Lake Constance

On the drive back to Lausanne on Sunday we visited Lake Constance at the border of Germany, Switzerland and Austria. Our first stop was Reichenau Island, which is known for its monastery -- the Abbey of Reichenau, founded in the 8th century.

 

The island also has two other churches -- consecrated to St. George and Sts. Peter and Paul.

Here are some photos along the north shore of the island with Germany in the background.

 

Our next (and final) stop was the German city of Konstanz, which is on the Swiss "side" of Lake Constance (i.e., on the southern shore) and isn't connected by land to the German "mainland". As such, during WWII it was not bombed by the allies because they thought it was part of Switzerland (in part because the residents kept their lights on at night, which apparently wasn't the case on the German shore).

While in Konstanz we visited the munster (cathedral), which dates back over a millenium and was adapted to its gothic style in the 15th century. It was the site of the Council of Constance -- the assembly that would end the papal schism following the Avignon papacy and the subsequent Council of Pisa.

We also wandered the old town for a bit. I particularly liked the buildings with the detailed designs on their facades.