Rokoko and Prälatenweg
Today’s route: Rokoko and Prälatenweg
After breakfast at the hotel, your bikes will be waiting for you just next to the hotel ready for our departure. Our first route starts with an easy descent before a stretch of undulating terrain that takes us off the public path and into nearby forests and meadows with views of the lake.
Before you reach Meersberg, you’ll stop at Birnau, a spectacular pink Cistercian abbey church built between 1747 and 1750 by Peter Thumb of Vorarlberg. It has an incredibly intricate decor inside, especially the ceiling that features breathtaking frescos by German Rococo painter Gottfried Bernhard Göz. The balustrade in front of the church offers wonderful panoramic views across the lake.
The next stop will be Meersburg, one of the most enchanting mediaeval villages surrounding the lake. Surrounded by green meadows and vineyards, its narrow, clean streets and peaceful atmosphere by the lake offer calm and tranquillity in comparison to some of the busier towns in the area. It was once home to many artists.
After lunch, the route leads along a path that traverses fields, forests and meadows to reach Salem, once a Cistercian monastery. The monks from the monastery once used this path to walk to Birnau to hold mass. The monastery appears suddenly, as if from nowhere. It is a blend of Gothic and Baroque architecture and art that is home to a well-known boarding school. You can join a short one-hour tour, or have a coffee, before transferring back to Überlingen (10 km) by car. We will have dinner back at the hotel and spend our second night here.