Back Roads Germany (Dk Eyewitness Travel Back Roads)

DRIVE 23: Germany’s Riviera 239

EAT AND DRINK

KONSTANZ

Hafenhalle inexpensive–moderate

The largest of the harborside

restaurants, with a lively adjacent beer

garden, Hafenhalle offers good local

fish and game. During summer, stop

here for Sunday breakfast and enjoy

bands playing Dixieland jazz.

Hafenstrasse 10, 78462; 07531 211 26;

http://www.hafenhalle.com

Staader Fährhaus moderate

This stylish restaurant with a pleasant

outdoor terrace beside the ferry

terminal in Staad serves creative

local fish dishes as well as a good

selection of vegetarian food.

Fischerstrasse 30, 78464; 07531 361 67

63; http://www.staaderfaehrhaus.de

Other options

Among the many cozy places to

enjoy a drink in Konstanz are the

Brauhaus inexpensive (Johann

Albrecht Konradigasse 2, 78462;

07531 250 45), a microbrewery

with an array of beers and pub

food. The Niederburg Weinstube

inexpensive (Niederburggasse 7,

78462; 07531 213 67), a rustic

backstreet wine bar serves regional

wines until midnight.

MAINAU

Schwedenschenke moderate

By day this restaurant is renowned for

its Swedish meatballs, but by night it

transforms into an elegant flagship of

haute cuisine, offering a romantic

setting in which to enjoy excellent

fresh local perch and trout.

Insel Mainau, 78465; 07531 303 156;

http://www.mainau.de

3 Mainau

Baden-Württemberg; 78465

The thriving palm groves and

flower gardens (open daily) of the

island of Mainau are reminiscent of

the Mediterranean but against an

Alpine backdrop. The formal gardens

here were planted in 1853 on the

initiative of Grand Duke Friedrich I of

Baden and his current descendant,

the Swedish Count Bernadotte,

continues the tradition. In summer,

the Italian Rose Garden blooms, while

in fall, dahlias spring to life.

ª Return to Unterer Riedhaldeweg

and turn left on to it. In Staad, turn

left on to the B33 to the dock for the

Staad-Meersburg ferry.

Jan Hus (1370–1415)

A Bohemian religious reformer, Jan

Hus attacked ecclesiastical abuses

and started the Hussite religious

move ment, which demanded a set

of reforms that anticipated the

Protestant Reformation. Hus was

excommunicated in 1411, then

invited to the Council of Konstanz

in 1415 to explain his position.

Instead he was incarcerated and

placed on trial. He is believed to

have stood in the central aisle of the

Münster to hear the judgement,

which was that he should be burnt

at the stake for heresy. Later, he

became a figurehead for the Czechs.

Above Vineyard with Bodensee in the

background, Reichenau Below Cycling past

the Benedictine monastery, Reichenau

Pretty flowers in

Reichenau

which becomes Hussenstrasse,
where the Hus-Museum 7 (closed
Mon) occu pies the house where
the reformer Jan Hus stayed prior
to his imprisonment. This museum
docu ments his life and ideo logies
through displays. Turn left from
here, then right down Neugasse

and left along Rosengartenstrasse,
which leads to the
Rosgartenmuseum 8
(closed Mon), the town’s
history museum. Its collec-
tion helps bring medieval
Konstanz to life and includes
the Chronicle of the Council of
Konstanz, a richly illustrated
book by Ulrich Richental, a
local land owner. Turn right to
Markstätte, the commer cial
hub of the town. Walk to the right
along this and left down Brotlaube to
return to the Fischmarkt parking lot.

ª From the parking lot, turn left and
left again on to Konzilstrasse. Follow
signs for Reichenan/B33, turning left
to cross causeway to the island. There
is a sign for the museum indicating the
location of the parking lot.

2 Reichenau

Baden-Württemberg; 78479

Even though the causeway to the

island of Reichenau is only 1 mile

(2 km) long, the island’s sense of

remoteness, together with a perfect

climate, encouraged Benedictines to

found a monastery here in AD 724.

One of Europe’s centers of learning

in the 10th century, it was

famous for its library and

scriptorium, where monks

would pro duce manu scripts.

Copies can be purchased in

the Museum Reichenau

(Apr–Oct: closed Mon; Jul & Aug:

open daily, Nov–Mar: open Sat &

Sun), which provides an

intro duction to the island’s

three surviving churches.

ª Return to the B33 , turn left then

right on to Radolfzeller Strasse. Turn

right on to Unterer Riedhaldeweg then

left on to Hauptweg to park.

Eat and Drink: inexpensive, under €20; moderate, €20–€40; expensive, over €40