Lake Constance (German Bodensee, also known as Schwäbisches Meer (informally) and sometimes written Lake of Constance) is a lake on the Rhine between Germany, Switzerland and Austria.
The level of the lake is at 395 m above sea level. The greatest depth is 252 m in the middle of the eastern part (Obersee). Its volume is approx. 55 billion m³. The lake has four parts: Obersee, Überlinger See, Zeller See and Untersee. The Rhine flows through the Obersee, the city of Constance and the Untersee. The exit is near Stein am Rhein.
The Lake Constance had been formed by the Rhine Glacier during the Ice Ages. The Rhine, the Bregenzer Ache and the Dornbirner Ache transport a lot of sediments from the Alps to the Lake, thus minimizing the size of the lake from the southeast.
The Lake Constance was first mentioned by the hispanic geograph Pomponius Mela about 43 B.C. He noted that the Rhine flows through two lakes, Lacus Venetus (today Obersee) and Lacus Acronius (today Untersee). Pliny the Elder used the name Lacus Brigantinus according to the roman city of Brigantium, today Bregenz.
Car ferries link Romanshorn and Friedrichshafen, as well as Constance and Meersburg.
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2 Towns and cities beside the lake |
Islands in the lake
Towns and cities beside the lake
Austria
Germany
From the entry of the Rhine, on the northern or right shore:
Switzerland
From the entry of the Rhine, on the southern or left shore:
