Heiligenberg is a municipality and a village in the

Bodensee Lake Constance (german: Bodensee, ) 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 ...

district in

Baden-Württemberg Baden-Württemberg (; ), commonly shortened to BW or BaWü, is a German state () in Southwest Germany, east of the Rhine, which forms the southern part of Germany's western border with France. With more than 11.07 million inhabitants across a ...

, about seven kilometres north of Salem, in

Germany Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwe ...

Location and climate

Heiligenberg (literally: the Holy Mountain or the Mountain of Saints) is located in the upper Linzgau region. Because of its location, Heiligenberg offers visitors an exceptional panoramic view of

Lake Constance Lake Constance (german: Bodensee, ) refers to three Body of water, 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, ca ...

and the

Alps The Alps () ; german: Alpen ; it, Alpi ; rm, Alps ; sl, Alpe . are the highest and most extensive mountain range system that lies entirely in Europe, stretching approximately across seven Alpine countries (from west to east): France, Sw ...

, and is therefore also known as "the viewing terrace of the Lake," due to the altitude of the town, which is between 700 and 800 meters above sea level. In the summer there is, in contrast to the lake area, less sultry days and in winter the snow is much heavier, which is why in Heiligenberg and the surrounding area winter sports are popular. The geographic features and climate of the area make Heiligenberg a nationally recognized health resort.

History

Parts of the town area show traces of settlement from the

Stone Age The Stone Age was a broad prehistoric period during which stone was widely used to make tools with an edge, a point, or a percussion surface. The period lasted for roughly 3.4 million years, and ended between 4,000 BC and 2,000 BC, with t ...

Christianity Christianity is an Abrahamic monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth. It is the world's largest and most widespread religion with roughly 2.38 billion followers representing one-third of the global pop ...

arrived at the village around AD 600 through the

Irish Irish may refer to: Common meanings * Someone or something of, from, or related to: ** Ireland, an island situated off the north-western coast of continental Europe ***Éire, Irish language name for the isle ** Northern Ireland, a constituent unit ...

disciple

Saint Gall Gall ( la, Gallus; 550 646) according to hagiographic tradition was a disciple and one of the traditional twelve companions of Columbanus on his mission from Ireland to the continent. Deicolus was the elder brother of Gall. Biography The ...

. It is unclear whether the name Heiligenberg comes from this period, or in pre-Christian times as a local place of worship. 1083 was the year Heiligenberg (as ') was first mentioned. In the 13th century a local

Count Count (feminine: countess) is a historical title of nobility in certain European countries, varying in relative status, generally of middling rank in the hierarchy of nobility. Pine, L. G. ''Titles: How the King Became His Majesty''. New York: ...

built a castle. By 1535 the castle was in the possession of the Princely House of Fürstenberg and became a magnificent chateau. It is still in possession of this noble family today.

References

External links

* Bodenseekreis {{Bodensee-geo-stub