Konstanz

After the Münster we stopped for coffee and cake. We found a perfect little cafe bakery in which to relax and dry our clothes with a delectable selection of pastries. We followed our tourist guide in the old city to the major sites. Most were 13th and 14th century buildings that were still completely in tact.
The imperial fountain (Kaiserbrunnen) was created by sculptor Hans Baur in 1897.
It was also interesting to discover that the border to Switzerland ran straight through the city. It used to be fenced and have a water filled moat. The customs buildings and security gates are still present. We noticed that the people going back into Switzerland were all carrying shopping bags! Earning Swiss wages and shopping in German stores would be an ideal way to live. The open borders allow pedestrians and cyclists to just roll on through but are closed to cars which are checked by the border security.

The border between the twinned cities of Konstanz in Germany and Kreuzlingen in Switzerland was established during the outbreak of World War I, but aside from the war years, the border has historically been a formality rather than a real barrier for citizens of Germany and Switzerland. It faded into irrelevance yet again in 2008 when Switzerland joined Europe’s nominally passport-free Schengen Area. Switzerland is not a member of the European Union and uses the Swiss franc rather than the euro.
Because Constance almost lies within Switzerland, directly adjacent to the Swiss border, it was not bombed by the Allied Forces during World War II. The city left all its lights on at night, and thus fooled the bombers into thinking it was actually part of Switzerland. After the war, Konstanz was included first in South Baden and then in the new state of Baden-Württemberg.Read more