Heiligenberg is a municipality and a village in the

Bodensee Lake Constance (, ) refers to three Body of water, bodies of water on the Rhine at the northern foot of the Alps: Upper Lake Constance (''Obersee''), Lower Lake Constance (''Untersee''), and a connecting stretch of the Rhine, called the Seerhei ...

district 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 ...

, about seven kilometres north of

Salem Salem may refer to: Places Canada * Salem, Ontario, various places Germany * Salem, Baden-Württemberg, a municipality in the Bodensee district ** Salem Abbey (Reichskloster Salem), a monastery * Salem, Schleswig-Holstein Israel * Salem (B ...

, in

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 ...

Location and climate

Heiligenberg (literally: the Holy Mountain or the Mountain of Saints) is located in the upper Linzgau region. Because of its location, Heiligenberg offers visitors an exceptional panoramic view 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 connecting stretch of the Rhine, called the Seerhein (). These ...

and 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. ...

, and is therefore also known as "the viewing terrace of the Lake," due to the altitude of the town, which is between 700 and 800 meters above sea level. In the summer there is, in contrast to the lake area, less sultry days and in winter the snow is much heavier, which is why in Heiligenberg and the surrounding area winter sports are popular. The geographic features and climate of the area make Heiligenberg a nationally recognized health resort.

History

Parts of the town area show traces of settlement from the

Stone Age The Stone Age was a broad prehistory, prehistoric period during which Rock (geology), stone was widely used to make stone tools with an edge, a point, or a percussion surface. The period lasted for roughly 3.4 million years and ended b ...

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 ...

arrived at the village around AD 600 through the Irish disciple

Saint Gall Gall (; 550 645) according to hagiographic tradition was a disciple and one of the traditional twelve companions of Columbanus on his mission from Ireland to the continent. However, he may have originally come from the border region betwe ...

. It is unclear whether the name Heiligenberg comes from this period, or in pre-Christian times as a local place of worship. 1083 was the year Heiligenberg (as ') was first mentioned. In the 13th century a local

Count Count (feminine: countess) is a historical title of nobility in certain European countries, varying in relative status, generally of middling rank in the hierarchy of nobility. Pine, L. G. ''Titles: How the King Became His Majesty''. New York: ...

built a castle. By 1535 the castle was in the possession of the Princely House of Fürstenberg and became a magnificent chateau. It is still in possession of this noble family today.

References

External links

* Bodenseekreis {{Bodensee-geo-stub