Germany (Lonely Planet, 6th Edition) - Andrea Schulte-Peevers [402]
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Orientation & Information
Walk downhill from the church opposite the tourist office to reach the Marktplatz, the heart of the Oberstadt (Upper Town). Go through the Rathaus arch and you’re at the castles. Steigstrasse leads down to the Unterstadt (Lower Town) and the harbour.
Post office (Am Bleicheplatz) Across the intersection from the church.
Schickeria ( 6887; Stettener Strasse 3; per hr €4; noon-midnight) Internet access.
Tourist office ( 440 400; Kirchstrasse 4; www.meersburg.de; 9am-12.30pm & 2-6pm Mon-Fri, 10am-1pm Sat) Housed in a one-time Dominican monastery. Internet access costs €3 per hour.
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Sights
ALTES SCHLOSS
Looking across the lake from its lofty perch, the Altes Schloss ( 800 00; adult/6-13yr/concession €8.50/4.50/6.50; 9am-6.30pm Mar-Oct, 10am-6pm Nov-Feb) is an archetypal medieval stronghold, complete with keep, drawbridge, knights’ hall and dungeons. Founded by Merovingian king Dagobert I in the 7th century, the fortress is among Germany’s oldest, which is no mean feat in a country with a lot of castles. The bishops of Konstanz used it as a summer residence between 1268 and 1803.
Other than contemplating the castle’s fairy-tale qualities, rumoured to have inspired the Brothers Grimm, you can roam the prim Biedermeier quarters of celebrated German poet Annette von Droste-Hülshoff (1797–1848), whose portrait once graced the DM20 note.
NEUES SCHLOSS
In 1710 Prince-Bishop Johann Franz Schenk von Stauffenberg, perhaps tired of the dinginess and rising damp, swapped the Altes Schloss for the dusky pink, lavishly baroque Neues Schloss ( 440 4900; www.schloesser-und-gaerten.de; adult/concession/family €4/1/8; 10am-1pm & 2-6pm Apr-Oct). A visit to the now state-owned palace takes in the extravagant bishops’ apartments replete with stuccowork and frescoes, Bathasar Neumann’s elegant staircase, and gardens with inspirational lake views.
On the 2nd floor, the Städtische Galerie presents the work of artists that were resident in Meersburg in the 1920s and 1930s.
LAKEFRONT
Stroll the harbour for classic snaps of Lake Constance or to hire a pedalo (€9 per hour). On the jetty, you can’t miss – and the pious might prefer to – Peter Lenk’s satirical Magische Säule (Magic Column). The sculpture is a comical, risqué depiction of characters who have shaped Meersburg’s history, including buxom wine-wench Wendelgart and poet Annette von Droste-Hülshoff as a seagull.
It’s a five-minute walk east along the Uferpromenade to Meersburg Therme ( 440 2850; www.meersburg-therme.de; Uferpromenade 12; thermal baths 3hr 4-15yr/concession €8/5.50/7, sauna 3hr €15.50; 10am-10pm Mon-Sat, 9am-10pm Sun), where the 34°C thermal waters, water jets and Swiss Alp views are soothing. Those who dare to bear all can skinny-dip in the lake and steam in saunas that are replicas of Unteruhldingen’s Stone Age dwellings Click here.
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Sleeping
Meersburg goes with the seasons, with some places closing from November to February.
Gasthaus zum Letzten Heller ( 6149; www.zum-letzten-heller.de, in German; Daisendorfer Strasse 41; s/d €36/56; ) This family-friendly guesthouse keeps it sweet ’n’ simple in bright, cottage-like rooms with pine trappings. The restaurant serving home-grown fare (€8.20 to €12.50) has a tree-shaded patio. It’s 1km north of the old town.
Aurichs ( 445 9855; www.aurichs.com, in German; Steigstrasse 28; s €43, d €67-73) Nice surprise: not only does Aurichs have a first-rate restaurant but also stylish rooms with flourishes like slanted beams and wool rugs. Choose from lake or castle views.
Haus Säntisblick ( 9277; www.tp-meersburg.de; Von Lassbergstrasse 1; s €48-60, d €64-95; closed Nov–mid-Feb; ) Named after an Alpine peak across the lake, this chilled guesthouse has five bright rooms, an outdoor pool and a sauna. Situated 400m north of the old town, it also harbours Meersburg’s scuba school (www.tauchschule-meersburg.de, in German).
Gasthof zum Bären ( 432 20; www.baeren-meersburg.de, in German; Marktplatz