Werd (Lake Constance)
Encyclopedia
Werd Island is the main island of the small island group Werd Islands in the westernmost part of the Lower Lake
of Lake Constance
just before the High Rhine
leaves the part of the lake known as . It is located on Swiss territory between Stein am Rhein
and Eschenz
.
have been found. In the Neolithic
, Werd provided an ideal place to settle. Between 1931 and 1935, the island was excavated under the direction of Karl Keller-Tarnuzzer. Numerous items such as stone axes, arrowheads, a flint sickle, pottery shards, bone fishhooks from the Neolithic
and the Bronze Age
came to light. Tools, weapons and jewelry from the Bronze Age were found.
Water levels of Lake Constance fell to an extreme low in the winter of 2005/2006. This uncovered a large waterfront areas and some prehistoric artifacts. A selection of prehistoric, Roman Era and medieval artifacts is on display at the entrance of the refectory
on the island. Other important finds are now housed in the Museum of Archaeology in Frauenfeld
and in the local museum in Eschenz.
In 50 BCE, the Romans
built a pile bridge
between Rhaetia and Magna Germania via the island. The two bridge sections had a length of 220 and 217 meters and a width of six meters. This Roman road
, known in the literature as the Rheatian Boundary Street led from the Vicus
Tasgetium (Eschenz) via Rielasingen
, Singen
, Friedingen, Steißlingen
, Orsingen
, Vilsingen and Inzigkofen
to a ford acress the Danube
at Laiz
. In Orsingen there was a junction to Pfullendorf
and Burgweiler. Near Dürren Ast, there was a further junction through the Ablach Valley
to Messkirch, Krauchenwies
and Mengen
-Ennetach.
, the first abbot of the Abbey of St. Gall
was sent into exile to Werd in 759. He died on Werd on 16 November of that year. The St. Othmar chapel on the island was erected in his memory in the 15th Century. It belongs to the Catholic
parish of Eschenz.
The island is owned by the Benedictine
Einsiedeln Abbey
. It is, however, leased by the Franciscans; they live in a house attached to the chapel.
belongs to the ward Untereschenz of the municipality of Eschenz
, in the Swiss
Canton
Thurgau
.
It is connected to the south bank of the river by a 125 meter long wooden bridge.
The two smaller islands in the group belong to the municipality of Stein am Rhein
of Canton of Schaffhausen
. They are uninhabited and form the nature reserve and bird sanctuary Middle and lower Werdli. Middle Werdli island has an area of 0.4 hectares; Lower Werdli measures 0.6 hectres.
The boundary between the cantons of Thurgau and Schaffhausen, follows the center line of the Rhine here.
The bridge at Stein am Rhein is generally considered to be the boundary between the Lower Lake of Lake Constance and the High Rhine
. The Werd islands lie just above the bridge and are therefore inland islands, not river island
s. The Western tip of Lower Werli is about 320 meters upstream from the bridge.
Untersee (Lake Constance)
The Untersee is the smaller of the two lakes that together form Lake Constance and forms part of the boundary between Switzerland and Germany.- Geography :...
of Lake Constance
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...
just before the High Rhine
High Rhine
The High Rhine is the name used in Germany for the part of the Rhine River that flows westbound from Lake Constance to Basel.The High Rhine begins at the outflow of the Rhine from the Untersee in Stein am Rhein and turns into the Upper Rhine in Basel...
leaves the part of the lake known as . It is located on Swiss territory between Stein am Rhein
Stein am Rhein
Stein am Rhein is a municipality in the canton of Schaffhausen in Switzerland.The town has a well-preserved medieval centre, retaining the ancient street plan. The site of the city wall, and the city gates are preserved, though the former city wall now consists of houses...
and Eschenz
Eschenz
Eschenz is a municipality in Frauenfeld District in the canton of Thurgau in Switzerland.-History:The prehistoric shore village on Werd Island and in the Seeäckern area are rich archeological sites that have contributed substantially to our understanding of the history of settlements in the...
.
History
The Werd was already inhabited in 5000 BC, using stilt houses. Stone tools used by hunter-gatherers in the Middle Stone AgeMiddle Stone Age
The Middle Stone Age was a period of African Prehistory between Early Stone Age and Late Stone Age. It is generally considered to have begun around 280,000 years ago and ended around 50-25,000 years ago. The beginnings of particular MSA stone tools have their origins as far back as 550-500,000...
have been found. In 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...
, Werd provided an ideal place to settle. Between 1931 and 1935, the island was excavated under the direction of Karl Keller-Tarnuzzer. Numerous items such as stone axes, arrowheads, a flint sickle, pottery shards, bone fishhooks from 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 the Bronze Age
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...
came to light. Tools, weapons and jewelry from the Bronze Age were found.
Water levels of Lake Constance fell to an extreme low in the winter of 2005/2006. This uncovered a large waterfront areas and some prehistoric artifacts. A selection of prehistoric, Roman Era and medieval artifacts is on display at the entrance of the refectory
Refectory
A refectory is a dining room, especially in monasteries, boarding schools and academic institutions. One of the places the term is most often used today is in graduate seminaries...
on the island. Other important finds are now housed in the Museum of Archaeology in Frauenfeld
Frauenfeld
Frauenfeld is the capital of the canton of Thurgau in Switzerland.-Early history:The earliest trace of human settlement are several La Tène era graves to the east of Langdorf. The Roman road from Oberwinterthur to Pfyn ran through what is now the Allmend in Frauenfeld. Two Roman villas were...
and in the local museum in Eschenz.
In 50 BCE, the Romans
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....
built a pile bridge
Pile bridge
A pile bridge is a structure that uses foundations consisting of long poles , which are made of wood, concrete or steel and which are hammered into the soft soils beneath the bridge until the end of the pile reaches a hard layer of compacted soil or rock...
between Rhaetia and Magna Germania via the island. The two bridge sections had a length of 220 and 217 meters and a width of six meters. This Roman road
Roman road
The Roman roads were a vital part of the development of the Roman state, from about 500 BC through the expansion during the Roman Republic and the Roman Empire. Roman roads enabled the Romans to move armies and trade goods and to communicate. The Roman road system spanned more than 400,000 km...
, known in the literature as the Rheatian Boundary Street led from the Vicus
Vicus (Rome)
In ancient Rome, the vicus was a neighborhood. During the Republican era, the four regiones of the city of Rome were subdivided into vici. In the 1st century BC, Augustus reorganized the city for administrative purposes into 14 regions, comprising 265 vici. Each vicus had its own board of...
Tasgetium (Eschenz) via Rielasingen
Rielasingen-Worblingen
Rielasingen-Worblingen is a municipality in the district of Konstanz, in Baden-Württemberg, Germany. It is situated on the border with Switzerland, 4 km south of Singen, and 20 km east of Schaffhausen...
, Singen
Singen
Singen is an industrial city in the very south of Baden-Württemberg in southern Germany and just north of the German-Swiss border.-Location:...
, Friedingen, Steißlingen
Steißlingen
Steißlingen is a town in the district of Konstanz in Baden-Württemberg in Germany....
, Orsingen
Orsingen-Nenzingen
Orsingen-Nenzingen is a town in the district of Konstanz in Baden-Württemberg in Germany....
, Vilsingen and Inzigkofen
Inzigkofen
Inzigkofen is a municipality in the district of Sigmaringen in Baden-Württemberg in Germany. Historically, it is part of the Swabian north Alpine foreland basin.It consists of three districts:...
to a ford acress the Danube
Danube
The Danube is a river in the Central Europe and the Europe's second longest river after the Volga. It is classified as an international waterway....
at Laiz
Laiz
Laiz is a commune in the Ain department in eastern France.-Population:...
. In Orsingen there was a junction to Pfullendorf
Pfullendorf
Pfullendorf is a small historic city in the district of Sigmaringen in Baden-Württemberg in Germany.-Geography:Its location is in the district of Sigmaringen, 25 km north of Lake Constance and south of the Danube valley and therefore on the continental divide between the watersheds of the...
and Burgweiler. Near Dürren Ast, there was a further junction through the Ablach Valley
Ablach (Danube)
The Ablach is a right tributary of the Danube. It rises on the European Watershed, which is only a hint in this area, from the Mindersdorfer Aach in the municipality of Hohenfels in the Landkreis of Konstanz...
to Messkirch, Krauchenwies
Krauchenwies
Krauchenwies is a municipality in the district of Sigmaringen in Baden-Württemberg in Germany.-Geography:Krauchenwies lies about 10 km south of Sigmaringen and 25 km north of Lake Constance...
and Mengen
Mengen
Mengen is a quiet, rural town and district in Bolu province in the Black Sea region of western Turkey, 58 km from the city of Bolu. It covers an area of 895 km², and the population is 16,504 of which 5,500 live in the town of Mengen...
-Ennetach.
Chapel
Saint OthmarOthmar
Othmar, also spelled Otmar or Ottmar, is a German given name, meaning "happy fame" .Famous people with the given name Othmar include:*Saint Othmar*Othmar Ammann*Otmar Freiherr von Verschuer*Otmar Hasler*Ottmar Hörl*Ottmar Hitzfeld...
, the first abbot of the Abbey of St. Gall
Abbey of St. Gall
The Abbey of Saint Gall is a religious complex in the city of St. Gallen in present-day Switzerland. The Carolingian-era Abbey has existed since 719 and became an independent principality during the 13th century, and was for many centuries one of the chief Benedictine abbeys in Europe. It was...
was sent into exile to Werd in 759. He died on Werd on 16 November of that year. The St. Othmar chapel on the island was erected in his memory in the 15th Century. It belongs to the Catholic
Catholic
The word catholic comes from the Greek phrase , meaning "on the whole," "according to the whole" or "in general", and is a combination of the Greek words meaning "about" and meaning "whole"...
parish of Eschenz.
The island is owned by the Benedictine
Benedictine
Benedictine refers to the spirituality and consecrated life in accordance with the Rule of St Benedict, written by Benedict of Nursia in the sixth century for the cenobitic communities he founded in central Italy. The most notable of these is Monte Cassino, the first monastery founded by Benedict...
Einsiedeln Abbey
Einsiedeln Abbey
Einsiedeln Abbey is a Benedictine monastery in the town of Einsiedeln in the Canton of Schwyz, Switzerland. The abbey is dedicated to Our Lady of the Hermits, the title being derived from the circumstances of its foundation, from which the name Einsiedeln is also said to have originated...
. It is, however, leased by the Franciscans; they live in a house attached to the chapel.
Archipelago
Werd is the main island of a small island group. It has an area of 1.59 hectareHectare
The hectare is a metric unit of area defined as 10,000 square metres , and primarily used in the measurement of land. In 1795, when the metric system was introduced, the are was defined as being 100 square metres and the hectare was thus 100 ares or 1/100 km2...
belongs to the ward Untereschenz of the municipality of Eschenz
Eschenz
Eschenz is a municipality in Frauenfeld District in the canton of Thurgau in Switzerland.-History:The prehistoric shore village on Werd Island and in the Seeäckern area are rich archeological sites that have contributed substantially to our understanding of the history of settlements in the...
, in the Swiss
Switzerland
Switzerland name of one of the Swiss cantons. ; ; ; or ), in its full name the Swiss Confederation , is a federal republic consisting of 26 cantons, with Bern as the seat of the federal authorities. The country is situated in Western Europe,Or Central Europe depending on the definition....
Canton
Cantons of Switzerland
The 26 cantons of Switzerland are the member states of the federal state of Switzerland. Each canton was a fully sovereign state with its own borders, army and currency from the Treaty of Westphalia until the establishment of the Swiss federal state in 1848...
Thurgau
Thurgau
Thurgau is a northeast canton of Switzerland. The population, , is . In 2007, there were a total of 47,390 who were resident foreigners. The capital is Frauenfeld.-History:...
.
It is connected to the south bank of the river by a 125 meter long wooden bridge.
The two smaller islands in the group belong to the municipality of Stein am Rhein
Stein am Rhein
Stein am Rhein is a municipality in the canton of Schaffhausen in Switzerland.The town has a well-preserved medieval centre, retaining the ancient street plan. The site of the city wall, and the city gates are preserved, though the former city wall now consists of houses...
of Canton of Schaffhausen
Canton of Schaffhausen
The Canton of is a canton of Switzerland. The principal city and capital of the canton is Schaffhausen.- History:Schaffhausen was a city-state in the Middle Ages, documented to have struck its own coins starting in 1045. It was then known as Villa Scafhusun. Around 1049 Count Eberhard von...
. They are uninhabited and form the nature reserve and bird sanctuary Middle and lower Werdli. Middle Werdli island has an area of 0.4 hectares; Lower Werdli measures 0.6 hectres.
The boundary between the cantons of Thurgau and Schaffhausen, follows the center line of the Rhine here.
The bridge at Stein am Rhein is generally considered to be the boundary between the Lower Lake of Lake Constance and the High Rhine
High Rhine
The High Rhine is the name used in Germany for the part of the Rhine River that flows westbound from Lake Constance to Basel.The High Rhine begins at the outflow of the Rhine from the Untersee in Stein am Rhein and turns into the Upper Rhine in Basel...
. The Werd islands lie just above the bridge and are therefore inland islands, not river island
River Island
River Island is one of Britain's best known high street fashion brands and can be found in most cities across the UK. The brand also has stores in Singapore, Turkey, Poland, Ireland, the Netherlands, and the Middle East.-History:...
s. The Western tip of Lower Werli is about 320 meters upstream from the bridge.