Konstanz Old Town

Konstanz sits on Lake Constance directly against the Swiss border, with the frontier running through the built-up area, and the old town came through the Second World War without bombing, so its medieval and Renaissance fabric is largely intact. The council held here from 1414 to 1418 was the only papal conclave north of the Alps and ended a schism; the Konzil building on the harbour, a warehouse of 1388, hosted part of it. At the harbour mouth stands Imperia, a nine-metre concrete figure by Peter Lenk erected in 1993, holding two small figures of a pope and an emperor, and rotating slowly on its base.

What you actually see

• Imperia - a nine-metre rotating harbour statue erected in 1993.
• The Konzil building - a 1388 warehouse used during the council.
• The unbombed old town - intact medieval and Renaissance streets.
• The border - the Swiss frontier running through the urban area.

When to go

May to September for the lake and boats; the town is busy with Swiss and German visitors in summer. The lake steamers run seasonally.

Honest expectations

Summer crowds and parking are difficult. Prices reflect the Swiss border trade. The statue was controversial and remains so locally.

Nearby

Reichenau lies west; Meersburg is across the lake.