The Medieval Town of Meersburg

We all have that inner craving to experience – even just a bit – of our history. In the town of Meersburg of the country of France will give us a taste of a much coveted experience.

Aside from its must-sees, it will let you shop for medieval trinkets and fake swords along the lower (Unterstadt) and upper town (Oberstadt) of Meersburg.

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LOCATION

Meersburg is the town on the lake. Its name, Meersburg, means “Burg on the Sea” and is located across the town of Constance lying in the shores of the Constance Lake.

Meersburg is in the town Bade-Wuttemberg southwest of the German country.

CLIMATE

Meersburg enjoys hot days in the moths of July and August with an average high temperature 25 degrees Celsius that drops into its lowest point through December and January at an average low temperature of -2 degrees Celsius.

The average rainfall days peaks at October with 20 rainy days and drops at February with 14 days. Highest precipitation happens in July with at 121mm and then decline to its lowest in January at 59.1 mm.

TRANSPORTATION

Ferries stops at Meersburg from the larger town Konstanz or from other locations around the lake several times an hour. Going by train on the other hand would be through the Friedrichshafen or Überlingen train stations as there are no railways available in Meersburg. From there you can travel by bus to get to town.

Getting around town would be best on foot, as the streets are steep and they are mostly pedestrian zones.

ATTRACTIONS

Old Palace

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The old palace in Meersburg is the oldest German fortress made museum. It has been one of the main tourists’ attractions along the places in Lake Constance and has been the town emblem. Here lived the poetess Annette von Droste-Hülshoff.

The fortress-museum is a living castle that will take you through medieval living area along the Knight’s and Arms Hall and then the winding dungeons, upon chapels, guard’s walkways and towers and of course up until the fortress garden.

Legends tell that the old palace has been built since the 7th century, but no matter, the palace itself will be able to transport you long, long way back.

New Palace

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The New Palace, also known as Neues Schloss Meersburg, seats in the hill over Lake Constance. It was built in the 17th century and has been the seat for Prince-Bishops for 50 years. It is one of the most original Baroque style castles especially made prominent by the monumental staircase.

Since the secularization, the palace has served different purpose through time. It has been a school for girls, a sailors’ school, a secondary school and from 1865–1937 as the Baden Institution for Deaf-mutes, and a barracks for French troops during the WWII. Now the palace serves as a home for myriad of museums.

Bible Gallery

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The Bible Gallery has opened in June 1988 and since then has undergone series of developments to fully give tourists a first-hand taste of the World of Bible. The style of the exhibition is quite unlike other galleries. They actually encourage you to do interactive activities through their developed and interactive displays.

Apart from the usual display exhibited from the works of notable people, Bible Gallery also features special exhibition including the art, music, aromas, precious stones and animals from the world of the Bible.

Images:

(1) http://zeppelinnt.de
(2) https://www.greatrail.com/media/21423656/meersburg-castle-lake-constance-ctourismus-marketing-gmbh-baden-wurttemberg.jpg
(3) http://goodmeetings.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/01/Schloss-Meersburg-Winter-C-SSG.jpg
(4) http://www.meersburg.de/1000166

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