Obersee | |
---|---|
Location | Tripoint of Germany, Austria and Switzerland |
Coordinates | 47°37′N9°26′E / 47.61°N 09.44°E Coordinates: 47°37′N9°26′E / 47.61°N 09.44°E |
Primary inflows | Alpine Rhine, Bregenzer Ach, Argen, Alter Rhein (Fußacher Durchstich), Schussen, Dornbirner Ach, Seefelder Aach, Rotach, Stockacher Aach and smaller streams |
Primary outflows | Seerhein |
Max. length | 63 kilometres (39 mi) [1] |
Max. width | 14 kilometres (8.7 mi) [1] |
Surface area | 472 square kilometres (182 sq mi) [2] |
Average depth | 101 metres (331 ft) [2] |
Max. depth | 251 metres (823 ft) [2] |
Water volume | 47.6 cubic kilometres (11.4 cu mi) [2] |
Shore length1 | 186 kilometres (116 mi) [2] |
Surface elevation | 395.33 metres (1,297.0 ft) |
Islands | Lindau, Mainau |
Settlements | Überlingen, Meersburg, Friedrichshafen, Lindau, Bregenz, Rorschach, Konstanz |
1 Shore length is not a well-defined measure. |
The Obersee (German for "Upper Lake"), also known as Upper Lake Constance, is the much larger of the two parts of Lake Constance, the other part being the Untersee ("Lower Lake").
The Obersee has an area of 473 km² in size and extends for 63 km between Bregenz and Bodman-Ludwigshafen. Its maximum width is 14 km. It drains through the Seerhein in Constance into the Untersee. Its main inflow is the Alpine Rhine.
The distinctive, northwestern arm and 21 square kilometres (8.1 sq mi)-large Lake Überlingen (Standard German of Germany: Überlinger See) is part of the Upper Lake Constance, as well as the Bay of Bregenz, and the Constance Hopper.
The countries that border the lake are Switzerland, with its cantons of Thurgau and St. Gallen, Austria, with its federal state Vorarlberg, and Germany, with its federal states of Baden-Württemberg and Bavaria. The border between the riparian states on the south-eastern main part of the Obersee have never been jointly agreed (see Lake Constance); only the smaller northwestern water of Lake Überlingen is completely German territory.
The Romans called it Lacus Venetus, Lacus Brigantinus and Lacus Constantinus. In the Middle Ages the dominant term was Lacus Bodamicus, or in German Bodensee.[ citation needed ] Gradually, this name began to include the Lower Lake (Lacus Acronius), so the term "Upper Lake" was introduced for the larger lake.[ dubious ]
Lake Constance refers to three bodies of water on the Rhine at the northern foot of the Alps: Upper Lake Constance (Obersee), Lower Lake Constance (Untersee), and a connecting stretch of the Rhine, called the Lake Rhine (Seerhein). These waterbodies lie within the Lake Constance Basin, which is part of the Alpine Foreland and through which the Rhine flows.
Lindau is a Landkreis (district) in Swabia, Bavaria, Germany; its capital is the city of Lindau. It is bounded by the district of Oberallgäu, Austria, Lake Constance and the state of Baden-Württemberg.
Salem is a municipality in the Bodensee district of Baden-Württemberg in Southern Germany, located 9 km north of Lake Constance, with a population of 11,100.
Überlingen is a German city on the northern shore of Lake Constance (Bodensee) in Baden-Württemberg near the border with Switzerland. After the city of Friedrichshafen, it is the second largest city in the Bodenseekreis (district), and a central point for the outlying communities. Since 1 January 1993, Überlingen has been categorized as a large district city.
The Gnadensee is part of Lower Lake Constance, the western part of the lake.
Upper Swabia is a region in Germany in the federal states of Baden-Württemberg and Bavaria. The name refers to the area between the Swabian Jura, Lake Constance and the Lech. Its counterpart is Lower Swabia (Niederschwaben), the region around Heilbronn.
The High Rhine is the name used for the part of the Rhine that flows westbound from Lake Constance to Basel. The High Rhine begins at the out flow of the Rhine from the Untersee in Stein am Rhein and turns into the Upper Rhine in Basel. In contrast to the Alpine Rhine and Upper Rhine, the High Rhine flows mostly to the west.
Uhldingen-Mühlhofen is a town at the northern shore of Lake Constance, Germany between Überlingen and Meersburg. The town is a popular holiday destination and home to the Pfahlbauten open-air museum in Unteruhldingen and the Birnau basilica.
Owingen is a municipality in the district "Bodenseekreis" in Baden-Württemberg
Bodman-Ludwigshafen is a municipality in the district of Konstanz in Baden-Württemberg in Germany, located on the most western shore of Lake Überlingen, the north-western part of the Upper Lake of Lake Constance. The municipality consist of the two separate villages Bodman and Ludwigshafen on each side of Lake Überlingen. In 1975, the former municipalities Ludwigshafen am Bodensee and Bodman united to the current administrative situation.
Illmensee is a municipality of the district of Sigmaringen in Baden-Württemberg, Germany.
Linzgau is a historic region in Southern Germany, in the state of Baden-Württemberg. It is located north of Lake Constance and south of the Danube valley.
The Seerhein is a river about four kilometres long, in the basin of Lake Constance. It is the outflow of the Upper Lake Constance and the main tributary of the Lower Lake Constance. The water level of the lower lake is about 30 cm below the level of the Upper Lake. It is considered part of the Rhine, which flows into Lake Constance as the Alpine Rhine and flows out of the Lake as the High Rhine. The Seerhein arose after the last ice age. Some time after this period, the water level of Lake Constance gradually dropped by about ten metres and the shallow parts fell dry. Some parts of the Seerhein still have a character a bit like a lake.
The Untersee, also known as Lower Lake Constance, is the smaller of the two lakes that together form Lake Constance and forms part of the boundary between Switzerland and Germany.
Lake Überlingen is the northwestern "finger" of the Obersee, the lower part of Lake Constance. The boundary of lake is defined as the ferry link from Meersburg to Constance. It extends north to Bodman-Ludwigshafen.
The Radolfzeller Aach is a right or north tributary of the Rhine in the south of Baden-Württemberg (Germany). It is approximately 32 km long.
Bodensee-Literaturpreis is a literary prize awarded in Baden-Württemberg, Germany. The city of Überlingen has been awarding the Lake Constance Literature Prize since 1954. The foundation of this municipal literature prize goes back to an initiative of the Baltic writer Eugen Assmann (1902–1979). The prize is to be awarded to an author for a special literary achievement within the literature of the entire Lake Constance area. The prize is endowed with 5,000 euros.
The Rhine leaves that part of Lake Constance known as the Upper Lake or Obersee as the Seerhein near Konstanz. After six kilometres it forms the Rheinsee, through which the river current flows. At its outflow is the island of Werd with its Franciscan monastery. The Rheinsee, together with the Zeller See and the Gnadensee, which surround the island of Reichenau, form the Untersee. The latter, together with the Seerhein, are considered part of Lake Constance.
The Zeller See is part of the Lower Lake, the lower part of Lake Constance. It lies in the bay of Radolfzell, and between the peninsula of Mettnau to the north and the peninsula of Höri to the south. To the west it is bounded by the ried of the Radolfzeller Aach.
The Lake Constance train ferries (Bodensee-Trajekte) were train ferries that were set up by railway companies to transport rail freight wagons across Lake Constance (Bodensee) between the (formerly) five countries around that lake. In the heyday of the railways, they were of great importance, especially for freight traffic.
This article includes a list of general references, but it lacks sufficient corresponding inline citations .(March 2018) |