2_1_DiscoverGermany_December14_Issue21:Scan Magazine 1
20/11/14
14:13
Page 98
Lake Constance Cult city and colourful region with everything to offer An impressive history, beautiful gardens, a big art scene, breathtaking hiking paths, extensive shopping opportunities, an old town full of winding streets, a harbour, a flower island, a world-renowned lake on its side and an incredible view over the Alps – the German university city on Lake Constance has it all. TEXT: NANE STEINHOFF | PHOTOS: TOURIST-INFORMATION KONSTANZ GMBH
“So many tourists come to visit Constance because it offers a wide range of leisure activities for bad and also good weather. It’s a very international and young city with approximately 12,000 students. It’s modern but historical at the same time,” Kirstin Krausse from the Tourist-Information Konstanz GmbH says. On clear days, one’s gaze wanders over the wide calm surface of the big lake to the impressive snow-covered peaks of the Alps lying in the mist before strolling through the medieval town centre with its small alleyways and cute cafés.
98 | Issue 21 | December 2014
Pulsating life in old masonry Historical evidence can be found wherever you go in Constance, the former seat of the biggest bishopric in the Holy Roman Empire. The biggest city on Lake Constance held the only papal election north of the Alps in 1417 during the Council of Constance. In the oldest part of town, Niederburg, visitors can enjoy the small dark wine cellars, unique fashion – and art ateliers and eccentric cafés in crooked houses. If you want to learn more about the city, why not join one of the many creative guided tours offered by the city such as the night guard tour, which seeks to draw visitors into Constance’s turbulent nights of the past? Shopping and feasting Shopping fans should visit the biggest shopping centre on the Lake of Constance,