Germany (Lonely Planet, 6th Edition) - Andrea Schulte-Peevers [404]
Birnau is just off the B31, about 8km northwest of Meersburg and 7km southeast of Überlingen, which has an attractive lakefront promenade. Twice-hourly bus 7395 from Friedrichshafen (50 minutes) and Meersburg (20 minutes) stops near the church.
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Affenberg Salem
No zoo-like cages, no circus antics, just happy Barbary macaques free to roam in a near-to-natural habitat is the concept behind the conservation-oriented Affenberg Salem ( 07553-381; www.affenberg-salem.de; Mendlishausen; adult/6-15yr/concession €7.50/4.50/6.50; 9am-6pm mid-Mar–Oct). Trails interweave the 20-hectare woodlands, where you can feed tail-less monkeys one piece of special popcorn at a time, observe their behaviour (you scratch my back, I’ll scratch yours…) and get primate close-ups at hourly feedings. The park is also home to storks; listen for bill clattering and look out for their nests near the entrance.
Affenberg Salem is on the K776 in Mendlishausen, between Birnau and Salem. From May to early October, the ErlebnisBus runs hourly from Unteruhldingen and Salem to Mendlishausen (€2.10, 12 minutes).
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Schloss Salem
Founded as a Cistercian monastery in 1134, the immense estate known as Schloss Salem ( 07553-814 37; www.salem.de; adult/6-16yr/student €7/3/4.50; 9.30am-6pm Mon-Sat, 10.30am-6pm Sun Apr-1 Nov) was once the largest and richest of its kind in southern Germany. The Grand Duchy of Baden sold out to the state recently, but you can still picture the royals swanning around the hedge maze, gardens and extravagant rococo apartments dripping with stucco. The west wing shelters an elite boarding school, briefly attended by Prince Philip (Duke of Edinburgh and husband of Queen Elizabeth II).
Much of what you see in the convent buildings is baroque in excess, but the sublime Münster (Abbey Church) is Gothic except for the 26 neoclassical-style alabaster altars. The complex, which often hosts music festivals, also has a fire-fighting museum, old-time artisans’ workshops and several restaurants.
The Prälatenweg (Prelates’ Path) links Birnau to Schloss Salem, 9km northeast. From May to early October, the ErlebnisBus runs hourly between Schloss Salem and Salem (€1.80, five minutes) and Unteruhldingen (€2.10, 13 minutes). The Bodensee–Gürtelbahn train goes to Friedrichshafen (€3.65, 25 minutes, hourly).
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FRIEDRICHSHAFEN
07541 / pop 58,000
Zeppelins, the cigar-shaped airships that first took flight in 1900 under the stewardship of high-flying Count Ferdinand von Zeppelin, will forever be associated with Friedrichshafen. An amble along the flowery lakefront promenade and a visit to the museum that celebrates the behemoth of the skies are the biggest draws of this industrial town, which was heavily bombed in WWII and rebuilt in the 1950s.
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Orientation & Information
There are two train stations, the main-line Stadtbahnhof, 200m north of the lakefront, and, 800m southeast, the Hafenbahnhof, next to the Zeppelin Museum and the ferry port. The east–west lakefront promenade is called Seestrasse and then Uferstrasse. Friedrichstrasse runs between the train tracks and the lakefront.
ATMs Near the lakefront on Schanzstrasse.
Post office (Bahnhofplatz) To the right as you exit the Stadtbahnhof.
Tourist office ( 300 10; www.friedrichshafen.ws, in German; Bahnhofplatz 2; 9am-6pm Mon-Fri, 9am-1pm Sat May-Sep, 9am-noon & 2-5pm Mon-Thu, 9am-noon Fri Apr & Oct, 9am-noon & 2-4pm Mon-Thu, 9am-noon Fri Nov-Mar) On the square outside the Stadtbahnhof. Has a free internet terminal. Can book accommodation and zeppelin flights.
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Sights
Near the eastern end of Friedrichshafen’s lakefront promenade, Seestrasse, is the Zeppelin Museum ( 380 10; www.zeppelin-museum.de;