Mainau

Home / Places / Mainau

Mainau

in Places

 

Mainau: The Island of Gardens

A huge garden of trees, shrubs, and blossoms, the island of Mainau has traditionally lived up to its beautiful epithet of ‘Blumeninsel’, meaning ‘Flower Island’, and still does. Let’s see why!

Location:

Mainau Island or Insel Mainau is situated on the southern shores of the Überlinger See in Lake Constance, Europe’s second-biggest lake, close to the city of Konstanz in Baden-Württemberg, Germany, near Austria and Switzerland. Mainau belongs to Litzelstetten, one of the wards of Konstanz.

Weather:

Influenced by the Lake Constance, a moderate coastal climate in Mainau allows for pleasant summers and cool winters. July is the hottest month as it experiences an average maximum temperature of 25 degrees Celsius with a minimum of 14 degrees Celsius. With a temperature varying from 2 degrees Celsius to -3 degrees Celsius on an average, January is the coldest month. Mainau receives the greatest amount of rainfall between May and August.

History:

Owned by the Order of Teutonic Knights from the 13th century for almost 500 years, the island of Mainau was acquired by Grand Duke Friedrich I of Baden in 1853 as his summer residence. After his death in 1928, Mainau passed to the duke’s sister Victoria of Baden, the Queen of Sweden by marriage to King Gustaf V. She passed on the Island to Prince Wilhelm, her second son, who, in turn, bequeathed Mainau to Count Lennart Bernadotte, his only child, in 1932. Owning the island till 1974, the Count transferred it to a foundation and managed it under ‘Enterprise Mainau GmbH’ from 1991 till his death in 2004. Sonja, his second wife, was the manager of this enterprise from 2001 till 2007, and since then, Bettina Bernadotte, their eldest daughter, has been managing the island of Mainau, and she has been joined by Björn Bernadotte, her brother, since 2011.

The island:

With a coastline of 3.2 kilometers, Mainau Island, 1.1 kilometers long and 0.61 kilometers wide, is inhabited by more than 180 people.

Since Mainau Island has been preserved as a garden island, its large number of gardens and parks are sure to interest you. There’s the Rhododendron slope or Rhododendronhang on the eastern side of Mainau, where you can find at least 230 different varieties of this King of Shrubs.  The Ufergarten is a waterside garden on Mainau’s south-eastern tip, consisting of lime and other trees and flower beds, while at the Staudengarten, a perennial garden with more than 20,000 plants of around 700 varieties, you can familiarize yourself with daylilies, oriental poppies, ordinary coneflowers and blue delphiniums. You can come across tropical plants on the Mediterranean Terraces (Mediterran-Terrassen), such as the Trumpet creeper, cypresses and chestnuts, and even mighty evergreen oaks! Mount the Italian Flower water staircase (Italian Flower Wassertreppe) to see many more multifarious types of flowers and herbs. Between June and September, Mainau Castle’s citrus collection of oranges, limes, grapefruits and lemons cannot fail to delight you.

For children upto 12 years of age, admission to the island is free. Adults need to pay 19 euros in the summer season (18th March till 23rd October 2016) and 9.50 euro during the winter season (24th October 2016 to 23rd March 2017). You can also purchase a family ticket in the summertime for 39 euros, which would be valid for children less than 15 years old and two adults, but no such ticket is available during winter. You can also take your dogs there for free!

Travelling to the island:

From Konstanz (Constance), which is the nearest railway station, you can catch bus no.4 in the direction of ‘Wallhausen/Hafen, Konstanz’ and get off at Mainau after about 15 minutes. Alternatively, you can get on the ErlebnisBus, which operates between Salem and Uhldingen, from where you can reach Mainau’s harbor (Mainau Hafen), situated to the north of the island, by boat. The ‘Bodensee Schiffsbetriebe’ or BSB can also take you to Mainau within 20 or 25 minutes from Unteruhldingen and Meersburg. Mainau being connected to the mainland Konstanz by a short roadway, you can get to the island by car as well. Once you have reached Mainau, you can roam around on the island by bus, which runs only in the summer season for 1.50 euro.

Why visit?

Well, you get an opportunity to come across a vast assortment of flowers, herbs, trees and shrubs of diverse kinds and forms on the island of Mainau. With roses blooming in summer, dahlias in autumn, tulips in spring and various other species in all seasons, as well as swans floating along the shore underneath the exotic trees, you can perceive Mother Nature bathed in all her glory. As the sun sets on the horizon with its rays glimmering across the blue sky and through the trees, you feel as if you are in the most peaceful place in the world. Moreover, indeed, it is a paradise on earth for all nature lovers!

Mainau Island hosts some celebrations as well. The 11th Count’s Castle Festival (Gräfliches Schlossfestspiele), which is to be held from 30th September to 3rd October in 2016 at Barockschloss, will enable you to gain access to the Mainau Castle’s library, corridors, salons, and the ballroom, where historical fashion parades and musical performances are organized for you. Getting married on Mainau Island amidst the millions of trees and flowers involves an out-of-the-world experience, and so, facilities for reception and banquet, along with accommodation for 200 guests, are available at the Wedding Fair, which is going to take place on 5th and 6th November 2016, at the Mainau Castle, the castle church, the Palm House and other locations. You are offered guided tours to the wedding venues for free, and you can acquire ideas and tips for your dream wedding at a wedding exhibition titled “Love-Verlobt-Married” and a bridal fashion display!

Apart from the festivities, you can expose your taste buds to special fish dishes and traditional Swedish food at any one of the restaurants. A chance to go on a wine tour in the Bodensee region for tasting wine should not be missed. In the old port of the island of Mainau, you can relax from 10:00 am till 6:00 pm at the Beer Garden (Biergarten), which will remain open from 17th March to 23rd October in 2016. People from all across the world visit it.

Major Attractions:

Unconvincing as this might sound, this 45-hectare island of Mainau contains several attractions and tourist spots.

  • The Baroque Mainau Castle or the German Order Castle (Barockschloss) – Situated at the heart of the island, this horseshoe-shaped castle was built between 1739 and 1746 based on Johann Caspar Bagnato’s designs. Its east gable bears the coat of arms of the Teutonic Order of Knights. You can also pay a visit to “White Hall”, initially an audience hall, for concerts and other special events. This palace is now the residence of Count Björn Graf Bernadotte and his wife, Countess Sandra Bernadotte. The castle is open to tourists from 10:00 am till 5:00 pm every day.
  • The Arboretum – Founded in 1864 by Grand Duke Friedrich I of Baden, this collection of tropical trees consists of around 250 species, including mountain redwoods, Himalayan cedars, beech, walnut trees, cypresses, Atlas cedars, dove trees, spruce, fir, cherry trees and other varieties.
  • The Castle Church of St. Mary (Schlosskirche St. Marien) – A unique example of the south-German baroque style of architecture, it was built between 1732 and 1739 by Johann Casper Bagnato. Its altars and sculptures were cast by Joseph Anton Feucht Meyer, one of the most prominent sculptors of the Baroque style in southwest The church bell, cast in Lindau in 1505, is among the few bells in the region of Lake Constance to have been cast before the Thirty Years’ War.
  • The Palm House (Palmenhaus) – This greenhouse encloses more than 20 diverse kinds of palm trees, like the Palmetto palm (Sabal palmetto), the Canary Island date palm (Phoenix canariensis), the Mexican Washington palm (Washingtonia robusta), the Bismarck palm (Bismarckia nobilis) and others. Housing a collection of about 1,200 orchids, it organizes an orchid show every spring. You can enter this building from 9:00 am to 5:00 pm during winter, while in summer, it remains open every day till 9:00 pm.
  • The Butterfly House (Schmetterlingshaus) – Harboring around 1,000 species of butterflies from Asia, Africa, Central and South America, here you can obtain all sorts of information regarding these brightly-colored insects. Attacus atlas, Morpho Achilles, Biblis hyperia and Papilio palinurus are some of the species housed at this butterfly sanctuary, the biggest in Germany. You can visit this house daily from 10:00 am till 5:00 pm during winter and upto 7:00 pm during summer.
  • Grand Duke Friedrich Terrace (Groβherzog-Friedrich-Terrasse) – This, located to the northwest of the Arboretum, is dedicated to the Grand Duke Friedrich I of Baden. Flower beds surround his bust of marble.
  • The Italian Rose Garden (Italienischer Rosengarten) – Built in 1871 for the grand duke, almost 9,000 roses of 400 different types bloom in this garden. You can even vote for your favorite rose to be the Mainau Rose Queen! The “Henrietta” Rose had this honor in 2015.
  • The Sweden Tower (Schwedenturm) – This tower is situated on the south-western side of Mainau. It dates back to the Teutonic Order, as is evident from the Order’s coat of arms on the front door. Formerly used as a guard tower, its interior is, unfortunately, not accessible for free.
  • The Dahliengarten – From late August till the middle of October, you can make your way into this garden of 12,000 dahlias on the southern side of Mainau. The biggest dahlias are 2 meters tall, while the smallest ones have a height of 40 inches. You can also vote for your favorite dahlia specie in the annual election of the Dahlia Queen, to be held from 2nd September to 3rd October
  • The Gardener Tower (Gärtnerturm) – The basement of this tower dates back to the Middle Ages. From here, you get an excellent view of the castle and into the Arboretum.
  • The Insects Garden (Insektengarten) – Here, you get to know about the importance of bees and their life. Meadow plants, summer flowers and bee plants like sunflowers blossom in this garden.
  • Mainau Farm (Mainau-Bauernhof) – A goat petting zoo, a track on which you can ride ponies, and the Bauerngarten, where fruits, vegetables, and crops like lettuce are cultivated, make the Mainau Farm an enjoyable experience for you and your family!

What Else is Around?

  • Sonja and Lennart Bernadotte Place
  • Mainau Sandburg
  • The Spring Avenue
  • Mainau Kinderland
  • The Meersburg Castle
  • The Friedrichshafen Zeppelin Museum

With lots to explore and relish, Mainau is the perfect holiday destination choice if you’re looking to spend some time relaxing and enjoying yourself. Go ahead and plan a trip with your family and friends and enjoy exploring Mainau – you won’t regret it, we promise!