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21-638: The region is bounded by the shore of Lake Constance on the south, the Hegau region on the west, the Rhine -Danube watershed on the north, and the Schussen valley on the east. It reaches west as far as Überlingen and north as far as Pfullendorf . The highest peak is Mt. Höchsten with a height of 837.8 m (2,749 ft). While the lower parts on the lakeshore are part of the Bodenseekreis district,

42-627: A steep street ("Steigstrasse"). The name of the town means "Castle on the Sea", referring to a castle which, according to a tradition from 1548, was built here in 630 by the Merovingian king Dagobert I . The commune obtained the status of free city in 1299, though nominally still under the Bishop of Constance . In 1803 it was annexed to the Electorate of Baden . After World War II , Meersburg

63-527: Is a Young Drift morainic landscape marked by the remains of several extinct volcanoes, the Hegau volcanoes , which are located mostly to the west and east of the line from Singen (Hohentwiel) in the south to Geisingen in the north. The Hegau volcanoes are national geotopes of Germany. The Hegau region, situated at about 400 m (1,300 ft) a.s.l. , is surmounted by nearly a dozen conical hills , which are between 643 m (2,110 ft) and 867 m (2,844 ft) high and which correspond to

84-566: Is a stub . You can help Misplaced Pages by expanding it . This article about a regional geological feature is a stub . You can help Misplaced Pages by expanding it . Meersburg Meersburg ( German: [ˈmeːɐ̯sˌbʊʁk] ) is a town in Baden-Württemberg in the southwest of Germany . It is on Lake Constance . It is known for its medieval city. The lower town ("Unterstadt") and upper town ("Oberstadt") are reserved for pedestrians only, and connected by two stairways and

105-516: Is presently located in the country of Germany . It is known for its extinct, partly eroded volcanoes, most of which are crowned with ruins of medieval fortresses. Historically, Hegau was a Gau of the Duchy of Swabia, first mentioned in 787 A.D. in the Latinised form in pago Egauinsse . Its area reached from the Überlinger See of Lake Constance and the city of Konstanz in the east to

126-741: The Middle Ages , fortresses were built on top of several Hegau volcanoes. The arguably best-known of the Hegau volcanoes is the Hohentwiel , on top of which lie the ruins of a fortress of the same name. The Hohentwiel is located next to the industrial city of Singen . It is the southernmost of the Hegau volcanoes. To the north of it, there are nine other extinct volcanoes (see list below). 47°47′42″N 8°45′00″E  /  47.795°N 8.750°E  / 47.795; 8.750  ( Hohenstoffeln ) This Konstanz location article

147-536: The Prince's House . The New Castle was built in the eighteenth century. Originally the residence of the bishop of Constance, it was used for various purposes after the Secularization of 1803. It is now a museum. There is also an expanse of half-timbered houses , and two medieval town gates, which are the remains of the fortification . Meersburg is the northern terminus of a car ferry service to Constance . On

168-704: The Randen and Schaffhausen in the present-day Swiss canton of Schaffhausen in the west. Towards south, it extended to the High Rhine and to the north until the Danube . Today, Hegau refers only to that part of the former Gau which is located within the German state of Baden-Württemberg . This region, also called the Hegauer Kegelbergland ( lit.   ' Hegau conical hill landscape ' ),

189-694: The Linzgau was assigned to the Grand Duchy of Baden , so the name became synonymous with the district of Überlingen. Today, the area encompasses the districts of Bodensee and Sigmaringen . Today, the only official use for the term Linzgau is the Catholic deanery . However, it is regaining popularity, as shown by the naming of the new shopping center in Pfullendorf the Linzgau-Center or

210-663: The area was part of the Roman Empire . Roman settlements existed at Bambergen , Meersburg , and Mettenbuch in the municipality of Ostrach . After the Roman withdrawal beyond the Rhine, Germanic tribes settled in the area. The original Celtic name of the stream gave its name to an Alamannic tribe, the Lentienses mentioned in the fourth century AD by the Roman historian Ammianus Marcellinus . As part of Alemannia , Linzgau

231-469: The east) and to Constance opposite. One of Germany's most celebrated poets, Annette von Droste-Hülshoff , lived her final years at Meersburg Castle , from 1841–1848. She also owned the small vine-covered villa known as Fürstenhäusle . The famous eighteenth-century doctor Franz Anton Mesmer (from whose name the verb "to mesmerize" derives) died in 1815 in Meersburg and is buried near the old wall of

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252-534: The last ice age . The northern part (or upper Linzgau) has a more rugged climate and rises to as high as 833 m. It is characterized by glacial moraines , with occasional swamps and small lakes, especially in the northeast. Agriculture is largely dedicated to grain. Most of the Linzgau is still rural, with the most heavily populated areas along the shores of Lake Constance. The largest cities are Überlingen, Pfullendorf, and Markdorf. The national highways 31 and 33, which run from east to west along Lake Constance are

273-411: The melting of the ice age glaciers, the landscape received its typical, modern-day appearance. In conjunction with the past volcanisms, several maars formed in the area, which later filled with water to form lakes. The sediments of these maar lakes preserve exceptional fossils , for example of the early horse Hippotherium primigenium or of the giant salamander Andrias scheuchzeri . During

294-556: The only major highways through the region. A car ferry runs from Meersburg across the arm of Lake Constance called the Überlinger See to connect with Constance . Based on the article in the German Misplaced Pages. 47°48′N 09°10′E  /  47.800°N 9.167°E  / 47.800; 9.167 Hegau Hegau either refers to a region of the Duchy of Swabia or to only that part of said region which

315-540: The opposite side Meersburg is connected to the region by the B 31, a major road that leads from Breisach (on the French border) to Lindau (on the Austrian border), largely bypassing all parts of Meersburg. To exit to Meersburg and to get to the car ferry, one takes B 33 to Meersburg and Constance. Meersburg is also reachable by pleasure boat services from Lake Constance to Überlingen (to the west), to Lindau, Bregenz (to

336-536: The remains of the pipes of past volcanoes. The area was volcanically active during the Miocene epoch , from about 14 Ma ago to around 6 Ma ago. Much later, during the Riss glaciation ( Pleistocene epoch), about 150 ka ago, the Hegau region was covered by large glaciers, which over time eroded the softer rocks around the harder basaltic rocks of the former volcanic pipes (an example of an inverted relief ). After

357-415: The shores of Lake Constance, of which some examples are reconstructed at Unteruhldingen . Similar Neolithic structures have also been found in a peat bog near Ruhestetten in the municipality of Wald . From the late Hallstatt culture on, the population can be regarded as Celts . Burial mounds have been discovered at Hödingen , Salem , and Stetten . From the first century BC to the third century AD,

378-411: The slogan of Markdorf : Heart of the Linzgau . The regional tourist association also calls itself Bodensee-Linzgau Tourismus e.V. The southern part of the Linzgau lies on the banks of Lake Constance and has a milder climate, which lends itself to fruit orchards and vineyards. The landscape is rolling, but fairly flat, with occasional drumlins caused by deposits from the retreating Rhine Glacier in

399-545: The upper lands belong to Sigmaringen district. Beside Pfullendorf and Überlingen, the region comprises the town of Markdorf , Meersburg , the municipality of Salem and several smaller communities. The name derives from a Celtic name Lentia for what is now known as the Linzer Aach river. The best-known remains of prehistoric human habitation in the region are the Neolithic and Bronze Age pile dwellings on

420-574: Was acquired by the Frankish Empire in the 6th century, becoming part of the Duchy of Swabia in the 10th. In 1135, the counts of Heiligenberg received the county of Linzgau. From them, it passed to the Count of Werdenberg in 1277, and later to the Count of Fürstenberg in 1535. The area was then mostly called the County of Heiligenberg . In the early 19th century, under the rule of Napoleon,

441-628: Was in the French military occupation area in Germany. The town is home to two castles, the Old Castle and the New Castle . The Old Castle, built by Merovingian King Dagobert I in the seventh century, is one of the oldest surviving castles in Germany. It is in private ownership. A self-guided tour is available. German poet Annette von Droste-Hülshoff lived there for eight years and purchased

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