Lake Constance - A Treasure Trove of History

We start the first full day with a visit to the Pfahlbaumuseum Unteruhldingen-Muehlhofen which is dedicated to the region’s incredibly rich Neolithic and Bronze Age finds. Here there are a number of reconstructed pile dwellings dated from 4000 BC to 850 BC. After lunch, we continue to the Federsee Museum in Bad Buchau, where over 20 Neolithic and Metal Age bog villages have been excavated, making this area one of the most significant early archaeological sites in Europe.

Today we explore the city of Constance, starting with the Archaeological State Museum Baden-Wuerttemberg which contains a rich array of archaeological discoveries, including the important Roman treasure of Ladenburg and the amazing 6th century artefacts from the royal Alemannic grave in Trossingen. We continue to the historical Council Building and Constance Minster, one of the largest Romanesque churches in southwestern Germany. After lunch we continue to the Rosgarten Museum, a medieval guild house which has been transformed into a museum containing priceless artefacts from the city’s rich history, from Neolithic artefacts to medieval wood carvings.

This morning is spent exploring the delights of Lindau, starting with the Church of St. Peter, one of the oldest churches on Lake Constance, the Gothic Town Hall and the Mangturm, a powerful symbol of the former free imperial city of Lindau located on the harbor promenade. After lunch we will cross the border into Switzerland and immerse ourselves in the Archaeological Museum in Thurgau which houses a rich array of archaeological objects from the canton, including a fine section on the Neolithic pile dwellings, as well as interesting finds from the Roman period.

Today we venture to Meersburg, a town on the shores of Lake Constance in Baden-Württemberg, which is famed for its two castles, of which, the Altes Schloss, built by Merovingian King Dagobert I in the 7^th century, is one of the oldest surviving castles in Germany. The 18^th century Neues Schloss, in turn, was the residence of Prince-Bishop of Constance. We continue to Salem where we have a special wine tasting lunch in its famous Monastery. We proceed with a visit to the Salem monastery and Palace, idyllically set amongst meadows, orchards, gardens and an ensemble of majestic buildings. We conclude this day with a visit to Heiligenberg Castle, which is one of the most outstanding monuments of the German Renaissance.

This morning we travel west of Constance to the UNESCO listed island of Reichenau, which was on an important route between Germany and Italy, heping it to develop into a crucially important monastic school and scriptorium.We start with a visit to the Church of St. George and continue to the Benedictine Abbey and its Minster of St. Mary and St. Mark. We continue to the Reichenau Museum where we view the monastery’s priceless illuminated manuscripts, as well as poems of the well-nown monk Walahfrid Strabo. We end the day with a visit to the spectacular Hohentwiel Fortress, which is one of the largest ruined fortresses in Germany and one with the most impressive vistas, across Lake Constance.

On our last full day, we cross again the border into Switzerland to St. Gallen’s Monastery Complex, for centuries one of the most important Benedictine abbeys in Europe and which houses one of the oldest and richest libraries in the world. We continue to Arbon, on the southern shore of Lake Constance, where we visit Arbon Castle, built on top of the 3^rd century AD Roman Arbor Felix Fort and today, houses the Arbon History Museum, containing important remains from the region. We end the day with a visit to the Romanesque Chapel of St. Leonhard in Landschlacht, built in the 10th or 11th century and known for its astonishing cycle of frescoes.

Today we have a last glimpse of the idyllic Lake Constance and transfer to Zurich to take the return flight back to London.