Territory: Insider tips around Reichenau on Lake Constance

Text by Dr Heinz Klausmann

Water level 505 centimetres at Rhine kilometre 0 at the Old Rhine Bridge in Constance: On 13 June, the highest level of this year's high water on Lake Constance was reached. The Untersee, the south-western part of Europe's third largest lake, is overflowing and bursting its banks in places. On the German side, an advance flood warning level has been declared, and on the Swiss shore even the highest warning level. In some places near the lake, it's "land under water"; the fire brigade and civil defence are in constant operation.

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Sections of the shore path on Reichenau also have to be closed. At the Herrenbrücke marina on the northern shore of the island, the lake looks over its edges. The jetties and the harbour restaurant "Seeräuber" are only accessible via quickly erected wooden structures. So June has more or less literally fallen into the water. The need to catch up is correspondingly great when the following summer weeks finally offer opportunities for carefree excursions on the water.

So June more or less literally fell through. The need to catch up was correspondingly great when the following summer weeks finally offered opportunities for carefree excursions on the water.

Sweeping panoramas everywhere

However, the first path does not lead to the water, but to the viewing terrace on the Hochwart, the highest point on the island at 441 metres above sea level. From up there, you can see the entire 62 square kilometre area, which is divided into different sections.

To the north you can see the Gnadensee with the Reichenau marina, which is well protected even in strong westerly winds. On the northern shore of the lake is Allensbach with its typical Untersee buoy fields. Towards the north-west, Lake Zell stretches as far as Radolfzell, the third largest town on the lake. The Mettnau peninsula separates Lake Zell from the Markelfinger Winkel to the north, a tranquil nature reserve. In a south-westerly direction, you can see Lake Rhine from the Hochwart. Between the towering Höri peninsula to the north and the Swiss shore to the south with the mountain range known as the Seerücken in the background, the lake narrows until just before Stein am Rhein. From there, its waters make their long journey to the North Sea via the High Rhine.

The view to the south over the Swiss canton of Thurgau with the towns of Berlingen, Mannenbach and Ermatingen is best enjoyed from the terrace of the Werkgalerie Hochwart. Built as a teahouse and belvedere, the building has towered over the hill since 1833. In fine weather, the artisan Juliane Epp serves her guests homemade cakes alongside tea and coffee. A place to linger. Finally, to the east, the view sweeps over extensive vineyards to the Wollmatinger Ried nature reserve. In the distance, you can just make out Gottlieben with the naked eye. The first village on Untersee lies on the border of the Seerhein. The Upper Lake, which is almost eight times the size of Lake Constance, pushes its waters through this four-kilometre-long, river-like part of the lake before it flows into the much shallower Lower Lake, which has an average depth of 13 metres.

In clear weather - especially on foehn days - the Alpine chain from the Bregenz Forest in the east to the Säntis and the Churfirsten in the south forms a magnificent backdrop. You could spend hours marvelling at all the panoramas. But we are drawn to the boat.

Untersee is dotted with landmarks

We cast off. We have barely left the harbour when the MS "Gnadensee" comes to meet us. The snow-white ferry travels between the island of Reichenau and Allensbach. We give way, keeping sufficient distance from the shore. At normal summer water levels, the Gnadensee is a maximum of 1.9 kilometres wide, with flax extending far into the lake off the Reichenau shore. Even newcomers to the area will find it easy to navigate the Untersee using landmarks. Nevertheless, a chart plotter with a reliable depth display is extremely valuable.

Red-white-red buoys mark the western edge of the Wollmatinger Ried. We set course for Bruckgraben. The bridge and a dam, which was built in 1838 on the initiative of Napoleon III, connect Reichenau with the mainland. A statue of the patron saint Pirmin greets visitors to the island here.

However, we cycle along the north bank of Reichenau. At Oberzell, the view falls on the Basilica of St George, built in 888, with its famous murals. A flat jetty soon protrudes from the reed bank in front of it. Smaller boats land there. Not far away, the tourists crowd "Bei Riebels". TikTok and Instagram have helped the fish bistro, which was initially appreciated mainly by locals, to become hugely popular. The traditional fish shop is still well worth a visit. Local specialities such as whitefish, char and Kretzer are on offer.

We continue westwards at a brisk pace. After a course correction off the Allensbach buoy field, we set course for St Peter and Paul in Niederzell. The basilica, consecrated in 799, towers over the western tip of the Reichenau. Behind the Bürglehorn there, we have to be careful: An extensive shallow water area stretches from Reichenau to the tip of the Mettnau peninsula. No problem at high tide, as in summer 2024. At low water levels, however, skippers who are unfamiliar with the area repeatedly get stuck with their yachts on the shallows around the Stuhlrain and Straßenrain shoals. The green and white navigation signs 32 and 33 mark the safe passage from the 13-square-kilometre Gnadensee into the only slightly smaller Zeller See.

The wind weakens in the lee of the island. The slope off the eastern tip of the Höri peninsula extends far into the Untersee. Caution is advised here too, especially in poor visibility and at night when the water level is low. In summer, the area between the navigation marks and the nature reserve close to the shore off the peninsula offers wonderful anchorages at a depth of two to four metres in calm weather.

Heading south-west, we soon reach sea mark 7 off Horn. The well-protected harbour there is ideal for an overnight stay. There are a few guest buoys for boats under 1.5 tonnes displacement. But we continue on and later call André Gisler. The harbour master of Steckborn assigns us berth 151 in the west basin of the Feldbach marina right in front of his office. In true nautical fashion, we fly Switzerland's host country flag, as the border between Germany and its southern neighbour is mutually agreed to be in the middle of the lake.

Otto Dix House and Hesse House on Lake Constance

Before entering the harbour, you can fill up your diesel tank at the marine filling station at the northeast of the harbour in Steckborn. Mooring at the floating jetty in Steckborn is uncomplicated and the distances are short. The lido and town centre are just a few minutes' walk away. There is a large supermarket directly behind the harbour. But today we're heading next door for dinner. From the lakeside terrace of the "See & Park Hotel Feldbach", the view extends across the marina to the old town of Steckborn and far across the lake. Head chef Nico Lilla conjures up a delicious bouillabaisse from local fish. The perch fillets with roasted almonds, accompanied by a Viognier from nearby Thayngen, are also marvellous. A marvellous delight of regional products.

The next morning, we motor for a quarter of an hour to the Hemmenhofen landing stage. We start the day's cultural programme in the Höri community. We start with a visit to the Otto Dix House. It depicts the life and work of the famous painter. Not far away, in Gaienhofen, the Hesse Museum and the Mia and Hermann Hesse House await us. From the guest area at the Untersee-Rhein-Schifffahrtsgesellschaft landing stage, it is only 600 metres to the former residence of the Nobel Prize winner for literature and the municipal museum. Both are well worth a visit.

We cycle along the Swiss shore past Mammern. This time, we will forgo the legendary "Güggeli", a fried chicken prepared in the "Schiff" restaurant. Instead, a visit to the Napoleon Museum on the Arenenberg above Mannenbach is the highlight of the afternoon. We find a mooring in Ermatingen. The newly designed harbour is well suited for a quiet overnight stay on board.

We hike up to the castle with its wonderful park. The terrace amidst the vineyards offers a marvellous view of Untersee, Reichenau and the volcanic mountains of Hegau in the distance in the evening sun - spectacular!

Detour to the Wollmatinger Ried

The next day we continue to Gottlieben. Although the lake widens noticeably, it is shallow here and the fairway is narrow. Wiffen, wooden posts with baskets or green and white boards typical of Untersee, point the way. Mute swans, coots and great crested grebes colonise the water surface of the 757-hectare Wollmatinger Ried. The "Netta", a boat used by Nabu as a bird-watching centre, is anchored in the middle of it all.

After another half hour, the lake narrows into a river-like watercourse. A counter-current slows the journey past the Krüger and Kibag shipyards with their tank jetty. The end of Untersee is soon reached in the romantic village of Gottlieben. The Seerhein begins at the marvellous castle built in 1251. From the nearby shipyards, numerous motor yachts set off on day trips to the Upper Lake, four kilometres away. Anchoring is not permitted anywhere on the Seerhein. However, there are mooring facilities close to the restaurants in the town centre.

We are drawn back to the Untersee. From Ermatingen, a long stretch towards Radolfzell awaits. We pass the Beck boatyard, founded in 1897. On the south coast of Reichenau, Rolf Winterhalter builds beautifully shaped and fast 30-metre skerry cruisers. He himself is very successful on the regatta scene in this popular boat class on Lake Constance. The tiller pilot takes over. Time for a sandwich with whitefish fillet and a Landjäger. During the picnic, we pass the Reichenau landing stage with its water police station. Right next to it, the "Löchnerhaus" hotel exudes traditional charm. Only in calm weather does the water level permit mooring at the unprotected hotel jetty.

We set our sights on the Hohentwiel landmark. The entrance is no problem, even though dusk is already falling. It is lit at night. Guests are allowed to moor at one of the jetty heads. This saves us having to search for a pit marked with a green sign. There are good shopping facilities and restaurants in the town. At the beginning of the summer holidays, the Radolfzell Film Nights take place in the open-air cinema on the beach. Also worth seeing is the water procession with decorated boats from the harbour village of Moos on the Höri every July.

The tour continues. It is very warm. In a calm, we chug along the Mettnau peninsula with a view of the Mettnau rehabilitation clinic park. We anchor off Liebesinsel for a swim. The water is crystal clear. The sun is already setting over the Hegau mountains as we approach the bay in front of the Reichenau lido. An ideal anchorage. Kretzer fillets are soon sizzling in the pan and the scent of chard grown on the island wafts from the companionway. A Muscaris from Moser Seewein now accompanies the meal. Under an impressive starry sky, we enjoy another day's holiday so close to home and yet it feels light years away. After a quiet night, the peace and quiet soon comes to an end. Visitors have announced their arrival: the grandchildren are coming. We switch from the sports boat to the fishing gondola to get the kids excited about their home waters. But that's another story.

Emperors and kings, monks and executioners

History: The name of Lake Constance probably dates back to the 9th century. It is derived from the royal palace of Bodman. The Carolingian kings, successors to Charlemagne, repeatedly visited Bodman and held court meetings here with regional nobles. The origin and significance of the name Gnadensee is far more exciting. It goes back to the time when jurisdiction was based on Reichenau. If a defendant was sentenced to death, the sentence could not be carried out on the sacred ground of the island. Instead, the condemned person was taken to the mainland by boat. If, in the meantime, the abbot decided to pardon him, he would ring a bell before the condemned man arrived on the other shore. This informed the executioner that the condemned man had been granted clemency.

The monastery on Reichenau was founded in 724 by Bishop Pirmin, initially with 40 Benedictine monks. Abbot Heito I began building the Cathedral of St. Mary and St. Mark in the centre of the island in 816. As Archchancellor of the Carolingian Empire, Abbot Hatto III helped Reichenau gain political power from 888 and arranged for the construction of St George's Church in Oberzell with its world-famous murals. The monastery's manuscripts from the 10th and 11th centuries are outstanding examples of Ottonian book illumination. Reichenau's three Romanesque churches and the works of art in the cathedral treasury remain from its long past.

• More information: reichenau.de

Organic wines from Lake Constance

The Arenenberg vineyard - here Peter Mössner is the vineyard and cellar master (photo) - is consistently switching to organic cultivation. Until a few years ago, Müller-Thurgau still predominated. Since then, they have focussed on diversity. For example, the Swiss grape variety Divona is grown on 25 acres. Arenenberg.ch organic winegrower Julian Moser planted the first vines on his grandparents' land on the south bank of the Reichenau. In addition to a Muscaris, he has a Cuvée blanc and a semi-sweet Solaris on offer. He also created a Prosecco to celebrate the 1300th anniversary of the island.

• More information: moser-seewein.de

Boats from Lake Constance

Rolf Winterhalter is the fourth generation to run the Beck boatyard. The company was founded in 1897 and manufactures, among other things, the typical Reichenau fishing gondolas. Sailing enthusiasts can also choose between the beautifully designed 30-m² warping cruisers and the sleek boats of the 990 and 1140 shipyard class, also in traditional style. All boat hulls are available either in wood or hand-laid in fibreglass polyester. All the usual boat servicing work is also carried out in the boatyard.

• More information: bootswerft-beck.de

Things to know for cruising on Lake Constance

Storm warning

Signal masts with orange flashing lights can be seen from afar around the lake, warning of strong winds with speeds of 25 to 33 knots with 40 flashes per minute. A warning of 90 flashes is given for storms with wind speeds of over 33 knots. Water sports enthusiasts should take the storm warnings seriously, as the weather on the inland waterways often changes quickly and violent thunderstorms can form.

Lake Constance Shipping Regulations

The official Lake Constance skipper's licence is compulsory. A holiday licence is issued for 30 days per year (Info: bodenseekreis.de). The discharge of faeces is prohibited on the entire lake. Contact the Constance District Office before launching externally authorised boats with onboard culverts (Info: lrakn.de). And: Motor-driven boats must keep 300 metres away from the shore or reed beds in front of them. When mooring, casting off and anchoring, take the shortest route to your destination and do not sail faster than ten kilometres per hour!

Literature & Maps

• Lake Constance" area guide with over 80 harbour plans by Daniel Knopp. 244 pages, 54.90 euros, Edition Maritim
• DK sports boat chart set 10: "Lake Constance" with over-sailor and six area maps as well as four detailed plans and accompanying booklet with area information, 49.90 euros