Gottlieben

Gottlieben is one of the smallest communes in Thurgau, a short row of half-timbered houses on the bank of the Seerhein where the water leaves Lake Constance, with two large old hotels facing the river. Its castle, built by the bishops of Constance in the thirteenth century, held Jan Hus in its cellars in 1414-15 before the Council of Constance tried and burned him, and later held Pope John XXIII after his deposition - two prisoners of very different kinds within a few years. The castle is privately owned and not open. The village trades on its setting and on Hussenbrot, a sweet bread named for Hus and sold in the bakery. The riverside path to Konstanz is a flat half-hour.

What you actually see

• A row of half-timbered houses - the whole village, on the Seerhein bank.
• The castle that held Hus - and, later, a deposed pope; privately owned.
• Hussenbrot - the sweet bread named after the prisoner.
• A flat river path to Konstanz - about half an hour along the bank.

When to go

April to October. Two hours.

Honest expectations

The village is tiny and the castle cannot be visited - the association is historical, not something you can walk into. Restaurants are the main business and prices are high. It fills with day-trippers off the boats.

Nearby

Konstanz is across the German border; Arenenberg is west along the Untersee.