Birnau Basilica

Built between 1747 and 1750 by Peter Thumb for the monks of Salem, Birnau stands on a slope of vines above Lake Constance with the Alps visible across the water. The interior is white and gold with frescoes by Gottfried Bernhard Göz and stucco and figures by Joseph Anton Feuchtmayer. Among them is the Honigschlecker, a small putto beside the altar of St Bernard, licking honey from his finger with a beehive at his feet, a reference to Bernard's title of doctor mellifluus, the honey-flowing teacher; it has become the church's best-known detail. The vineyard around it is still worked by the Cistercian estate.

What you'll find

• The Honigschlecker - a putto licking honey beside the St Bernard altar.
• The Feuchtmayer stucco - figures and ornament across the interior.
• The vineyard slope - working vines running down toward the lake.
• The Alpine view - Swiss and Austrian peaks across the water in clear weather.

When to go

April to October; the church closes during services and in the middle of the day in some seasons. Morning light suits the interior. Autumn brings the harvest below.

Good to know

It is one church with no other facilities beyond a wine shop. Services interrupt visiting. Parking is limited on the roadside above.

Nearby

Salem lies inland; Unteruhldingen is east.

Key facts