Many years ago, a monastery stood on the Dominican Island next to Constance (Konstanz). Today the old walls accommodate a hotel, where guests enjoy the former cloister with wall paintings by Carl von Haeberlin.
Dominican Island in Constance
Probably most visitors to Constance will miss the Dominican Island (Dominikanerinsel). This tiny island lies only a few metres away from the shore of Lake Constance (Bodensee). For people on the boats it looks like the shore itself. Promenader on the mainland will bet the small water stripe before the island is just a moat.
Dominican Monastery in Constance
The name of the island origins from a Dominican Monastery dating back to the 13th century. During the Council of Constance the reformer Jan Hus was imprisoned in a tower of this monastery.
The Hus Museum and the Stone of Hus in the city of Constance commemorate his tragic death. Another historical place worth a look is the Council Building (Konzilgebäude), where the Council of Constance took place.
Deluxe Hotel on the Dominican Island
In 1785 the monastery closed its doors by command of Emperor Joseph II. For several years the old walls housed a textile mill and a bank. Even a later famous person was born here: Ferdinand Zeppelin, the inventor of the Zeppelin rigid airship.
1875 opened a hotel in the former buildings of the monastery. In the following years, German painter Carl von Häberlin adorned the cloister with wall paintings. Since then, the motifs of these paintings tell hotel guests about the history of the Dominican Island.
Sources / More info
- Link Description of the Dominican Island on Wikipedia