Uhldingen-Mühlhofen
Encyclopedia
Uhldingen-Mühlhofen is a town at the northern shore of Lake Constance
, Germany
between Überlingen
and Meersburg
. The town is a popular holiday destination and home to the Pfahlbauten open air museum
in Unteruhldingen
and the cathedral of Birnau.
, Oberuhldingen und Mühlhofen. Further, the hamlets of Seefelden, Maurach, Obermaurach, Gebhardsweiler and Hallendorf are included in the area of the commune.
Archeological finds show that the shore of Lake Constance near Unteruhldingen
was already inhabited during the Neolithic
and Bronze
ages. During the time of the Roman Empire
there may have been a port, as the discovery of coins from the 1st century AD suggests. Oberuhldingen is situated at a Roman road from Meersburg
to the valley of Salem
(Baden) where remains of a Roman estate have been found.
The parish of Seefelden was possibly founded already in the 7th century and, along with Bermatingen, Aufkirch und Reichenau Monastery, is one of the first churches of the northern Lake Constance area. Thus it may have been witness to the first Christian conversions through the Frankish Empire
. (Official documents mention it for the first time in 1165.) It was subject to the Bishop of Constance.
The name Uhldingen was mentioned for the first time in documents from 1058 as Oweltinga/Ouweltingen; later the names Uoldingen and Ueldingen were used. The town carries the name of the eldest Owalt from Alemannic
times. Mühlhofen was first mentioned in 1165 as Mulnhoven.
For the year 1175 a document by Frederick Barbarossa
states the existence of ship traffic between Unteruhldingen and Konstanz
.
In the 12th century Salem Abbey
began targeted property purchases in Uhldingen and the surrounding area. Presumably in Seefelden a monastery was founded in 1227, which belonged to Salem. A few years later it was moved to Baindt
.
In 1348 the plague devastated the area.
At the hill of Zihlbühl, in the Knappenhöhle cave, medieval efforts to dig for gold
were only scarcely successful.
On the lower Lichtenberg there was a castle
which was destroyed in 1499 during the Swabian War. It was the residence of the lord of Oberrieden.
From 1264 the villages Oberuhldingen, Mühlhofen and Seefelden belonged to the territory of Salem Abbey
. Unteruhldingen was on the neighbouring territory of the county of Heiligenberg
, which became part of the Principality
of Fürstenberg
in 1516.
The port villages of Maurach and Unteruhldingen were hubs for goods from the Salem valley and for salt, which were imported by Salem from their own salt mines. A sunk salt ship still lies on the bottom of the lake in front of modern Unteruhldingen harbour. The Bishop of Constance also owned land here. From 1733 Uhldingen harbour was the main port of the county of Heiligenberg.
After secularization
in 1803/1804, the villages of Oberuhldingen, Unteruhldingen and Mühlhofen were given to the Margraviate of Baden
and became independent towns.
From 1939 until the county reform of 1973 they belonged to the county of Überlingen
. Since then they are part of the Bodenseekreis
. On 1 January 1972 Unteruhldingen, Oberuhldingen and Mühlhofen were united into the commune of Uhldingen-Mühlhofen.
and the communes of Daisendorf
, Hagnau
and Stetten are joined in an administrative association.
s on a red background. The three segments with blue waves on a white background represent Lake Constance and the Seefelder Aach, which flows from Salem valley through the territory of the commune into the lake.
A part of the working population commutes into the nearby cities like Überlingen
and Friedrichshafen
. In the town itself people work predominantly in middle class professions. There has been a continuing trend from a producing to the service sector. In particular, tourism plays an important role.
B 31 about 7 km east of Überlingen
and 3 km west of Meersburg
. The holiday resort of Unteruhldingen is located distant from the Bundesstraße at the less used Meersburger Straße near the shore of the lake.
The town can also be reached by trains of the Deutschen Bahn AG on the Bodensee-Gürtelbahn (Lindau - Radolfzell
). The train station is in Oberuhldingen. A bus line connects it to Salem and other neighbouring towns and holiday destinations.
From the lake Uhldingen-Mühlhofen can be reached by the ships of Bodensee-Schiffsbetriebe. In particular, there is a connection to the island of Mainau
.
Parallel to the shore is a cycling track from Meersburg to Unteruhldingen, through the protected natural reserve near Seefelden and on to Überlingen.
(or stilt house) settlements that are part of the Prehistoric Pile dwellings around the Alps
UNESCO
World Heritage Site.
displays archeological finds and reconstructions of Neolithic and Bronze Age pile dwellings. The buildings are idealized reconstructions from between the 1922 and 1941, which were designed based on digs of the Wasserburg Buchau at Federsee
. After 1945 the museum was led by the controversial archeologist Hans Reinerth, one of the leading Nazi archaeologists of the 'department of Rosenberg
'. This museum has been expanded since to incorporate modern research.
Lake Constance
Lake Constance is a lake on the Rhine at the northern foot of the Alps, and consists of three bodies of water: the Obersee , the Untersee , and a connecting stretch of the Rhine, called the Seerhein.The lake is situated in Germany, Switzerland and Austria near the Alps...
, Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
between Überlingen
Überlingen
Überlingen is a city on the northern shore of Lake Constance . After the city of Friedrichshafen, it is the second largest city in the Bodenseekreis , and a central point for the outlying communities...
and Meersburg
Meersburg
Meersburg is a town of Baden-Württemberg in the southwest of Germany at Lake Constance.It is famous for its charming medieval city. The lower town and upper town are reserved for pedestrians only and connected by two stairways and a steep street .-History:The name of the town means "Burg on the...
. The town is a popular holiday destination and home to the Pfahlbauten open air museum
Pfahlbau Museum Unteruhldingen
Pfahlbaumuseum Unteruhldingen is an archaeological open air museum on Lake Constance in Unteruhldingen, Germany, consisting of reconstructions of stilt houses or lake dwellings from the Neolithic Stone Age and Bronze Age.-Museum:The museum consists of a number of exhibits displaying...
in Unteruhldingen
Unteruhldingen
Unteruhldingen is a small village, part of the town of Uhldingen-Mühlhofen, on the northwestern shore of Lake Constance, Germany.It is home to the Pfahlbauten, an open air museum displaying reconstructions of Neolithic and Bronze Age pile dwellings...
and the cathedral of Birnau.
Composition
The town consists of the three villages UnteruhldingenUnteruhldingen
Unteruhldingen is a small village, part of the town of Uhldingen-Mühlhofen, on the northwestern shore of Lake Constance, Germany.It is home to the Pfahlbauten, an open air museum displaying reconstructions of Neolithic and Bronze Age pile dwellings...
, Oberuhldingen und Mühlhofen. Further, the hamlets of Seefelden, Maurach, Obermaurach, Gebhardsweiler and Hallendorf are included in the area of the commune.
History
Unteruhldingen
Unteruhldingen is a small village, part of the town of Uhldingen-Mühlhofen, on the northwestern shore of Lake Constance, Germany.It is home to the Pfahlbauten, an open air museum displaying reconstructions of Neolithic and Bronze Age pile dwellings...
was already inhabited during the Neolithic
Neolithic
The Neolithic Age, Era, or Period, or New Stone Age, was a period in the development of human technology, beginning about 9500 BC in some parts of the Middle East, and later in other parts of the world. It is traditionally considered as the last part of the Stone Age...
and Bronze
Bronze Age
The Bronze Age is a period characterized by the use of copper and its alloy bronze as the chief hard materials in the manufacture of some implements and weapons. Chronologically, it stands between the Stone Age and Iron Age...
ages. During the time of the Roman Empire
Roman Empire
The Roman Empire was the post-Republican period of the ancient Roman civilization, characterised by an autocratic form of government and large territorial holdings in Europe and around the Mediterranean....
there may have been a port, as the discovery of coins from the 1st century AD suggests. Oberuhldingen is situated at a Roman road from Meersburg
Meersburg
Meersburg is a town of Baden-Württemberg in the southwest of Germany at Lake Constance.It is famous for its charming medieval city. The lower town and upper town are reserved for pedestrians only and connected by two stairways and a steep street .-History:The name of the town means "Burg on the...
to the valley of Salem
Salem, Bodensee
Salem is a municipality in the Bodensee district of Baden-Württemberg in Southern Germany, located 9 km north of Lake Constance, with a population of c. 11,000.-Culture and sights:...
(Baden) where remains of a Roman estate have been found.
The parish of Seefelden was possibly founded already in the 7th century and, along with Bermatingen, Aufkirch und Reichenau Monastery, is one of the first churches of the northern Lake Constance area. Thus it may have been witness to the first Christian conversions through the Frankish Empire
Frankish Empire
Francia or Frankia, later also called the Frankish Empire , Frankish Kingdom , Frankish Realm or occasionally Frankland, was the territory inhabited and ruled by the Franks from the 3rd to the 10th century...
. (Official documents mention it for the first time in 1165.) It was subject to the Bishop of Constance.
The name Uhldingen was mentioned for the first time in documents from 1058 as Oweltinga/Ouweltingen; later the names Uoldingen and Ueldingen were used. The town carries the name of the eldest Owalt from Alemannic
Alamanni
The Alamanni, Allemanni, or Alemanni were originally an alliance of Germanic tribes located around the upper Rhine river . One of the earliest references to them is the cognomen Alamannicus assumed by Roman Emperor Caracalla, who ruled the Roman Empire from 211 to 217 and claimed thereby to be...
times. Mühlhofen was first mentioned in 1165 as Mulnhoven.
For the year 1175 a document by Frederick Barbarossa
Frederick I, Holy Roman Emperor
Frederick I Barbarossa was a German Holy Roman Emperor. He was elected King of Germany at Frankfurt on 4 March 1152 and crowned in Aachen on 9 March, crowned King of Italy in Pavia in 1155, and finally crowned Roman Emperor by Pope Adrian IV, on 18 June 1155, and two years later in 1157 the term...
states the existence of ship traffic between Unteruhldingen and Konstanz
Konstanz
Konstanz is a university city with approximately 80,000 inhabitants located at the western end of Lake Constance in the south-west corner of Germany, bordering Switzerland. The city houses the University of Konstanz.-Location:...
.
In the 12th century Salem Abbey
Salem Abbey
Salem Abbey , also known as Salmansweiler and in Latin as Salomonis Villa, was a very prominent Cistercian monastery in Salem in the district of Bodensee about ten miles from Konstanz, Baden-Württemberg, Germany.-Abbey:The abbey was founded in 1136 by Gunthram of Adelsreute Salem Abbey (Kloster or...
began targeted property purchases in Uhldingen and the surrounding area. Presumably in Seefelden a monastery was founded in 1227, which belonged to Salem. A few years later it was moved to Baindt
Baindt
Baindt is a municipality in the district of Ravensburg in Baden-Württemberg in Germany.-Sister cities: Brest, Belarus...
.
In 1348 the plague devastated the area.
At the hill of Zihlbühl, in the Knappenhöhle cave, medieval efforts to dig for gold
Gold
Gold is a chemical element with the symbol Au and an atomic number of 79. Gold is a dense, soft, shiny, malleable and ductile metal. Pure gold has a bright yellow color and luster traditionally considered attractive, which it maintains without oxidizing in air or water. Chemically, gold is a...
were only scarcely successful.
On the lower Lichtenberg there was a castle
Castle
A castle is a type of fortified structure built in Europe and the Middle East during the Middle Ages by European nobility. Scholars debate the scope of the word castle, but usually consider it to be the private fortified residence of a lord or noble...
which was destroyed in 1499 during the Swabian War. It was the residence of the lord of Oberrieden.
Salem Abbey
Salem Abbey , also known as Salmansweiler and in Latin as Salomonis Villa, was a very prominent Cistercian monastery in Salem in the district of Bodensee about ten miles from Konstanz, Baden-Württemberg, Germany.-Abbey:The abbey was founded in 1136 by Gunthram of Adelsreute Salem Abbey (Kloster or...
. Unteruhldingen was on the neighbouring territory of the county of Heiligenberg
Heiligenberg
Heiligenberg is a municipality and a village in the Bodensee district in Baden-Württemberg, about seven kilometres north of Salem, in Germany.-Location and climate:...
, which became part of the Principality
Principality
A principality is a monarchical feudatory or sovereign state, ruled or reigned over by a monarch with the title of prince or princess, or by a monarch with another title within the generic use of the term prince....
of Fürstenberg
Fürstenberg
Fürstenberg and can refer to the following.- Historical states :* Fürstenberg , county * Fürstenberg-Baar, county * Fürstenberg-Blumberg, county...
in 1516.
The port villages of Maurach and Unteruhldingen were hubs for goods from the Salem valley and for salt, which were imported by Salem from their own salt mines. A sunk salt ship still lies on the bottom of the lake in front of modern Unteruhldingen harbour. The Bishop of Constance also owned land here. From 1733 Uhldingen harbour was the main port of the county of Heiligenberg.
After secularization
Secularization
Secularization is the transformation of a society from close identification with religious values and institutions toward non-religious values and secular institutions...
in 1803/1804, the villages of Oberuhldingen, Unteruhldingen and Mühlhofen were given to the Margraviate of Baden
Margraviate of Baden
The Margraviate of Baden were a historical territory in the Holy Roman Empire. It was already named so in 1112 and existed until the division in 1535 and lived with the reunion back in 1771, until the Electorate of Baden came up in 1803...
and became independent towns.
From 1939 until the county reform of 1973 they belonged to the county of Überlingen
Überlingen
Überlingen is a city on the northern shore of Lake Constance . After the city of Friedrichshafen, it is the second largest city in the Bodenseekreis , and a central point for the outlying communities...
. Since then they are part of the Bodenseekreis
Bodenseekreis
Bodenseekreis is a district in the south-east of Baden-Württemberg, Germany. Neighboring districts are Konstanz, Sigmaringen, Ravensburg and Lindau...
. On 1 January 1972 Unteruhldingen, Oberuhldingen and Mühlhofen were united into the commune of Uhldingen-Mühlhofen.
Politics
Uhldingen-Mühlhofen, the city of MeersburgMeersburg
Meersburg is a town of Baden-Württemberg in the southwest of Germany at Lake Constance.It is famous for its charming medieval city. The lower town and upper town are reserved for pedestrians only and connected by two stairways and a steep street .-History:The name of the town means "Burg on the...
and the communes of Daisendorf
Daisendorf
Daisendorf is a village and a commune with about 1600 inhabitants in south-western Germany. It is part of the Bodensee district, which is part of the Land Baden-Württemberg.Daisendorf is situated on a hill about 2 km north of Meersburg...
, Hagnau
Hagnau am Bodensee
Hagnau am Bodensee is a commune and a village in the district of Bodensee in Baden-Württemberg in Germany.-Literature:* Tourist Information Hagnau : Hagnau Lake Constance. For the best times of the year. ....
and Stetten are joined in an administrative association.
Coat of arms
The coat of arms of Uhldingen-Mühlhofen symbolises the flourishing of the three member villages with three white roseRose
A rose is a woody perennial of the genus Rosa, within the family Rosaceae. There are over 100 species. They form a group of erect shrubs, and climbing or trailing plants, with stems that are often armed with sharp prickles. Flowers are large and showy, in colours ranging from white through yellows...
s on a red background. The three segments with blue waves on a white background represent Lake Constance and the Seefelder Aach, which flows from Salem valley through the territory of the commune into the lake.
Mayors
- 1972-1996: Karl-Heinz Weber, CDUChristian Democratic Union (Germany)The Christian Democratic Union of Germany is a Christian democratic and conservative political party in Germany. It is regarded as on the centre-right of the German political spectrum...
- 1996-2004: Ralph Bürk, GRÜNE
- 2004-present: Edgar Lamm, CDUChristian Democratic Union (Germany)The Christian Democratic Union of Germany is a Christian democratic and conservative political party in Germany. It is regarded as on the centre-right of the German political spectrum...
Economy and infrastructure
Around 12 km² of the commune's territory are still used agriculturally dominated by orchards and vineyards.A part of the working population commutes into the nearby cities like Überlingen
Überlingen
Überlingen is a city on the northern shore of Lake Constance . After the city of Friedrichshafen, it is the second largest city in the Bodenseekreis , and a central point for the outlying communities...
and Friedrichshafen
Friedrichshafen
This article is about a German town. For the Danish town, see Frederikshavn, and for the Finnish town, see Fredrikshamn .Friedrichshafen is a university city on the northern side of Lake Constance in Southern Germany, near the borders with Switzerland and Austria.It is the district capital of the...
. In the town itself people work predominantly in middle class professions. There has been a continuing trend from a producing to the service sector. In particular, tourism plays an important role.
Traffic
Uhldingen-Mühlhofen is on the BundesstraßeBundesstraße
Bundesstraße , abbreviated B, is the denotation for German and Austrian national highways.-Germany:...
B 31 about 7 km east of Überlingen
Überlingen
Überlingen is a city on the northern shore of Lake Constance . After the city of Friedrichshafen, it is the second largest city in the Bodenseekreis , and a central point for the outlying communities...
and 3 km west of Meersburg
Meersburg
Meersburg is a town of Baden-Württemberg in the southwest of Germany at Lake Constance.It is famous for its charming medieval city. The lower town and upper town are reserved for pedestrians only and connected by two stairways and a steep street .-History:The name of the town means "Burg on the...
. The holiday resort of Unteruhldingen is located distant from the Bundesstraße at the less used Meersburger Straße near the shore of the lake.
The town can also be reached by trains of the Deutschen Bahn AG on the Bodensee-Gürtelbahn (Lindau - Radolfzell
Radolfzell
Radolfzell am Bodensee is a town in Germany at the western end of Lake Constance approximately 18 km northwest of Konstanz. It is the third largest town, after Constance and Singen, in the district of Konstanz, in Baden-Württemberg....
). The train station is in Oberuhldingen. A bus line connects it to Salem and other neighbouring towns and holiday destinations.
From the lake Uhldingen-Mühlhofen can be reached by the ships of Bodensee-Schiffsbetriebe. In particular, there is a connection to the island of Mainau
Mainau
Mainau is an island in Lake Constance . It is maintained as a garden island and a model of excellent environmental practices...
.
Parallel to the shore is a cycling track from Meersburg to Unteruhldingen, through the protected natural reserve near Seefelden and on to Überlingen.
Main sights
World heritage site
It is home to one or more prehistoric pile-dwellingStilt house
Stilt houses or pile dwellings or palafitte are houses raised on piles over the surface of the soil or a body of water. Stilt houses are built primarily as a protection against flooding, but also serve to keep out vermin...
(or stilt house) settlements that are part of the Prehistoric Pile dwellings around the Alps
Prehistoric Pile dwellings around the Alps
Prehistoric Pile dwellings around the Alps is a series of prehistoric pile-dwelling settlements in and around the Alps built from around 5000 to 500 B.C. on the edges of lakes, rivers or wetlands...
UNESCO
UNESCO
The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization is a specialized agency of the United Nations...
World Heritage Site.
Museums
The Pfahlbauten open air museum in UnteruhldingenUnteruhldingen
Unteruhldingen is a small village, part of the town of Uhldingen-Mühlhofen, on the northwestern shore of Lake Constance, Germany.It is home to the Pfahlbauten, an open air museum displaying reconstructions of Neolithic and Bronze Age pile dwellings...
displays archeological finds and reconstructions of Neolithic and Bronze Age pile dwellings. The buildings are idealized reconstructions from between the 1922 and 1941, which were designed based on digs of the Wasserburg Buchau at Federsee
Federsee
Federsee is a lake located just north of Bad Buchau in the region of Upper Swabia in Southern Germany. It is surrounded by moorland, partially overgrown with reeds. With a size of 33 km² , the area is one of the largest, groundwater fed, connected moorlands in Southern Germany. At its deepest...
. After 1945 the museum was led by the controversial archeologist Hans Reinerth, one of the leading Nazi archaeologists of the 'department of Rosenberg
Rosenberg
- Places :* Rosenberg, Baden, a municipality in the district of Neckar-Odenwald, Baden-Württemberg, Germany* Rosenberg , a municipality in the district of Ostalbkreis, Baden-Württemberg, Germany...
'. This museum has been expanded since to incorporate modern research.
Buildings
- Visible from afar is the pilgrimage church and Cistercian Monastery of Birnau, erected by Franz BeerFranz BeerFranz Beer , also known as Franz Beer von Blaichten, was an Austrian architect during the Baroque period, mainly working on church buildings at monasteries in southern Germany, chiefly in Upper Swabia, and Switzerland. His son Johann Michael Beer also was an architect.Born in Au im Bregenzerwald in...
from 1746-1759 for Salem AbbeySalem AbbeySalem Abbey , also known as Salmansweiler and in Latin as Salomonis Villa, was a very prominent Cistercian monastery in Salem in the district of Bodensee about ten miles from Konstanz, Baden-Württemberg, Germany.-Abbey:The abbey was founded in 1136 by Gunthram of Adelsreute Salem Abbey (Kloster or...
. Its baroqueBaroqueThe Baroque is a period and the style that used exaggerated motion and clear, easily interpreted detail to produce drama, tension, exuberance, and grandeur in sculpture, painting, literature, dance, and music...
style, the interior rococoRococoRococo , also referred to as "Late Baroque", is an 18th-century style which developed as Baroque artists gave up their symmetry and became increasingly ornate, florid, and playful...
design by Joseph Anton FeuchtmayerJoseph Anton FeuchtmayerJoseph Anton Feuchtmayer was an important Rococo stuccoist and sculptor, active in southern Germany and Switzerland....
and Gottfried Bernhard Göz, as well as the picturesque view from the square before the cathedral made Birnau one of the most popular tourist destinations at Lake Constance. - The baroque Castle Maurach below the cathedral once served the monastery as a port and as summer residence for the abbots. Today it is used as a conference centre.
- Moreover, there are the parish church of St Martin in Seefelden whose tower is from the 12th century. The new gothic altar is from the year 1912 and depicts the life of St Martin of Tours; the confessionals were carved in Joseph Anton FeuchtmayerJoseph Anton FeuchtmayerJoseph Anton Feuchtmayer was an important Rococo stuccoist and sculptor, active in southern Germany and Switzerland....
's workshop and were in Birnau until 1806. - The chapel of Unteruhldingen is from the year 1505. It has a baroque altar, which was original in Seefelden, as well as a number of wood carvings from the time of its foundation. The historical Unteruhldingen town hall, once the bath house, is also from this era.
- In the Chapel of St Wolfgang Oberuhldingen also possesses a historical attraction from the 16th century. The abbot of Salem, Stephan I. Jung had her decorated in 1711 in baroque style. The altar shows a view of Salem Abbey.
Monuments
- About 200 metres east of the cathedral of Birnau, just above the B31, is the monument and a cemetery for inmates of a concentration camp who died during the construction of tunnels near Goldbach.
Literature
- Überlingen und der Linzgau am Bodensee. Stuttgart: Theiss 1972. ISBN 3-8062-0102-1