Glacier Rock

This original, alpine glacial rock, is dedicated to the poet Gustav Schwab. He is known for his poem “Reiter vom Bodensee” (The Rider from Lake Constance). It tells the story of a rider in winter, who crosses the frozen over Lake Constance one night without realising that it is the lake, and the next day dies from shock from a heart attack, when he learns of what he did.

The story doesn’t seem as strange once you know that the whole of Lake Constance freezing over has happened before. The last time it happened was in 1963. Schwab was also responsible for writing the first guidebook about Lake Constance. In his guidebook, he depicts the picturesque landscape that you see as you arrive in Friedrichshafen on the train as being like nothing you have seen before. His work is testament to the importance of tourism to Friedrichshafen in those days.

The abundant nature in the city created a special atmosphere in Friedrichshafen. King William I was particularly fond of beautiful gardens. He has several giant sequoia trees, originating from California, planted in the botanical garden, Wilhelma, in Stuttgart. After a few months, the seedlings were transported to Friedrichshafen and planted. These giant trees can live to up to 3,000 years old.

The trees in Friedrichshafen failed to reach the great height of the towers of the palace church, but with just 200 years they easily exceeded the height of the viewing tower at the harbour. Many trees can be admired in the grounds of the promenade and the palace grounds. Eight of these trees have been placed under protection since 1997. It is a miracle that the trees survived bomb attacks undamaged.

When the war was over, only individual house walls remained standing; everything else was just rubble. People were suffering greatly. They were freezing and starving to death. Different parishes in Switzerland therefore decided to start a heart-warming initiative. They invited German children and gave them clothes, shoes and sweets. Many of the children became friends and continued to visit each other at least once a year for years after.