duck (or tufted pochard) (''Aythya fuligula'') is a small diving duck with a population of nearly one million birds, found in northern Eurasia. They are partially migratory. The scientific name is derived from Ancient Greek , an unide ...
and
mallard The mallard () or wild duck (''Anas platyrhynchos'') is a dabbling duck that breeds throughout the temperate and subtropical Americas, Eurasia, and North Africa. It has been introduced to New Zealand, Australia, Peru, Brazil, Uruguay, Arge ...
. In December 2014, 1,389
cormorant Phalacrocoracidae is a family of approximately 40 species of aquatic birds commonly known as cormorants and shags. Several different classifications of the family have been proposed, but in 2021 the International Ornithologists' Union (IOU) ado ...
were counted. The International Lake Constance Fishery Association (IBF) estimates the food requirements of the cormorants on Lake Constance at 150 tonnes of fish annually.Franz Domgörgen: ''Stabile Verhältnisse im Vogelparadies.'' ''Stabile Verhältnisse im Vogelparadies.'' In: ''Südkurier.'' 3 January 2015.


= Overwintering

= Lake Constance is an important overwintering area for around 250,000 birds.Bundesamt für Veterinärwesen: Forschungsprojekt "Constanze" am Bodensee gestartet
annually. Bird species such as the
dunlin The dunlin (''Calidris alpina'') is a small wader in the genus '' Calidris''. The English name is a dialect form of "dunling", first recorded in 1531–1532. It derives from ''dun'', "dull brown", with the suffix ''-ling'', meaning a person or ...
, the
curlew The curlews () are a group of nine species of birds in the genus ''Numenius'', characterised by their long, slender, downcurved bills and mottled brown plumage. The English name is imitative of the Eurasian curlew's call, but may have been infl ...
and the
lapwing Lapwings (subfamily Vanellinae) are any of various ground-nesting birds (Family (biology), family Charadriidae) akin to plovers and dotterels. They range from in length, and are noted for their slow, irregular wingbeats in flight and a shrill, ...
overwinter at Lake Constance. In the middle of December 2014 there were 56,798 heron, 51,713 coot and 43,938 pochard. In November/December are about 10,000 to 15,000
red-crested pochard The red-crested pochard (''Netta rufina'') is a large diving duck. The scientific name is derived from Greek ''Netta'' "duck", and Latin ''rufina'', "golden-red" (from ''rufus'', "ruddy"). Its breeding habitat is lowland marshes and lakes in so ...
and 10,000 great crested grebe on Lake Constance.


= Migration

= During migration in late autumn there are also numerous
loons Loons (North American English) or divers (British / Irish English) are a group of aquatic birds found in much of North America and northern Eurasia. All living species of loons are members of the genus ''Gavia'', family Gaviidae and order Gav ...
on the lake ( black-throated and
red-throated loon The red-throated loon (North America) or red-throated diver (Britain and Ireland) (''Gavia stellata'') is a migratory aquatic bird found in the northern hemisphere. The most widely distributed member of the loon or diver family, it breeds prim ...
, as well as a few
great northern loon The common loon or great northern diver (''Gavia immer'') is a large member of the loon, or diver, family of birds. Breeding adults have a plumage that includes a broad black head and neck with a greenish, purplish, or bluish sheen, blackish or ...
s). Lake Constance is also very important as a staging post during the
bird migration Bird migration is a seasonal movement of birds between breeding and wintering grounds that occurs twice a year. It is typically from north to south or from south to north. Animal migration, Migration is inherently risky, due to predation and ...
. Bird migration is often inconspicuous and most noticeable when there are special weather conditions that make day migration obvious. Only where there is a prolonged spell of widespread low-pressure is it common to observe the congestion of large groups of migratory birds. This can often be observed in autumn on the Eriskircher Ried on the northern shore of Lake Constance. This is where broad front migration converges on the lake and birds then try to move along the shore towards the northwest. The importance of Lake Constance as an important area for resting and overwintering is underlined by the Max Planck Institute for Ornithology's Radolfzell Bird Observatory (''Vogelwarte Radolfzell''), which is the
bird ringing Bird ringing (UK) or bird banding (US) is the attachment of a small, individually numbered metal or plastic tag to the leg or wing of a wild bird to enable individual identification. This helps in keeping track of the movements of the bird an ...
centre for the German states of Bavaria, Baden-Württemberg, Berlin, Rhineland-Palatinate and the Saarland as well as for Austria, and which researches bird migration.


Fish

Around 45 species of fish live in Lake Constance. The annual haul from fishing is 1.5 million kg. Unusual species occurring here considering the location of the lake are the whitefish (''Coregonus'' spec.) and the
Arctic char The Arctic char or Arctic charr (''Salvelinus alpinus'') is a cold-water fish in the family Salmonidae, native to alpine lakes, as well as Arctic and subarctic coastal waters in the Holarctic realm, Holarctic. Distribution and habitat It Spaw ...
(''Salvelinus alpinus''). Fish that are important for the fishing industry are: * Bodenseefelchen (German: also ''Blaufelchen'', Lat.: ''Coregonus wartmanni'') * Sandfelchen (German: also ''Weißfelchen'', Lat.: ''Coregonus arenicolus'') * Gangfisch (Lat.: ''Coregonus macrophthalmus'') *
Lake Constance whitefish ''Coregonus gutturosus'', the Lake Constance whitefish, is an extinct species of whitefish in the salmon family Salmonidae. It was formerly found only in deep areas of Lake Constance in the Alps. Extinction ''Coregonus gutturosus'' was a deep ...
(German: ''Kilch'', Lat.: ''Coregonus gutturosus'') * Grayling (German: ''Äsche'', Lat.: ''Thymallus thymallus'') *
Perch Perch is a common name for freshwater fish from the genus ''Perca'', which belongs to the family Percidae of the large order Perciformes. The name comes from , meaning the type species of this genus, the European perch (''P. fluviatilis'') ...
(German: ''Flussbarsch, Kretzer, Barschling,'' Swiss German: ''Egli'', Lat.: ''Perca fluviatilis'') *
Bream Bream (, ) are species of freshwater fish belonging to a variety of genera including '' Abramis'' (e.g., ''A. brama'', the common bream), '' Ballerus'', '' Blicca'', '' Brama'', '' Chilotilapia'', '' Etelis'', '' Lepomis'', '' Gymnocranius'', ...
(German: ''Brachse'', ''Brasse'', Lat.: ''Abramis brama'') *
Northern pike The northern pike (''Esox lucius'') is a species of carnivorous fish of the genus ''Esox'' (pikes). They are commonly found in brackish water, moderately salty and fresh waters of the Northern Hemisphere (''i.e.'' holarctic in distribution). T ...
(German: ''Hecht'' (Lat.: ''Esox lucius'') *
Zander The zander (''Sander lucioperca''), sander or pikeperch, is a species of ray-finned fish from the Family (biology), family Percidae, which also includes perch, Gymnocephalus, ruffe and Darter (fish), darter. It is found in freshwater and brackis ...
(Lat.: ''Sander lucioperca'') *
Burbot The burbot (''Lota lota''), also known as bubbot, mariah, loche, cusk, freshwater cod, freshwater ling, freshwater cusk, the lawyer, coney-fish, lingcod, or eelpout, is a species of coldwater ray-finned fish native to the subarctic regions of ...
(German: ''Quappe'', ''Trüsche'', Lat.: ''Lota lota'') *
Eel Eels are ray-finned fish belonging to the order Anguilliformes (), which consists of eight suborders, 20 families, 164 genera, and about 1000 species. Eels undergo considerable development from the early larval stage to the eventual adult stage ...
(German: ''Aal'', Lat.: ''Anguilla anguilla'') * Bullhead (German: ''Groppe'', Lat.: ''Cottus gobio'') *
Tench The tench or doctor fish (''Tinca tinca'') is a freshwater, fresh- and brackish water, brackish-water fish of the order Cypriniformes found throughout Eurasia from Western Europe including Great Britain, Britain and Ireland east into Asia as far ...
(German: ''Schleie'', Lat.: ''Tinca tinca'') *
Wels catfish The wels catfish ( or ; ''Silurus glanis''), also called sheatfish or just wels, is a large species of catfish native to wide areas of central, southern, and eastern Europe, in the basins of the Baltic, Black and Caspian Seas. It has been intro ...
(German: ''Wels'', Lat.: ''Silurus glanis'') *
Lake trout The lake trout (''Salvelinus namaycush'') is a freshwater Salvelinus, char living mainly in lakes in Northern North America. Other names for it include mackinaw, namaycush, lake char (or charr), touladi, togue, laker, and grey trout. In Lake Sup ...
(German: ''Seeforelle'', Lat.: ''Salmo trutta lacustris'') The Bodenseefelchen (''Coregonus wartmanni''), which was named after Lake Constance due to the great numbers found there, is often prepared whole or as a fillet, in the style of the miller's wife (''nach Müllerin Art''), in local fish restaurants in a similar way to other troutThemenpark Umwelt des Umweltministeriums Baden-Württemberg – BodenseeWeb
Fische
/ref> It is also often served smoked. Two
endemic Endemism is the state of a species being found only in a single defined geographic location, such as an island, state, nation, country or other defined zone; organisms that are indigenous to a place are not endemic to it if they are also foun ...
species are known to have existed only in Lake Constance, the Bodensee-Kilch (''Coregonus gutturosus'') and deepwater char (''Salvelinus profundus''). The former is now assumed to be extinct, while the latter was feared extinct for decades until its rediscovery in the 2010s.


Introduced species

For many years
non-native species An introduced species, alien species, exotic species, adventive species, immigrant species, foreign species, non-indigenous species, or non-native species is a species living outside its native distributional range, but which has arrived ther ...
have settled in the Lake Constance ecosystem and, in some cases, endangered or threatened native flora and fauna. At Lake Constance, non-native species have been increasing annually. Several have been transported from other waterbodies as 'stowaways' on the outside of boats, life jackets, anchor chains or ropes or diving gear.Friedrich W. Strub: ''Tierische Neuankömmlinge im Bodensee.'' In: Südkurier dated 20 April 2016. Others have immigrated from the
Black Sea The Black Sea is a marginal sea, marginal Mediterranean sea (oceanography), mediterranean sea lying between Europe and Asia, east of the Balkans, south of the East European Plain, west of the Caucasus, and north of Anatolia. It is bound ...
or the
Danube The Danube ( ; see also #Names and etymology, other names) is the List of rivers of Europe#Longest rivers, second-longest river in Europe, after the Volga in Russia. It flows through Central and Southeastern Europe, from the Black Forest sou ...
since the opening of the Main-Danube Canal. Others have been deliberately introduced.Anna-Maria Schneider: ''Die heimliche Invasion unter Wasser.'' In: Südkurier date 8 September 2015.


= Well-known non-native species

= Even the
rainbow trout The rainbow trout (''Oncorhynchus mykiss'') is a species of trout native to cold-water tributary, tributaries of the Pacific Ocean in North America and Asia. The steelhead (sometimes called steelhead trout) is an Fish migration#Classification, ...
(''Oncorhynchus mykiss'') is not a native fish. It was introduced into Lake Constance around 1880 for economic reasons to enhance the local fauna.Angela Schneider: ''Gepanzerte Truppe erobert den Bodensee.'' In: ''Südkurier.'' dated 9 October 2010. Among the foreign species of animal in Lake Constance are the
zebra mussel The zebra mussel (''Dreissena polymorpha'') is a small freshwater mussel, an Aquatic animal, aquatic bivalve mollusk in the family Dreissenidae. The species originates from the lakes of southern Russia and Ukraine, but has been accidentally Intro ...
(''Dreissena polymorpha'') which, since the 18th century, has spread from the Black Sea region across most of Europe and was carried into Lake Constance between 1960 and 1965. After a huge increase in numbers during the 1980s in the Rhine and large lakes, this species is now in retreat today. The zebra mussel causes problems because, among other things, it blocks water extraction pipes. In addition, the species can be a disaster for domestic shellfish, because it competes for their food.Angela Schneider: ''Drei von vielen, die sich bereits im Bodensee etabliert haben.'' In: ''Südkurier.'' dated 9 October 2010. Today, according to the Institute for Lake Research (''Institut für Seenforschung'', ISF), the zebra mussel is also an important food for overwintering waterfowl. In fact, the number of overwinterers has more than doubled in around 30 years. The killer shrimp (''Dikerogammarus villosus'') has spread since 2002 from two sections of shoreline near Hagnau and Immenstaad, over the whole Lake Überlingen (2004), the whole of the Upper Lake (2006) and almost the whole Lake Constance and Rheinsee shore (2007). As its name implies, it is a voracious burglar of fish larvae and fish eggs. The most recent example is the little
opossum shrimp Mysida is an order of small, shrimp-like crustaceans in the malacostracan superorder Peracarida. Their common name opossum shrimps stems from the presence of a brood pouch or "marsupium" in females. The fact that the larvae are reared in this ...
(''Limnomysis benedeni''), only six to eleven millimeters long, which was found in 2006 in the Vorarlberg region of Hard, and can now be found almost all over Lake Constance. It comes from the waters around the Black Sea. It was presumably first transported by ships up the Danube before it spread into the Rhine river system and entered Lake Constance. The opossum shrimp, which occurs in many places in shoals of several million in winter, are already an influential link in the food chain in Lake Constance. They consume dead animal and plant material as well as
phytoplankton Phytoplankton () are the autotrophic (self-feeding) components of the plankton community and a key part of ocean and freshwater Aquatic ecosystem, ecosystems. The name comes from the Greek language, Greek words (), meaning 'plant', and (), mea ...
, but are also eaten by fish themselves. Today, in western Lake Constance are found: the North American
spinycheek crayfish ''Faxonius limosus'', Synonym (taxonomy), synonym ''Orconectes limosus'', is a species of crayfish in the family Cambaridae. It is native to the east coast of North America, from Quebec to the lower James River (Virginia), James River, Virginia, ...
(''Orconectes limosus''), which was introduced into European waters in the mid-19th century to increase the yield, occasionally the
Chinese mitten crab The Chinese mitten crab (''Eriocheir sinensis''; ; Jyutping: daai6 zaap6 haai5; Shanghainese: ''du6-zaq8-ha5'',  "big sluice crab"), also known as the Shanghai hairy crab (, p ''Shànghǎi máoxiè''), is a medium-sized burrowing cr ...
(''Eriocheir sinensis''), and in the lake's tributaries, the
signal crayfish The signal crayfish (''Pacifastacus leniusculus'') is a species of crayfish indigenous to North America. Introduced to Europe in the 1960s to supplement the North European ''Astacus astacus'' fisheries, which were being damaged by crayfish plague ...
(''Pacifastacus leniusulus''). As these species of large crayfish are immune to
crayfish plague Crayfish plague (''Aphanomyces astaci'') is a water mold that infects crayfish, most notably the European ''Astacus'' which dies within a few weeks of being infected. When experimentally tested, species from Australia, New Guinea and Japan were a ...
, but spread the pathogen, they are a great danger to native species such as
noble crayfish ''Astacus astacus'', the European crayfish, noble crayfish, or broad-fingered crayfish, is the most common species of crayfish in Europe, and a traditional food source. Like other true crayfish, ''A. astacus'' is restricted to fresh water, living ...
,
white-clawed crayfish ''Austropotamobius pallipes'' is an endangered European freshwater crayfish, and the only crayfish native to the British Isles. Its common names include white-clawed crayfish and Atlantic stream crayfish. Distribution It is found from the easter ...
or stone crayfish. The animals are often undemanding, multiply rapidly and lead predatory lives, thus also posing a threat to various small species of fish. The ISF has been systematically researching the subject since 2003.


Wrecks on the lake bed

After a collision with the '' Stadt Zürich'' in 1864 the wreck of the '' Jura'' has lain on the lake bed at a depth of 45 metres off the Swiss shore. In the early 20th century four ships were sunk in the Obersee after being taken out of service: in 1931 the ''
Baden Baden (; ) is a historical territory in southern Germany. In earlier times it was considered to be on both sides of the Upper Rhine, but since the Napoleonic Wars, it has been considered only East of the Rhine. History The margraves of Ba ...
'', formerly the ''Kaiser Wilhelm'', in 1932 the ''Helvetia'', in 1933 the ''Säntis'' and in 1934 the ''Stadt Radolfzell''. The hull of the burnt-out ''
Friedrichshafen Friedrichshafen ( or ; Low Alemannic: ''Hafe'' or ''Fridrichshafe'') is a city on the northern shoreline of Lake Constance (the ''Bodensee'') in Southern Germany, near the borders of both Switzerland and Austria. It is the district capital (''K ...
'' was scuttled in 1944 off the mouth of the
Argen The Argen is a river in Baden-Württemberg, Germany. It flows into Lake Constance between Kressbronn am Bodensee and Langenargen as the third largest tributary to the lake. It is long; if one includes the Obere Argen and its source river Seele ...
in 100 to 150 metres of water.


Tourism, leisure and sports

The tourism and leisure industry is important for this region. Overnight stays reached 17,56m visitors in 2012 with a turnover of about 1.9bn Euros. The same amount comes from the 70 million visitors that visit Lake Constance each year. This region is known for sightseeing, water-sports, winter-sports like
Skiing Skiing is the use of skis to glide on snow for basic transport, a recreational activity, or a competitive winter sport. Many types of competitive skiing events are recognized by the International Olympic Committee (IOC), and the International S ...
, summer-sports like
Swimming (sport) Swimming is an individual or team Racing, racing sport that requires the use of one's entire body to move through water. The sport takes place in Swimming pool, pools or open water (e.g., in a sea or lake). Competitive swimming is one of the ...
,
Sailing Sailing employs the wind—acting on sails, wingsails or kites—to propel a craft on the surface of the ''water'' (sailing ship, sailboat, raft, Windsurfing, windsurfer, or Kitesurfing, kitesurfer), on ''ice'' (iceboat) or on ''land'' (Land sa ...
and recreation. It is also one of the few places where modern
Zeppelin A Zeppelin is a type of rigid airship named after the German inventor Ferdinand von Zeppelin () who pioneered rigid airship development at the beginning of the 20th century. Zeppelin's notions were first formulated in 1874Eckener 1938, pp. 155 ...
airships operate and 12–14 people can take a trip above the lake around various points of interest. In cooperation with tourism service providers, tourism organizations and public institutions in Germany, Austria, Switzerland and
Liechtenstein Liechtenstein (, ; ; ), officially the Principality of Liechtenstein ( ), is a Landlocked country#Doubly landlocked, doubly landlocked Swiss Standard German, German-speaking microstate in the Central European Alps, between Austria in the east ...
, the International Bodensee Tourismus GmbH (IBT GmbH) is responsible for the tourism marketing of the Lake Constance region.


Sights and cultural heritage

The lake and the region around it have a substantial touristic infrastructure as well as many attractions and points of interests. Important are especially towns like
Konstanz Konstanz ( , , , ), traditionally known as Constance in English, is a college town, university city with approximately 83,000 inhabitants located at the western end of Lake Constance in the Baden-Württemberg state of south Germany. The city ho ...
,
Überlingen Überlingen (; ) is a German city on the northern shore of Lake Constance (Bodensee) in Baden-Württemberg near the German-Swiss border, border with Switzerland. After the city of Friedrichshafen, it is the second-largest city in the Bodenseek ...
,
Meersburg Meersburg () is a town in Baden-Württemberg in the southwest of Germany. It is on Lake Constance. It is known for its medieval city. The lower town ("Unterstadt") and upper town ("Oberstadt") are reserved for pedestrians only, and connected by t ...
,
Friedrichshafen Friedrichshafen ( or ; Low Alemannic: ''Hafe'' or ''Fridrichshafe'') is a city on the northern shoreline of Lake Constance (the ''Bodensee'') in Southern Germany, near the borders of both Switzerland and Austria. It is the district capital (''K ...
,
Lindau Lindau (, ''Lindau am Bodensee''; ; Low Alemannic German, Low Alemannic: ''Lindou'') is a major Town#Germany, town and Lindau (island), island on the eastern side of Lake Constance (''Bodensee'' in German) in Bavaria, Germany. It is the capital ...
,
Romanshorn Romanshorn is a Municipalities of Switzerland, municipality in the district of Arbon (district), Arbon in the Cantons of Switzerland, canton of Thurgau in Switzerland. History Romanshorn was probably settled in the 7th century, and is first menti ...
, Rorschach and
Bregenz Bregenz (; ) is the capital of Vorarlberg, the westernmost states of Austria, state of Austria. The city lies on the east and southeast shores of Lake Constance, the third-largest freshwater lake in Central Europe, between Switzerland in the wes ...
as they are the big hubs for boating tourism and lake crossing ferries. The main tourism attractions are places like
Rhine Falls The Rhine Falls ( / Swiss German: , a singular noun) is a waterfall on the High Rhine in Switzerland. It is the most powerful waterfall in Europe and a popular tourist attraction. The falls are located on the border between the cantons of S ...
, one of the three biggest waterfalls in Europe (located near
Schaffhausen Schaffhausen (; ; ; ; ), historically known in English as Shaffhouse, is a list of towns in Switzerland, town with historic roots, a municipalities of Switzerland, municipality in northern Switzerland, and the capital of the canton of Schaffh ...
), the islands of
Mainau Mainau also referred to as Mav(e)no(w), Maienowe (in 1242), Maienow (in 1357), Maienau, Mainowe (in 1394) and Mainaw (in 1580) is an island in Lake Constance (on the Southern shore of the Überlinger See near the city of Konstanz, Baden-Würt ...
,
Lindau Lindau (, ''Lindau am Bodensee''; ; Low Alemannic German, Low Alemannic: ''Lindou'') is a major Town#Germany, town and Lindau (island), island on the eastern side of Lake Constance (''Bodensee'' in German) in Bavaria, Germany. It is the capital ...
and
Reichenau Reichenau may refer to: *Reichenau Island, a German island in Lake Constance **Reichenau Abbey, a former Benedictine monastery on the island **Reichenau, Baden-Württemberg, a municipality that encompasses the namesake island and five separate area ...
(UNESCO world heritage), the pilgrimage church Birnau, castles and palaces like
Salem Abbey Salem Abbey () was a very prominent Cistercian monastery at Salem in the district of Bodensee, about ten miles from Konstanz in Baden-Württemberg, Germany. The buildings are now owned by the State of Baden-Württemberg and are open for tours a ...
,
Meersburg Castle Meersburg Castle (), also known as the Alte Burg (English: Old Castle), in Meersburg on Lake Constance in Baden-Württemberg, Germany, is considered to be one of the oldest inhabited castles in Germany. The central tower was first built during ...
as well as another UNESCO world heritage site, the Pfahlbaumuseum Unteruhldingen (German for
Stilt house Stilt houses (also called pile dwellings or lake dwellings) are houses raised on Stilts (architecture), stilts (or piles) over the surface of the soil or a body of water. Stilt houses are built primarily as a protection against flooding; they als ...
museum),
Zeppelin Museum Friedrichshafen The Zeppelin Museum Friedrichshafen is a museum in Friedrichshafen in Germany, the birthplace of the Zeppelin airship. The museum houses the largest collection on airship travel in the world, and chronicles the history of the Zeppelin airship ...
as well as the
Church of St. George, Oberzell, Reichenau The Church of Saint George is a Roman Catholic church. It is part of Reichenau Abbey founded in 724, located on the island of Reichenau on Lake Constance in southern Germany. The island is home to the churches of Saint Mary, Marcus, Peter and P ...
or the '' Rheinschauen'' heritage railway.


Overlooks

High mountain ranges are mainly located near the southeastern shore of the Upper Lake (''Obersee''). The lower
foothills Foothills or piedmont are geography, geographically defined as gradual increases in elevation at the base of a mountain range, higher hill range or an highland, upland area. They are a transition zone between plains and low terrain, relief hill ...
of the
Appenzell Alps The Appenzell Alps () are a mountain range in Switzerland on the northern edge of the Alps. They extend into the cantons of Appenzell Ausserrhoden, Appenzell Innerrhoden and St. Gallen and are bordered by the Glarus Alps to the west and the Rä ...
in Switzerland are accessible by bus routes and two railway lines: the
Rorschach–Heiden railway The Rorschach–Heiden railway (, RHB) is a railway line and former railway company in Switzerland. It is a standard gauge rack railway, using the Riggenbach rack system and is part of Appenzeller Bahnen. The route links Rorschach with Heide ...
between / near the lake shore and , and the
Rheineck–Walzenhausen mountain railway The Rheineck–Walzenhausen mountain railway (; RhW) is a long rack railway in Switzerland. It links Rheineck railway station, Rheineck station, in the Rheineck, municipality of Rheineck and the canton of St Gallen, with the village and health re ...
between and . Both lines are operated by
Appenzell Railways Appenzell Railways (, AB) is a Swiss railway company with headquarters in Herisau. It operates a network of railways and a bus line in the cantons of Appenzell Innerrhoden, Appenzell Ausserrhoden, St. Gallen and Thurgau. It was founded in 2006 ...
and part of St. Gallen S-Bahn and
Bodensee S-Bahn Bodensee S-Bahn is an international marketing effort grouping various regional rail services (S-Bahn, R/RB, RE, RE/REX) around Lake Constance () in Austria, Germany and Switzerland. Cross-border rail and bus services along with Lake Constance ...
, respectively. A popular overlook near Heiden is ''Fünfländerblick'' (). In Austria, the
Pfänderbahn The ''Pfänderbahn'' () is an aerial tramway in Bregenz in the westernmost Austrian state of Vorarlberg. It connects the shore of Lake Constance () at above sea level with the high mountain station near the '' Pfänderspitze''. The valley ...
, an
aerial tram An aerial tramway, aerial tram, sky tram, cable car or aerial cablecar, aerial cableway, ropeway, téléphérique (French), or Seilbahn (German) is a type of aerial lift which uses one or two stationary cables for support, with a third movin ...
, takes passengers from the
valley station The valley station is the lower terminal of an aerial lift, cable car, gondola lift, chairlift, rack railway or ski lift. The valley station is the counterpart of a top station. Cable cars may be boarded at both stations. The valley station is al ...
near to the
top station A top station or upper stationFor example, se''Chairlift Blausee (upper station)''at www.outdooractive.com. Retrieved 15 May 2019. is usually the highest station of an aerial lift, a funicular, a T-bar lift or a rack railway. The lowest station is ...
on
Pfänder The Pfänder is a mountain in western Austria close to Lake Constance (). The city of Bregenz lies at the foot of the mountain on the shores of the lake. With its views over the lake and the surrounding mountain peaks, the Pfänder is one of ...
mountain (
Allgäu Alps The Allgäu Alps () are a mountain range in the Northern Limestone Alps, located on the Austria–Germany border, which covers parts of the Germany, German states of Bavaria and Baden-Württemberg and the Austrian states of Tyrol (state), Tyrol an ...
). The
Hegau Hegau () either refers to a region of the Duchy of Swabia or to only that part of said region which is presently located in the country of Germany. It is known for its extinct, partly eroded volcanoes, most of which are crowned with ruins of medi ...
region adjacent to Lower Lake Constance (''Untersee'') contains several higher mountains of volcanic origin, many with ruins of fortresses on their tops (e.g. Hohenkrähen, Mägdeberg). The southernly located of these Hegau volcanoes (e.g.
Hohentwiel Hohentwiel () is a mountain of volcanic origin in the Hegau region of Baden-Württemberg in southern Germany. It is the '' Hausberg'' of the industrial city of Singen, located west of it and ca west of '' Zeller See'' (Lake Constance). The ...
) also offer a view over the lakes.


Cultural events

Lake Constance is the location for the annual
Bregenzer Festspiele Bregenzer Festspiele (; Bregenz Festival) is a performing arts festival which is held every July and August in Bregenz in Vorarlberg (Austria). It features a large floating stage which is situated on Lake Constance. History The Festival becam ...
, a well-known arts festival that, among other venues, takes place on a floating stage in
Bregenz Bregenz (; ) is the capital of Vorarlberg, the westernmost states of Austria, state of Austria. The city lies on the east and southeast shores of Lake Constance, the third-largest freshwater lake in Central Europe, between Switzerland in the wes ...
. The operas, plays and concerts performed are usually popular works, e.g. ''
The Magic Flute ''The Magic Flute'' (, ), K. 620, is an opera in two acts by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart to a German libretto by Emanuel Schikaneder. It is a ''Singspiel'', a popular form that included both singing and spoken dialogue. The work premiered on ...
'' by
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (27 January 1756 – 5 December 1791) was a prolific and influential composer of the Classical period (music), Classical period. Despite his short life, his rapid pace of composition and proficiency from an early age ...
or ''
Rigoletto ''Rigoletto'' is an opera in three acts by Giuseppe Verdi. The Italian libretto was written by Francesco Maria Piave based on the 1832 play '' Le roi s'amuse'' by Victor Hugo. Despite serious initial problems with the Austrian censors who had c ...
'' by
Giuseppe Verdi Giuseppe Fortunino Francesco Verdi ( ; ; 9 or 10 October 1813 – 27 January 1901) was an Italian composer best known for List of compositions by Giuseppe Verdi, his operas. He was born near Busseto, a small town in the province of Parma ...
. Since 2001, the ART BODENSEE takes place in
Dornbirn Dornbirn () is a city in the westernmost Austrian state of Vorarlberg. It is the administrative centre for the district of Dornbirn, which also includes the town of Hohenems, and the market town Lustenau. Dornbirn is the largest city in Vorarlb ...
. It is an annual meeting point for the exchange between collectors, artists and art appreciators.


Biking

Biking around the lake is also possible on the long trail called "Bodensee-Radweg". It brings its visitors to the most interesting sites and goes around the whole lake. Nevertheless, various shortcuts via ferries allow shorter routes and the trail is suitable for all levels. Note: There is also a trail that goes by the name "Bodensee-Rundweg". This road was intended for pedestrians so biking is sometimes not suitable or allowed.


Hiking and pilgrim trails

The 260 kilometers long Lake Constance circular route, signposted as "Bodensee Rundwanderweg", leads around Lake Constance through the territories of Germany, Austria and Switzerland. It is mainly intended for hiking; cyclists follow the sometimes slightly different managed Lake Constance cycle path. The trail can be walked in smaller stages of various lengths and offers nice views of the lake, landscape and wildlife. However, due to industrial settlements, buildings and nature reserves, not all the coastal zones are readily accessible. Furthermore, in the estuary of the rivers, such the
Leiblach The Leiblach is a tributary of Lake Constance ('' Obersee'') and the Rhine, respectively. It forms the Austria–Germany border near the lake. Geography The Leiblach source is near the German municipality of Heimenkirch, flowing to the southwest ...
,
Bregenzer Ach The Bregenzer Ach (also: ''Bregenzer Ache'') is the main river of the Bregenz Forest () in the Austrian state of Vorarlberg. It is a tributary to Lake Constance and the River Rhine, respectively. Geography The source of the river is above ...
, canalized Rhine and Old Rhine ( Fußacher breakthrough), considerable distances have to be covered inland to the next bridge or river crossing point. Due to busy riverside roads, the Bodensee-Rundweg sometimes runs as a trail above the lake with some lookout possibilities. Lake Constance is also a hub for long-distance hikers and pilgrims. It has been a crucial reference point of important
pilgrimage routes A pilgrimage is a travel, journey to a holy place, which can lead to a personal transformation, after which the pilgrim returns to their daily life. A pilgrim (from the Latin ''peregrinus'') is a traveler (literally one who has come from afar) w ...
since ancient times: * Via Beuronensis, a Way of St. James from the
Neckar The Neckar () is a river in Germany, mainly flowing through the southwestern States of Germany, state of Baden-Württemberg, with a short section through Hesse. The Neckar is a major right tributary of the Rhine. Rising in the Schwarzwald-Baar ...
region over the
Swabian Alb The Swabian Jura ( , more rarely ), sometimes also named Swabian Alps in English, is a mountain range in Baden-Württemberg, Germany, extending from southwest to northeast and in width. It is named after the region of Swabia. It is part of th ...
* the Upper Swabian pilgrimage-route of St. James, which leads from Upper Swabia to the lake and branches north of the lake both in the direction of Nonnenhorn and in the direction of
Meersburg Meersburg () is a town in Baden-Württemberg in the southwest of Germany. It is on Lake Constance. It is known for its medieval city. The lower town ("Unterstadt") and upper town ("Oberstadt") are reserved for pedestrians only, and connected by t ...
* the Bavarian-Swabian route of St. James, which leads down from the West
Allgäu The Allgäu (Standard ) is a region in Swabia in southern Germany. It covers the south of Bavarian Swabia, southeastern Baden-Württemberg, and parts of Austria. The region stretches from the pre-alpine lands up to the Alps. The main rivers flo ...
to the lake * the Schwabenweg, which ensures the connection to Switzerland to the lake near
Konstanz Konstanz ( , , , ), traditionally known as Constance in English, is a college town, university city with approximately 83,000 inhabitants located at the western end of Lake Constance in the Baden-Württemberg state of south Germany. The city ho ...


Swimming

Swimming Swimming is the self-propulsion of a person through water, such as saltwater or freshwater environments, usually for recreation, sport, exercise, or survival. Swimmers achieve locomotion by coordinating limb and body movements to achieve hydrody ...
in the lake is usually best from mid-June to mid-September. Depending on the weather and exact location, the water temperatures reach . Within one day, differences of up to are possible with appropriate sunlight, so that the lake invites to swim, especially on warm summer evenings.


Diving

Diving Diving most often refers to: * Diving (sport), the sport of jumping into deep water * Underwater diving, human activity underwater for recreational or occupational purposes Diving or Dive may also refer to: Sports * Dive (American football), ...
in Lake Constance is considered attractive and challenging. Most of the diving areas are located in the northern part of the lake (
Überlingen Überlingen (; ) is a German city on the northern shore of Lake Constance (Bodensee) in Baden-Württemberg near the German-Swiss border, border with Switzerland. After the city of Friedrichshafen, it is the second-largest city in the Bodenseek ...
,
Ludwigshafen Ludwigshafen, officially Ludwigshafen am Rhein (; meaning "Ludwig I of Bavaria, Ludwig's Port upon the Rhine"; Palatine German dialects, Palatine German: ''Ludwichshafe''), is a List of cities and towns in Germany, city in the German state of Rh ...
, Marienschlucht and others), a few also in the south. The areas should be dived exclusively by experienced divers under the guidance of one of the local diving schools or a seasoned diver. Diving at some spots like the devils table ("Teufelstisch") called rock needle in the lake in front of the Marienschlucht, is only allowed after approval by the district office Konstanz. A famous
freshwater Fresh water or freshwater is any naturally occurring liquid or frozen water containing low concentrations of dissolved salts and other total dissolved solids. The term excludes seawater and brackish water, but it does include non-salty mi ...
wreck in Europe is the
paddle steamer A paddle steamer is a steamship or steamboat powered by a steam engine driving paddle wheels to propel the craft through the water. In antiquity, paddle wheelers followed the development of poles, oars and sails, whereby the first uses were wh ...
Jura, which lies in front of
Bottighofen Bottighofen is a municipality in the district of Kreuzlingen in the canton of Thurgau in Switzerland. History There was a small, prehistoric lake-front settlement near the village. The modern village of Bottighofen is first mentioned in 830 ...
at a depth of . The
canton of Thurgau Thurgau (; ; ; ), anglicized as Thurgovia, and formally as the Canton of Thurgau, is one of the 26 cantons forming the Swiss Confederation. It is composed of five districts. Its capital is Frauenfeld. Thurgau is part of Eastern Switzerland. I ...
, the office for
archaeology Archaeology or archeology is the study of human activity through the recovery and analysis of material culture. The archaeological record consists of Artifact (archaeology), artifacts, architecture, biofact (archaeology), biofacts or ecofacts, ...
in Frauenfeld, has placed the Jura under protection as an underwater industrial monument. For all divers, the water in Lake Constance—even in summer—is already below from a depth of which requires suitable cold-water regulators that do not freeze at such temperatures.


Boating, recreational boating

Pleasure boating is important. At the beginning of 2011, 57,875 amusement vehicles were registered for Lake Constance. The legal basis for all shipping on the lake is the ordinance on shipping on Lake Constance, or "Bodensee-Schifffahrtsordnung". It is monitored on Lake Constance and on the Upper Rhine by the German, Swiss and Austrian Water Police, the "Seepolizei". All boats must be registered, and boat drivers must hold a "Bodenseeschifferpatent" (authorization to drive a patented vehicle on Lake Constance). It is issued in Germany by the shipping offices of the district of Constance, the Lake Constance district, and the district of
Lindau Lindau (, ''Lindau am Bodensee''; ; Low Alemannic German, Low Alemannic: ''Lindou'') is a major Town#Germany, town and Lindau (island), island on the eastern side of Lake Constance (''Bodensee'' in German) in Bavaria, Germany. It is the capital ...
; in Switzerland by the cantonal authorities; and in Austria by the District Commission
Bregenz Bregenz (; ) is the capital of Vorarlberg, the westernmost states of Austria, state of Austria. The city lies on the east and southeast shores of Lake Constance, the third-largest freshwater lake in Central Europe, between Switzerland in the wes ...
. For pleasure boaters short-term guest licenses are possible (for the categories A for
motorboat A motorboat or powerboat is a boat that is exclusively powered by an engine; faster examples may be called "speedboats". Some motorboats are fitted with inboard engines, others have an outboard motor installed on the rear, containing the inter ...
s over 4.4 kW and D for
sailboat A sailboat or sailing boat is a boat propelled partly or entirely by sails and is smaller than a sailing ship. Distinctions in what constitutes a sailing boat and ship vary by region and maritime culture. Types Although sailboat terminology ...
s over 12 m2 sail area). Boating events * Since 1979, every year to the
assumption of Mary The Assumption of Mary is one of the four Catholic Mariology#Dogmatic teachings, Marian dogmas of the Catholic Church. Pope Pius XII defined it on 1 November 1950 in his apostolic constitution as follows: It leaves open the question of w ...
, Europe's largest ship procession is held on Lake Constance. * Every year (early summer) the spectacular all-around ("Rund-um")
Regatta Boat racing is a sport in which boats, or other types of watercraft, race on water. Boat racing powered by oars is recorded as having occurred in ancient Egypt, and it is likely that people have engaged in races involving boats and other wa ...
from Lindau to
Lindau Lindau (, ''Lindau am Bodensee''; ; Low Alemannic German, Low Alemannic: ''Lindou'') is a major Town#Germany, town and Lindau (island), island on the eastern side of Lake Constance (''Bodensee'' in German) in Bavaria, Germany. It is the capital ...
via
Meersburg Meersburg () is a town in Baden-Württemberg in the southwest of Germany. It is on Lake Constance. It is known for its medieval city. The lower town ("Unterstadt") and upper town ("Oberstadt") are reserved for pedestrians only, and connected by t ...
,
Überlingen Überlingen (; ) is a German city on the northern shore of Lake Constance (Bodensee) in Baden-Württemberg near the German-Swiss border, border with Switzerland. After the city of Friedrichshafen, it is the second-largest city in the Bodenseek ...
,
Romanshorn Romanshorn is a Municipalities of Switzerland, municipality in the district of Arbon (district), Arbon in the Cantons of Switzerland, canton of Thurgau in Switzerland. History Romanshorn was probably settled in the 7th century, and is first menti ...
is organized. * Since 2009, the annual
water sports Water is an inorganic compound with the chemical formula . It is a transparent, tasteless, odorless, and nearly colorless chemical substance. It is the main constituent of Earth's hydrosphere and the fluids of all known living organisms ...
and sailing festival "International Lake Constanze week", a joint sports event takes place in Konstanz. * In Friedrichshafen, one of the most important water sports fairs in Europe, the Interboot, takes place annually.


Settlements on the lake


Austria

*
Hard Hard means something that is difficult to do. It may also refer to: * Hardness, resistance of physical materials to deformation or fracture * Hard water, water with high mineral content Arts and entertainment * Hard (TV series), ''Hard'' (TV ser ...
*
Hörbranz Hörbranz is a municipality in the district of Bregenz in the Austrian state of Vorarlberg. Population Transport Lochau-Hörbranz railway station serves Lochau and Hörbranz. It is located on Vorarlberg's main line, which runs in north-so ...
*
Bregenz Bregenz (; ) is the capital of Vorarlberg, the westernmost states of Austria, state of Austria. The city lies on the east and southeast shores of Lake Constance, the third-largest freshwater lake in Central Europe, between Switzerland in the wes ...
*
Lochau Lochau is a municipality in the westernmost Austrian state of Vorarlberg. It is located on Lake Constance, in the Bregenz district, near the border to Germany. About 50.3% of the municipality's area is forest. The Pfänder, the landmark mountai ...
* Höchst * Fussach * Gaissau


Germany

From the entry of the Rhine, on the northern or right shore: *On the Upper Lake (''Obersee'') **
Lindau Lindau (, ''Lindau am Bodensee''; ; Low Alemannic German, Low Alemannic: ''Lindou'') is a major Town#Germany, town and Lindau (island), island on the eastern side of Lake Constance (''Bodensee'' in German) in Bavaria, Germany. It is the capital ...
(in
Bavaria Bavaria, officially the Free State of Bavaria, is a States of Germany, state in the southeast of Germany. With an area of , it is the list of German states by area, largest German state by land area, comprising approximately 1/5 of the total l ...
) ** Wasserburg ** Nonnenhorn **
Kressbronn Kressbronn am Bodensee is a municipality and a village in the district of Bodensee in Baden-Württemberg in Germany. It lies on Lake Constance Lake Constance (, ) refers to three bodies of water on the Rhine at the northern foot of the Alps: ...
(in
Baden-Württemberg Baden-Württemberg ( ; ), commonly shortened to BW or BaWü, is a states of Germany, German state () in Southwest Germany, east of the Rhine, which forms the southern part of Germany's western border with France. With more than 11.07 million i ...
) **
Langenargen Langenargen is a town in the district of Bodensee in Baden-Württemberg in Germany. Demographics Population development: Sports Langenargen is an ideal venue for sports such as sailing. The town's location on the shores of the Bodensee ...
**
Eriskirch Eriskirch is a municipality in the Bodensee district of Baden-Württemberg, Germany. History Eriskirch was a possession of the Free City of (now Friedrichshafen) until it was annexed by the Electorate of Bavaria in 1803. In 1810, it was cede ...
**
Friedrichshafen Friedrichshafen ( or ; Low Alemannic: ''Hafe'' or ''Fridrichshafe'') is a city on the northern shoreline of Lake Constance (the ''Bodensee'') in Southern Germany, near the borders of both Switzerland and Austria. It is the district capital (''K ...
** Immenstaad **
Hagnau Hagnau am Bodensee is a commune and a village in the district of Bodensee in Baden-Württemberg in Germany. It lies on the north shore of Lake Constance Lake Constance (, ) refers to three bodies of water on the Rhine at the northern foot o ...
** Stetten **
Meersburg Meersburg () is a town in Baden-Württemberg in the southwest of Germany. It is on Lake Constance. It is known for its medieval city. The lower town ("Unterstadt") and upper town ("Oberstadt") are reserved for pedestrians only, and connected by t ...
**
Uhldingen-Mühlhofen Uhldingen-Mühlhofen is a town at the northern shore of Lake Constance, Germany between Überlingen and Meersburg. The town is a popular holiday destination and home to the Pfahlbauten open-air museum in Unteruhldingen and the Birnau basilica. ...
(on the ''Überlinger See'') **
Überlingen Überlingen (; ) is a German city on the northern shore of Lake Constance (Bodensee) in Baden-Württemberg near the German-Swiss border, border with Switzerland. After the city of Friedrichshafen, it is the second-largest city in the Bodenseek ...
**
Sipplingen Sipplingen is a municipality in the district of Bodensee in Baden-Württemberg in Germany. World Heritage Site It is home to one or more prehistoric pile-dwelling (or stilt house) settlements that are part of the Prehistoric Pile dwellings aro ...
**
Ludwigshafen Ludwigshafen, officially Ludwigshafen am Rhein (; meaning "Ludwig I of Bavaria, Ludwig's Port upon the Rhine"; Palatine German dialects, Palatine German: ''Ludwichshafe''), is a List of cities and towns in Germany, city in the German state of Rh ...
** Bodman *
Konstanz Konstanz ( , , , ), traditionally known as Constance in English, is a college town, university city with approximately 83,000 inhabitants located at the western end of Lake Constance in the Baden-Württemberg state of south Germany. The city ho ...
with suburbs ** Wallhausen ** Dingelsdorf ** Litzelstetten *On the Lower Lake (''Untersee'') **
Reichenau Reichenau may refer to: *Reichenau Island, a German island in Lake Constance **Reichenau Abbey, a former Benedictine monastery on the island **Reichenau, Baden-Württemberg, a municipality that encompasses the namesake island and five separate area ...
(including the island with same name) **
Allensbach Allensbach is a municipality in the district of Konstanz in Baden-Württemberg in Germany. Allensbach is located between Konstanz and Radolfzell on Lake Constance. Notable institution Allensbach is known for being the home of the Institut f ...
(on the
Gnadensee The Gnadensee is part of Lower Lake Constance (), the western part of the lake. Description The Gnadensee lies between Allensbach in the north and the island of Reichenau in the south. In the west it extends to the Mettnau peninsula ( Radolfz ...
) ** Radolfzell am Bodensee (on the ''Zeller See'') ** Moos **
Gaienhofen Gaienhofen is a municipality in the district of Konstanz in Baden-Württemberg in Germany. It is located at the border with Switzerland. Since 1974, Gaienhofen consists of four villages: Gaienhofen, Gundholzen, Hemmenhofen and Horn. Attraction ...
**
Öhningen Öhningen is a municipality on the western edge of Lake Constance where it forms the border between Switzerland and the district of Konstanz (or Constance) in Baden-Württemberg in Germany. World Heritage Site It is home to one or more prehisto ...


Switzerland

From the entry of the Rhine, on the southern or left shore: *On the Upper Lake (''Obersee'') **
Altenrhein Thal is a village and municipality in the ''Wahlkreis'' (constituency) of Rorschach in the canton of St. Gallen in Switzerland. Besides the village of Thal itself, the municipality also includes the villages of Altenrhein, Buechen, Buriet and ...
, St. Gallen **
Staad Thal is a village and Municipalities of Switzerland, municipality in the ''Wahlkreis'' (constituency) of Rorschach (Wahlkreis), Rorschach in the Cantons of Switzerland, canton of St. Gallen (canton), St. Gallen in Switzerland. Besides the village ...
, St. Gallen ** Rorschach, St. Gallen **
Goldach Goldach is a municipality in the ''Wahlkreis'' (constituency) of Rorschach in the canton of St. Gallen in Switzerland. History Goldach is first mentioned in 789 as ''Goldaha'', though this comes from a later copy of the original document. In ...
, St. Gallen **
Horn Horn may refer to: Common uses * Horn (acoustic), a tapered sound guide ** Horn antenna ** Horn loudspeaker ** Vehicle horn ** Train horn *Horn (anatomy), a pointed, bony projection on the head of various animals * Horn (instrument), a family ...
,
Thurgau Thurgau (; ; ; ), anglicized as Thurgovia, and formally as the Canton of Thurgau, is one of the 26 cantons forming the Swiss Confederation. It is composed of five districts. Its capital is Frauenfeld. Thurgau is part of Eastern Switzerland. I ...
** Steinach, St. Gallen **
Arbon Arbon is a historic town and a municipality and district capital of the district of Arbon in the canton of Thurgau in Switzerland. Arbon is located on the southern shore of Lake Constance, on a railway line between Konstanz/Romanshorn and ...
,
Thurgau Thurgau (; ; ; ), anglicized as Thurgovia, and formally as the Canton of Thurgau, is one of the 26 cantons forming the Swiss Confederation. It is composed of five districts. Its capital is Frauenfeld. Thurgau is part of Eastern Switzerland. I ...
(as all the following) ** Frasnacht **
Egnach Egnach is a municipality of the district of Arbon in the canton of Thurgau in Switzerland. History Egnach is first mentioned in 1155 as ''Egena''. By the 9th century it appears to have belonged to the Bishopric of Constance and was part of the ...
**
Salmsach Salmsach is a Municipalities of Switzerland, municipality in the district of Arbon (district), Arbon in the Cantons of Switzerland, canton of Thurgau in Switzerland. History Salmsach is first mentioned in 1155 as ''Salmasa''. Salmsach was probab ...
**
Romanshorn Romanshorn is a Municipalities of Switzerland, municipality in the district of Arbon (district), Arbon in the Cantons of Switzerland, canton of Thurgau in Switzerland. History Romanshorn was probably settled in the 7th century, and is first menti ...
**
Uttwil Uttwil is a municipality in the district of Arbon in the canton of Thurgau in Switzerland. Geography Uttwil has an area, , of . Of this area, or 52.8% is used for agricultural purposes, while or 30.6% is forested. Of the rest of the land, ...
**
Kesswil Kesswil is a municipality in the district of Arbon in the canton of Thurgau in Switzerland. The village was the birthplace of the influential psychiatrist Carl Jung. Professor Jung, one of the founders of analytical psychology, was born in Kes ...
**
Güttingen Güttingen is a municipality in the district of Kreuzlingen in the canton of Thurgau in Switzerland. History The earliest traces of human settlement in the area now occupied by the municipality is the Stone Age settlement at ''Rotfarb/Moosburg'' ...
**
Altnau Altnau is a municipality in the district of Kreuzlingen in the canton of Thurgau in Switzerland. History Near the hamlet of Ruderbaum, the remains of a Horgen culture settlement have been discovered. Below the Horgen site, there also may be ...
** Landschlacht **
Münsterlingen Münsterlingen is a municipality in the district of Kreuzlingen in the canton of Thurgau in Switzerland. History In 1994 the municipality was created from Landschlacht and Scherzingen.Scherzingen **
Bottighofen Bottighofen is a municipality in the district of Kreuzlingen in the canton of Thurgau in Switzerland. History There was a small, prehistoric lake-front settlement near the village. The modern village of Bottighofen is first mentioned in 830 ...
**
Kreuzlingen Kreuzlingen () is a municipality in the district of Kreuzlingen in the canton of Thurgau in north-eastern Switzerland. It is the seat of the district and is the second-largest city of the canton, after Frauenfeld, with a population of about 22 ...
(and
Konstanz Konstanz ( , , , ), traditionally known as Constance in English, is a college town, university city with approximately 83,000 inhabitants located at the western end of Lake Constance in the Baden-Württemberg state of south Germany. The city ho ...
, Germany) *On the Seerhein **
Gottlieben Gottlieben is a municipality in the district of Kreuzlingen in the canton of Thurgau in Switzerland. History Gottlieben is first mentioned around the end of the 10th century as ''Gotiliubon''. It was originally part of the land owned by the B ...
*On the Lower Lake (''Untersee'') **
Triboltingen Triboltingen is a small village in the canton of Thurgau in Switzerland, situated on the south shore of the '' Untersee'' part of Lake Constance. Since 1975, it is politically part of Ermatingen Ermatingen is a Municipalities of Switzerland, mu ...
**
Ermatingen Ermatingen is a Municipalities of Switzerland, municipality in the district of Kreuzlingen (district), Kreuzlingen in the Cantons of Switzerland, canton of Thurgau in Switzerland. History The Stone Age Westerfeld and Büge shoreline settlements w ...
**
Mannenbach Salenstein is a municipality in Kreuzlingen District in the canton of Thurgau in Switzerland. Salenstein was the home village of Napoleon III, who lived at Castle Arenenberg in his youth. History In the ''Eichholz'' area near Salenstein, ...
** Eschlibach ** Berlingen **
Steckborn Steckborn is a municipality in Frauenfeld District in the canton of Thurgau in Switzerland. It is located on the south-western arm of Lake Constance known in German as the Untersee ("Lower Lake"). History The area around Steckborn was alrea ...
**
Mammern Mammern is a municipality in Frauenfeld District in the canton of Thurgau, Switzerland, on Lake Constance. History Finds from the Neolithic Age, Bronze Age (including stilt houses and stone hatchets) and the Early Middle Ages show that there was ...
**
Eschenz Eschenz is a municipality in Frauenfeld District in the canton of Thurgau in Switzerland. History The prehistoric shore village on ''Werd Island'' and in the ''Seeäckern'' area (northeast of Eschenz) are rich archeological sites that have cont ...
**
Stein am Rhein Stein am Rhein (abbreviated as Stein a. R.) is a historic town and a municipality in the canton of Schaffhausen in Switzerland. It is located at the outfall of Lower Lake Constance on the High Rhine river, about halfway between the town of Scha ...
,
Schaffhausen Schaffhausen (; ; ; ; ), historically known in English as Shaffhouse, is a list of towns in Switzerland, town with historic roots, a municipalities of Switzerland, municipality in northern Switzerland, and the capital of the canton of Schaffh ...


Fishing

The lake was frozen in the years 1077 (?), 1326 (partial), 1378 (partial), 1435, 1465 (partial), 1477 (partial), 1491 (partial?), 1517 (partial), 1571 (partial), 1573, 1600 (partial), 1684, 1695, 1709 (partial), 1795, 1830, 1880 (partial), and 1963. About of fish were caught by 150 professional fishermen in 2001 which was below the previous ten-year average of per year. The Lake Constance
trout Trout (: trout) is a generic common name for numerous species of carnivorous freshwater ray-finned fishes belonging to the genera '' Oncorhynchus'', ''Salmo'' and ''Salvelinus'', all of which are members of the subfamily Salmoninae in the ...
(''Salmo trutta'') was almost extinct in the 1980s due to pollution, but thanks to protective measures they have made a significant return. Lake Constance is the home of the critically endangered species of trout ''
Salvelinus profundus ''Salvelinus profundus'' ( 'Deepwater char') is a deepwater char species found only in deep areas of Lake Constance. This fish can reach in length and has a blunt snout with the mouth in subinferior position. Its lower fins have no white margi ...
'', and formerly also the now
extinct Extinction is the termination of an organism by the death of its Endling, last member. A taxon may become Functional extinction, functionally extinct before the death of its last member if it loses the capacity to Reproduction, reproduce and ...
Lake Constance whitefish (''
Coregonus gutturosus ''Coregonus gutturosus'', the Lake Constance whitefish, is an extinct species of whitefish in the salmon family Salmonidae. It was formerly found only in deep areas of Lake Constance in the Alps. Extinction ''Coregonus gutturosus'' was a deep ...
'').


See also

*
Überlingen mid-air collision Überlingen (; ) is a German city on the northern shore of Lake Constance (Bodensee) in Baden-Württemberg near the border with Switzerland. After the city of Friedrichshafen, it is the second-largest city in the Bodenseekreis (district), and ...
*
Württembergischer Yacht Club The Württembergischer Yacht-Club (WYC) is a yacht club in Friedrichshafen. It is located on the shores of Lake Constance, Germany. This club was established in January 1911 as the "Königlich Württembergischer Yacht-Club" (Royal Yacht Club of W ...
*''Lake Constance'' is also the title of a track from
Mike Oldfield Michael Gordon Oldfield (born 15 May 1953) is an English retired musician, songwriter and producer best known for his debut studio album ''Tubular Bells'' (1973), which became an unexpected critical and commercial success. Though primarily a gu ...
's ''
The Millennium Bell ''The Millennium Bell'' is the 20th record album by Mike Oldfield, released in 1999. The theme of the album is a reflection of different periods of human history. The album borrows its name from the dawning of the 3rd millennium and from its ti ...
'' album *
Peter Handke Peter Handke (; born 6 December 1942) is an Austrians, Austrian novelist, playwright, translator, poet, film director, and screenwriter. He was awarded the 2019 Nobel Prize in Literature "for an influential work that with linguistic ingenuity has ...
's play, Ride Across lake Constance, was written in 1971.


Notes and references


Notes


References


Further reading

* (Pictures and texts of the cities around Lake Constance).


External links

* * *
Bodensee-Hochwasser
waterlevels
Internationale BodenseekonferenzLake Constance: pictures

Photos of Lake ConstanceBibliography on Water Resources and International Law
Peace Palace Library
GrenzRaumSee: A project from the ''Ludwig-Uhland-Institut für Empirische Kulturwissenschaft'' (Ludwig-Uhland-Department of European Ethnology / Empirical Cultural Science) of the University of Tübingen
*
Lake Constance AccommodationTourist Information Lake Constance
{{DEFAULTSORT:Constance Lakes of Baden-Württemberg Lakes of Bavaria Lakes of Switzerland Mountain lakes Lakes of Thurgau Lakes of the canton of St. Gallen Lakes of Vorarlberg Austria–Switzerland border Austria–Germany border International lakes of Europe Germany–Switzerland border Border tripoints High Rhine basin Lakes of the canton of Schaffhausen Regions of Baden-Württemberg