Bavaria's island town on Lake Constance — the sea of three countries
Lindau im Bodensee is a medieval island town connected to the Bavarian mainland by a road causeway and a railway bridge, sitting on Lake Constance where Germany, Austria, and Switzerland meet. The old town's cobbled streets, colourful guild houses, and harbourfront guarded by a 19th-century lion sculpture and lighthouse make it one of Germany's most photogenic medieval townscapes. The lake — called the 'Swabian Sea' — is large enough for ferry connections to Konstanz, Bregenz, and Meersburg, and warm enough for summer swimming.
Lindau's island has been inhabited since at least the Carolingian period; the Benedictine monastery was founded in 882 CE. The town became a Free Imperial City of the Holy Roman Empire in 1274 and remained so for 500 years, trading with Italy across the Alpine passes and profiting from lake commerce. Napoleon dissolved its independence in 1802, transferring it first to Bavaria. The famous Lindau lion — a white marble Bavarian lion guarding the harbour entrance — was installed in 1856 alongside the new lighthouse.