Meersburg (in English, "sea castle"), which is built on a steep vineyard right by the lake, is a most charming town on the shores of Lake Constance.
Lake Constance
Lake Constance - in German: Bodensee - is shared by Germany, Switzerland and Austria. The largest City on the lake is Constance - in German: Konstanz. On the Swiss side is the Canton of Thurgau, where the grape variety Müller Thurgau comes from, created by Hermann Müller in 1882. The Austrian part does not have much wine, if any; the wine regions of Austria are on the other side of the country, in the east.
Picture: Lake Constance in the South of Germany, with Swiss MountainsSee also: The Evolving Structure of the Wine Industry in Germany– The Case of the Lake Constance Region
Meersburg: Upper Town and Lower Town/ Altes Schloss and Neues Schloss
Meersburg with its medieval streets and half-timbered buildings is a split-level town: The lakeside Lower Town is home to the boat and ferry landings, a lakefront promenade, hotels, restaurants, bars, and sporting activities; and the Upper Town is a hillside cluster of historic buildings, museums, galleries, cafés, shops, and vineyards. Both sections of town have remnants of medieval walls (including two ancient gates), and you can go back and forth between the two by stairway or road.
Meersburg has two castles to visit, conveniently side-by-side, both in the Upper Town.
The stony Altes Schloss — or simply Burg Meersburg — with its corner round towers and stair-stepped gabled central tower (added in the 16th century) is considered the oldest surviving castle in Germany. Parts of it do date back to AD 630 and its foundation by Dagobert I, last of the great Frankish Merovingian kings. Most of it, however, only dates back as far as the 12th century (still pretty old), and from the 13th century on it served as a seat for the Prince-Bishops of Konstanz.
By the 18th century, the powerful Prince-Bishops of Konstanz wanted something a bit newer, fresher, and more baroquey than the drafty old Burg, so they set about building themselves a Neues Schloss next to the old one in 1710–50, designed by Franz Anton Bagnato and finished off in grand style with a staircase based upon plans by German baroque architect extraordinaire, Balthasar Neumann.
A Prince-Bishop is a bishop who is a territorial Prince of the Church on account of one or more secular principalities, usually pre-existent titles of nobility held concurrently with their inherent clerical office. Thus the principality ruled politically by a prince-bishop could be wholly or largely overlap with his diocesan jurisdiction, but not necessarily.
Though the bishopric was dissolved in 1803 (after which their palace was used variously as a girls' school, prison, sailor's school, high school, institute for deaf-mutes, and barracks for French troops after World War II), the Schloss continues to reign above the town in all its white-frosted pink glory.
Restored to its baroque splendor—most evident in the Festsaal (ballroom) with its frescoed ceiling and the Schlosskappel chapel — the Neues Schloss now contains a museum dedicated to the era of the Prince-Bishops and several oddball collections of decorative arts and natural history as part of its State Gallery museum.
A few rooms have been preserved in their 19th century state to honor the residence of German poet Annette von Droste-Hülshoff, who lived out her final years in this, the house of her brother-in-law, in the 1840s.
Staatsweingut Meersburg (Baden)
The Staatsweingut Meersburg is located in Meersburg at Lake Constance and owned by the State Baden-Württemberg.
It was owned by the church for a short period of time. From its construction in the 1750s until the bishopric was dissolved in 1803 it was the seat of the Prince-Bishop of Constance. In 1802, it passed – along with the Salem Abbey - into the hands of the Margrave von Baden during Napoleon’s secularization.
Baden came into existence in the 12th century as the Margraviate of Baden. It became the much-enlarged Grand Duchy of Baden through the dissolution of the Holy Roman Empire in 1806. The Grand Duchy of Baden remained a sovereign country until it joined the German Empire in 1871. After the revolution of 1918, Baden became part of the Weimar Republic as the Republic of Baden.
The Republic of Baden, as the successor of the Grand Duchy of Baden, took over the Staatsweingut Meersburg in 1918. (But it did not take over Schloss Salem, which became the private property of the Margrave of Baden.) In the Federal Republic of Germany of 1945, Baden and Wuerttemberg were merged to the Republic of Baden Wuerttemberg, which is the current owner of the Staatsweingut Meersburg.
The vineyard area totals 62 hectares, planted with Pinot Noir, Pinot Blanc, Pinot Gris, Chardonnay, Riesling, Müller-Thurgau, Traminer and Regent.
The Schloss also houses the Staatsweingut Meersburg, owned by the Government of the Federal State of Baden Wuerttemberg. The vineyard area totals 62 hectares with holdings in the following sites: Bengel, Chorherrnhalde, Lerchenberg, Jungfernstieg and Rieschen (Meersburg – monopole holding), Olgaberg – highest vineyard in Germany at 520 metres above sea level (Hohentwiel), as well as Ritterhalde (Gailingen). The area is planted with Pinot Noir, Pinot Blanc, Pinot Gris, Chardonnay, Riesling, Müller-Thurgau, Traminer and Regent.
The Staatsweingut Meersburg was owned by the Prince-Bishop of Constance until 1802, when it passed into the hands of the Margrave von Baden during Napoleon’s secularization.
The Government of Baden, as the successor of the Grand Duchy of Baden, took over the Staatsweingut Meersburg in 1918. But it did not take over Schloss Salem, which became the private property of the Margrave of Baden.
Schiller's Favorite Wine Bars in Meersburg
There are only 2 true wine bars, where you can have a glass of wine and a small bite. In all other listed taverns, people have a full meal with a glass or bottle of wine. I am not sure as to how just have a glass of wine without any food or just a small bite.
Weinhaus C. Hanser
Unterstadtstraße 28
True wine bar. Best wine list in town. Excellent small bites.
Weintreff Winzerverein Meersburg - Kellereiverkauf
Unterstadtstraße 11
Inexpensive. Only wines of the Winzerverein Meersburg. Always packed. Closes at 9pm.
Gutsschänke Staatsweingut Meersburg
Seminarstarsse 4
Wine bar and restaurant. Only wines of the Staatsweingut Meersburg. Brilliant view from the terrace.
Markgräflich Badische Weinstube
Unterstadtstraße 28
Restaurant. Only wines of Weingut Markgraf von Baden.
Weinstube zum Becher
Höllgasse 4
Historischer Weinkeller "In Trauben"
Steigstrasse 6
Meersburger Winzerstuben
Steigstrasse 33
Restaurant. Inexpensive. Only wines of the Winzerverein Meersburg.
schiller-wine: Related Postings
Germany-South and Alsace 2017 Tour by ombiasy WineTours: Baden, Alsace, Pfalz and Rheinhessen
The Music of the A Cappella Ensemble "Männer und Tenöre" and the Wines of Weingut Aufricht, Lake Constance, Baden, with Manfred Aufricht - Germany-South and Alsace 2017 Tour by ombiasy WineTours
The Lake Wines of the Aufricht Brothers: From Lake Constance in Germany
The Evolving Structure of the Wine Industry in Germany– The Case of the Lake Constance Region
Schloss Salem at Lake Constance in Germany: A Museum, a School and a Wine Estate
Visit of Schloss Salem, Kirche Birnau and Weingut Markgraf von Baden - Germany-South and Alsace 2017 Tour by ombiasy WineTours
Schiller’s Favorites
Here is a complete list of Schiller's Favorites:
Europe
Germany
Schiller's Favorite Wine Bars in Frankfurt, Germany
Schiller’s Favorite Wine Taverns in Würzburg, Franken, Germany
Schiller’s Favorites: 2 Legendary Wine Taverns in Würzburg – Juliusspital and Bürgerspital
Schiller’s Favorite Wine Bars and Wine Taverns in Freiburg, Baden, Germany
Schiller's Favorites: Frankfurt Apple Wine Taverns that Make their own Apple Wine
Schiller's Favorite Winemakers in Sachsen (Saxony), Germany
Schiller’s Favorite Winemakers in the Saale-Unstrut Region, Germany
Schiller’s Favorite Wine Taverns in Trier, Germany
Schiller's Favorite (Wine-) Restaurants in Deidesheim in the Pfalz, Germany
Schiller’s Favorite Wine Bars in Frankfurt am Main, 2014, Germany
Schiller's Favorite Wine Bars in Berlin, Germany
Schiller’s Favorite Wine Bars in Frankfurt am Main, 2013, Germany
Schiller's Favorite Apple Wine Taverns in Frankfurt am Main, Germany
Schiller’s Favorite Wine Taverns in Mainz, Germany
France
Schiller’s Favorite Wine Bars in St. Emilion, France - An Update
Schiller’s Favorite Seafood Places in Bordeaux City, France - An Update
Schiller’s Favorite Wine Bars in Bordeaux City - An Update
Schiller’s Favorite Wine Bars and other Wine Venues in Chablis, France
Schiller’s Favorite Wine Bars in Beaune, Bourgogne
Dinner at a Bouchon - Chez Paul - in Lyon: Schiller’s Favorite Bouchons in Lyon, France
Schiller’s Favorite Wine Bars in Beaune, Bourgogne, France (2015)
Schiller’s Favorite Wine Bars in Bordeaux City, France (2015)
Schiller’s Favorite Restaurants, Brasseries, Bistros, Cafes and Wine Bars in Paris, France
Schiller's Favorite Seafood Places in Bordeaux City, France
Schiller's Favorite Wine Bars in Bordeaux City, France, 2014
Schiller’s Favorite Wine Bars in St. Emilion, France
Schiller’s Favorite Restaurants, Brasseries, Bistros, Cafes and Wine Bars in Paris, 2012 France
Schiller's Favorite Wine Bars in Bordeaux (City) (2012), France
UK, Spain, Austria, Hungary, Italy
Schiller's Favorite Wine Bars in Venice, Italy
Schiller's Favorite Winebars in London, UK
Schiller’s Favorite Tapas Bars in Logroño in La Rioja, Spain
Schiller’s Favorite Wine Bars in London, 2012, UK
Schiller's Favorite Wine Bars and Other Wine Spots in Vienna, Austria
Schiller's Favorite Wine Bars in Budapest, Hungary
Schiller’s Favorite Spots to Drink Wine in Vienna, Austria (2011)
USA
Schiller's Favorite Wine Bars in Washington DC, USA (2017)
Schiller's Favorite (Seafood) Restaurants in Rehoboth, Delaware, USA
Schiller's Favorite Oyster Bars and Seafood Places in Seattle, Washington State, USA - An Update
Schiller’s Favorite Wine Bars in Seattle, USA - An Update
Schiller’s Favorite Wine Bars in Charleston, South Carolina, USA
Schiller’s Favorite Wine Bars in Austin, Texas, USA
Riesling Crawl in New York City – Or, Where to Buy German Wine in Manhattan: Schiller's Favorite Wine Stores, USA
Schiller's Favorite Oyster Bars and Seafood Places in Seattle, USA (2013)
Schiller’s Favorite Wine Bars in New York City, USA (2013)
Schiller’s Favorite Wine Bars in Seattle, USA (2013)
Schiller's Favorite Wine Bars in Washington DC, USA
Schiller’s Favorite Crab Houses in the Washington DC Region, USA
Schiller’s Favorite Wine Bars in New York City, 2012, USA
Schiller’s Favorite Wine Bars in Charleston, South Carolina, USA (2013)
Schiller’s Favorite Wine Bars in San Francisco, USA
Schiller's Favorite Wine Bars and Other Places Where You Can Have a Glass of Wine in Healdsburg, California
Asia
Schiller’s Favorite Wine Bars in Singapore
Schiller s Favorite Winebars in Beijing, 2014, China
Africa
Schiller's Favorite Restaurants in Dakar, Senegal, West Africa
Schiller's Favorite Wine Bars in Dakar, Senegal, West Africa
Schiller's Favorite Wines of Madagascar
Schiller’s 12 Favorite Restaurants of Antananarivo, the Capital of Madagascar