MAINAU, Germany -- This unlikely 17-acre island paradise is popular
with visitors to nearby Constance, a medieval city in southern
Germany.
Only about four miles from town in Lake Constance and connected
to the mainland by a bridge, Mainau is a tropical oasis of
fruit-bearing banana, orange and lemon trees, countless varieties
of flowers and manicured grounds and gardens.
Here in a park originally designed in the 19th century by the
Grand Duke Friedrich I of Baden, a self-styled botanist, 1.7
million visitors annually stroll amid 6,000 types of orchids, 800
varieties of hyacinths, 300 kinds of rhododendrons, 300,000
sunflowers, 30,000 rose bushes and 20,000 dahlias. The seasons, of
course, dictate the display, with mid-March through May the best
time to view Mainau's Grand Orchid presentation, for example, and
dahlias the prime attraction in autumn.
Of interest year-round is the largest butterfly house in
Germany. Dedicated in 1996, this protected and enclosed environment
of streams and tropical plants is home to more than 1,000
multicolored beauties, several of which think nothing of fluttering
about the heads of guests before touching down for a visit.
Families with children will enjoy the island's Kinderland, with
its remarkable topiary and an animal enclosure.
Four restaurants, including the main venue adjacent to the
castle and a terraced cafe on the lake, cater to a range of tastes
and budgets.
Mainau, which is known as the "blooming island " and is the
setting for an annual meeting of Nobel Prize winners, originally
was the site of an eighth century abbey.
The island was donated to the Teutonic Order of Knights, during
whose 500-year rule the Baroque castle that serves today as the
residence of Count Lennart Bernadotte and his family was built.
Count Bernadotte is the grandson of the Grand Duke of Baden, who
bought Mainau in 1853. The count's wife, Countess Sonja, is the
managing director of the foundation that oversees the island's
management.
Bus transportation is available from the mainland daily during
spring and summer and on weekends and holidays during fall and
winter.
For more information:
Phone: (011) 075-31 303-0