Reichenau Island & SalemSacred Places at Lake Constance

A world heritage site without any hustle and bustle? Hard to believe, but true...
Many people only pay a cursory visit to the island of Reichenau on Lake Constance. However, if you take a little time, you will get to know the UNESCO World Heritage Site from a completely different angle and understand why the island has been a World Heritage Site since 2000.

In the early Middle Ages, the Reichenau Benedictine Abbey had a huge influence in the Holy Roman Empire, both spiritually and culturally. Religion and culture could hardly be separated at that time. Reichenau was an important center of Europe. This is claimed not only by local historians, but also by UNESCO. We are excited to see what awaits us at this original site.

The monastery island was founded in 724 when Benedictine monk Pirmin settled here. Why on Lake Constance? You can still understand it today: a sheltered island location, mild climate, fertile soil and paradisiacal surroundings - sometimes like the Mediterranean.

All the more reason to leave the car behind and experience the many facets of the island on a hike. Thanks to its fertile soils and rich fishing grounds, Reichenau owes its name “Reiche Au” (rich meadow). And it still bears this name today. Wherever you look, you will discover fields and greenhouses. The present and history still form a fascinating combination on the Reichenau. There is no other UNESCO World Heritage Site of this kind in Germany.

There are still three important Romanesque churches on the island of Reichenau. A visit is almost obligatory. Each church contains important art treasures and mythical relics. Fascinating! The paintings are among the finest created by artists in the early Middle Ages. Today, the Reichenau school of painting is considered the most renowned of the entire era.

Near the Minster of St. Mary and St. Mark, you can smell the wonderful scent of meadows and culinary herbs: a monastery garden was laid out on the Romanesque rear of the old abbey church. Just a herb garden, you might object. But what a garden it is: the oldest herb garden in Germany. The tradition of growing vegetables goes back to the monks, which is why Reichenau is considered to be the origin of garden culture.

The twin towers of the Church of St. Peter and Paul can be seen from afar. Around 20 years ago, monastic life was revived on the island of Reichenau after the last monk left in 1757. The Reichenau monastery was one of the great spiritual and intellectual centers of the early Middle Ages. Even the famous St. Gallen monastery plan was created here. Now the island's Benedictine monks once again invite visitors to pray every day at 12.15 pm. Travelers in hiking gear are also welcome.

The island circular trail on Reichenau is around twelve kilometers long. Hiking fans have it all to themselves along some stretches. From time to time it crosses the cycle path. The tour runs away from the main road. Instead of being in the midst of streams of tourists, the route runs quietly along colorful fields of lettuce on the island's shore. The path is almost always flat and well signposted. The risk of getting lost is extremely low.

You should set aside a nice long day for the island circuit. On the two-kilometer-long embankment is the Pappelallee and the only castle on Reichenau, the Schopflen ruins. A viewing platform for birdwatching can still be found at the top of the castle.

The Hochwart vantage point in the middle of the island offers a unique 360-degree view. From there, you can see the entire island and the vast landscape of the Lake Constance region. In the old days, the vantage point was a lookout post for the field gunner against grape theft. There is also a little tea house up here, which now houses a café and a ceramics workshop. On nice days, there are tables all over the hilltop where you can relax with a slice of cake and a cappuccino. A picturesque setting.

On the northern shore of Lake Constance stands what was once the most powerful abbey in the region, Salem Abbey and Castle, built from 1134. In 1802, the Margraves of Baden took over the property - since 2009, Salem has been owned by the state of Baden-Württemberg.

Walking through the great hall, admiring the baroque tiled stove in the former dining hall or looking at Bernhard Strigel's famous night painting for the altar of the Virgin Mary, it is hard to imagine Salem as an austere Cistercian monastery immersed in work and prayer. “Because on a cold March night in 1697, a gigantic catastrophe occurred in this place,” explains Birgit Rückert, the castle's caretaker. A stove overheated and exploded, and everything except the farm buildings and the church quickly burned down. Reconstruction began immediately, but was not taken as seriously because of the monastery's modesty and because the abbots of Salem had become important men. The abbey owned large estates, cultivated fruit and grapes for wine, managed forests and created fish ponds. All of this still characterizes the surrounding landscape today.

Even if monks no longer live here, at least one tradition remains. Monasteries have always been committed to education, and part of the baroque ensemble has been home to the Salem boarding school since 1920. Young people from all over the world study here.