From Konstanz around the Untersee

Stops along the route

1. 1

   Palmenhaus

   bei km 1.6 · show on map

   Glass walls and the adjoining gardener’s house form an ensemble dating from the early 1920s. The municipal nursery opened on this site in the Paradies district of Konstanz in 1923. Its director, Emil Vollmer, had campaigned for suitable accommodation for the city’s collection of palms. The plants also needed protection from soot from the neighbouring gasworks. The display house thus brings together horticulture and the city’s history. The greenhouse and its adjoining administration and residential building are now listed.

2. 2

   Eiskeller

   bei km 10.6 · show on map

   This ice house belongs to the historic landscaped park at Schloss Arenenberg. Queen Hortense began having the park laid out in the 1820s. Alongside grottoes, a hermitage and a fountain, it also included a building for storing provisions. In the 20th century, parts of the grounds disappeared beneath building rubble or became overgrown. In 2004, the cantonal archaeology department uncovered the ice house again. Its investigations and historic plans provided the basis for restoring the park, which reopened in 2008.

3. 3

   Steckborn

   bei km 17.5 · show on map

   Between the Untersee and the slopes of the Seerücken lies a small town with traces of its former fortifications. Remains of the town wall and gunpowder towers survive in the centre. Particularly striking is the Turmhof, right by the water. Its imposing masonry structure is topped by a roof with 4 small pointed turrets. The core of the building dates from the 13th century and served as a stronghold for the abbots of Reichenau. Today, the Turmhof houses a museum exploring the culture and history of the Untersee area. The link between the town and Reichenau Abbey thus remains visible in the townscape.

4. 4

   Schloss Glarisegg

   bei km 19.8 · show on map

   This slightly elevated country estate owes its origins to Daniel Labhart, a banker working in Paris. He acquired the property in 1773 and had a château built here in the Louis XVI style. A new use later transformed the estate: in 1902, the educational reformer Werner Zuberbühler established a progressive boarding school here. A dining hall, another wing and a school building were added in the following years. The château complex thus reflects both the domestic culture of the 18th century and the progressive educational ideals of the early 20th century.

5. 5

   Schloss Mammern

   bei km 23.2 · show on map

   The castle complex was built in the early 17th century under the Lords of Roll. Rheinau Abbey later took over the estate and had the buildings extended. The castle chapel, consecrated in 1750, dates from this period. Its architect was Michael Beer from Vorarlberg; Franz Ludwig Herrmann created the illusionistic murals. The historic complex also has a long medical tradition: a sanatorium was established in the castle in 1866. This developed into the clinic that occupies the estate today.

6. 6

   Stein am Rhein Old Town

   bei km 29.2 · show on map

   Painted façades, projecting oriel windows and half-timbered buildings characterise the lanes of this old town where the Untersee meets the Rhine. Around Rathausplatz in particular, the walls of the houses become vast canvases. The paintings date from different periods, with additions made over the centuries. Among the more recent works is Alois Carigiet’s façade painting on Hotel Adler. The former Benedictine monastery of Sankt Georgen is also part of the historic townscape. Its surviving buildings are a reminder of how closely monastic life, urban development and the waterside setting were intertwined here.

7. 7

   Schloss Kattenhorn

   bei km 33.2 · show on map

   The present-day castle was once a moated stronghold. Despite extensive alterations in the 19th century, the complex retains elements of its late Gothic design. The castle and its walled park form the historic heart of this small lakeside village. The former fortifications also included the round corner tower, which was converted into what is now the Blasiuskapelle around 1520. This combination of defensive structure and place of worship explains its unusual shape. The small chapel thus preserves part of the old castle complex, whose moats and towers once played a much more prominent role in its appearance.

8. 8

   Schloss Marbach

   bei km 37.1 · show on map

   Between the castle building and the lake lies a park that forms part of the estate’s eventful history. A major phase of building work began in 1829, when the French Count de Grimaudet acquired the property and had it renovated. The present foundations and outer walls date from this work. The building later served as a clinic. It was rebuilt after a fire in 1924. Since the late 20th century, the estate has been used as a conference and seminar centre. The castle thus brings together several eras of residential life, recreation and work.

9. 9

   Gaienhofen

   bei km 40.0 · show on map

   This village on the Höri peninsula is closely linked to Hermann Hesse’s early years as a writer. In 1904, he moved to Gaienhofen with his wife Mia and stayed until 1912. The farmhouse they initially rented is now part of the Hesse Museum. Together with another historic building and a chapel, it frames a small village square. The exhibitions explore Hesse’s life and work, as well as the literary and artistic heritage of the Höri. The village thus represents a chapter in the cultural history of the Untersee, when this rural setting became a place for writers and painters to live and work.

10. 10

    Radolfzell Old Town

    bei km 53.0 · show on map

    The Münster Unserer Lieben Frau, the Minster of Our Lady, rises above the squares and narrow lanes of the old town. Its 82-metre tower is a striking feature of the townscape. Radolfzell’s origins date back to the 9th century: around 826, Bishop Radolf of Verona had a church and accommodation for clergy built beside an existing settlement. This grew into the later town. By the minster’s chancel, the Ölberggruppe, a sculptural group depicting Christ on the Mount of Olives, recalls the religious imagery of the Middle Ages. In the old town, early church history sits alongside a townscape shaped over centuries.