Reichenau Island (German: [ˈʁaɪçənaʊ]) is an island located in Lake Constance in southern Germany. It is positioned almost directly west of the city of Konstanz, between two parts of Lake Constance called Gnadensee and Untersee. The island has a total land area of 4.3 square kilometers (1.7 square miles) and a distance around its edge of 11 kilometers (6.8 miles). It is 4.5 kilometers (2.8 miles) long and 1.5 kilometers (0.93 miles) wide at its widest point. The highest spot on the island, called Hochwart, rises 43 meters (141 feet) above the lake and 438.7 meters (1,439 feet) above sea level.

Reichenau Island is connected to the mainland by a causeway, completed in 1838. This path is crossed by a 10-meter-wide (33-foot) and 95-meter-long (312-foot) waterway called Bruckgraben, which is located between the ruins of Schopflen Castle and the eastern end of the island. A low road bridge allows small boats to pass but not larger sailing boats.

Reichenau Abbey was established on the island in 724 by Bishop Pirmin. It soon became an important center for religion, culture, and learning. Due to its historical value and the outstanding quality of the buildings and artwork in the island’s three churches and abbey, Reichenau was named a World Heritage Site in 2000.

History

Although people lived on Reichenau during the Bronze Age and Iron Age, archaeological evidence shows that the area was abandoned during the Roman era. It stayed empty until 724, when the monk Pirmin received help from the Carolingian ruler Charles Martel to build a monastery on the island. The first monastery, called Mittelzel, was made of wood, but it was replaced by a stone building by 746. In the early 9th century, with support from the Carolingian and Ottonian dynasties, the community grew. In 816, the monastery church was rebuilt in a cross-shaped basilica style, and churches dedicated to the Virgin and Saint Mark were officially opened. Relics of St. Mark arrived at the abbey in the mid-9th century. Two additional churches were built on the island: one for Saints Peter and Paul (in 799) and another for Saint George (in 896).

The abbey’s bailiff lived in a two-story stone building. In the 14th century, two more floors made of wood were added, making it one of the oldest timber-frame buildings in southern Germany. Today, the building is used as a museum of local history.

The monastic community produced many important poets and authors, such as Walafrid Strabo (who later became abbot) and scholars like Hermann of Reichenau and Abbot Reginbert, as well as artists. Famous artworks from Reichenau include the Ottonian murals of Christ’s miracles in the church of St. George, which are rare examples from the 10th century. The Plan of St. Gall, the only surviving architectural drawing from the Middle Ages, may have also been created on the island. The abbey owned land in Reichenau, a village near the upper Rhine in the municipality of Tamins in the canton of Graubünden, Switzerland, which was named after the abbey.

In the 16th century, the territory of the Prince-Bishopric of Constance expanded to include Reichenau, which reduced the abbey’s influence. During the secularization of the Prince-Bishopric of Constance in 1803, many small chapels on the island were destroyed. Also, the manuscripts and archives in the abbey were sent to Karlsruhe and the University of Heidelberg library, and the surrounding farmland was divided and sold.

Today, the island is known for its vegetable farms. The Wollmatinger Ried, a large wetland area of reeds near the island, is a nature reserve used by many birds as a resting place during their yearly migration.

Transport

Reichenau (Baden) is a train station located on the High Rhine Railway line. Trains that go to Konstanz and Singen (Hohentwiel) stop here, passing through Radolfzell. Reichenau has a boat dock. From spring to autumn, the URh provides scheduled boat trips on the High Rhine and Untersee. These trips run between Schaffhausen and Kreuzlingen, passing through Konstanz.

Gallery

• 15th-century towers on the old-style church of Sts. Peter and Paul in Reichenau-Niederzell
• South West Reichenau Island
• South East Reichenau Island
• St. Georg, Reichenau-Oberzell
• A road lined with aspen trees leading to Reichenau Island
• One of the island's many vegetable fields with Sankt Georg Kirche in the background