Lindau Buildings

This is - promise! - my next-to-last post about Lindau. Isn't it amazing how much blog material I can get out of a mini break that lasted from Wednesday night to Saturday after breakfast?

Today I'll show you some of the buildings in/on Lindau ("on" because it is, after all, the name of the island as well as the town) I found most beautiful, or most interesting. Something of a more specific sightseeing trip, if you like; not just a stroll along the streets and alleys like on yesterday's post.

Let's start with the view from our hotel room. Across the road was a "Stift", a home for the elderly originally founded by devout Catholics. The inscription on the wall means "What time (literally "which time") is it? - It is time to do good."

 















This was our hotel. It was simple, clean but not spotless, and the staff was... horrible. A grumpy old man and his wife, both originally from Berlin, who did not treat you as a guest but as a burden. They were impolite to impertinent, and I found it really hard to deal with them. Had I had a choice, I would have gone somewhere else - but there was a trade fair going on at the same time, which meant each and every room in Lindau was taken.
The location was ideal, right on top of the old city wall. You can see it in the picture of the street, too, it is the yellow building.

Lindau's old town hall, front and back. (The new town hall, where local administration sits today, is nearby.) Originally, it was built in 1422 but altered to what you can see today in 1576. The murals were added much later, in the 19th century, when it became fashionable to see the past as a string of one glorious event after the other.

This building is not on the tourist maps, but I liked the way it looked behind the silhouette of the tree. It is home to Lindau's Zollamt (customs office).

The Mangturm ("Mang tower"), along with the lighthouse and the lion certainly Lindau's best known and most iconic sight. It was Lindau's lighthouse from 1180 until 1300; back then, there was no gabled roof on top of it, but it ended with the yellow upper floor where the fire was lit. The roof with its colourful tiles was added in the 19th century. Up until the 18th century, it did not stand on land, but was only accessible by a draw bridge.

A beauty and health clinic. There are several here on the island, and it is known in Germany that rich and famous people go there for treatments and therapy. It is typical for Lindau, therefore I have included it here.

A very modern building I can not remember from my previous visit in 2008. Not sure whether it is a hotel or an apartment building for rich people; it is close to the private yacht harbour.

The tower of St. Peter's church, Lindau's oldest church. The foundations of the building date back to around the year 1000. It is not used as a church anymore, but a memorial to the dead of both world wars and the 14 inhabitants of Lindau who fell victims to the Nazis.
The walls show murals and frescoes from around 1485, only partially restored. It was too dark in there to take pictures; plus there was a group with a guide while I was there so there were always people in front of the walls anyway. But the solemn atmosphere was striking and very different from the hustle and bustle on the main street with its many shops and restaurants.

Just one more Lindau post tomorrow!