ARBON - LAKE CONSTANCE
Castle and Old Cars on the Bodensee Shore
Situated on
a small spur of land jutting from the southern shore of Lake Constance,
Arbon is one of the small cities along the rail and road
route along the Swiss shore of the lake, between Rorschach and Romanshorn,
known for its lively waterfront with bicycle and skate paths, swimming
pool, canoeing school and boat rentals. Arbon had one of the first public
bathing beaches in Switzerland on its sandy shore, commemorated by a
fountain of playing water nymphs. The Lake Constance (Bodensee) ferries
from Lindau or Friedrichshafen dock a rail stop away in Romanshorn or
Rhorschach.
Surrounded
by meadows, fields and forest on the landward side against the lapping
waters reflecting distant mountain, Arbon was one of the first settlements
on the lake which divides Switzerland from Germany’s Black Forest
and Swabian Alp region. The remains of Neolithic dwellings have been
found in the area and the town is on the site of a Roman village. The
Irish monk Gallus whose monastery became the city of St Gallen, now
famous for its World Heritage Baroque Library (see St
Gallen Abbey Library),
first set foot on the Lake Constance shore at Arbon where the Gallus
Chapel is marked by a stone in the wall of the old Roman Fort. The fort
foundations can be seen next to the Rotes Kreuz Hotel between the old
town and the harbor (Arbon Hafen). A quiet little village in medieval
times, Arbon had a growth spurt in 1692 during the Palatine War of Succession
(see Heidelberg
Castle) when linen traders from Swabia headed across
the border to take advantage of Switzerland's open trade with France.
Arbon’s
old town features several beautifully restored old buildings from this
era
making for a pretty little town to explore.
Arbon’s
most distinctive features for visiting tourists are its castle and antique
auto museum.
Arbon Castle Museum
The
original medieval castle on the site of the Roman fortification was
torn down by Hugo
von Landenberg, the Lord Bishop of Constance in
1505 and rebuilt in the form it is today, completed in 1515. Until 1798
it was the residence of the Bishop’s Governor until the French
Revolution ended the Bishop’s hold. From 1822 until 1908 the castle
was used as a silk weaving factory. In 1911 the castle was bought by
local machine and vehicle manufacturer Adolph Saurer, then acquired by
the city after the end of the Second World War. The Arbon Castle (Schloss
Arbon) now
houses
the city’s historic museum with artifacts from Roman times to Arbon’s
industrial age and features a great stone tower to climb. The Castle
Museum is open from 2 pm to 5 pm from May to September. Admission is
4 CHF for
adults 2 CHF for students.
Saurer Oldtimer Museum
Adolph
Saurer built his fortune by supplying the machines and looms which
powered the region’s
textile mills (see St
Gallen Textile Museum) and then manufacturing
trucks. The Sauer Oldtimer Museum in Arbon,
houses a collection of the antique vehicles and textile machines built
by Saurer from 1911 up until the 1950s. The museum, formerly located
in a dowdy old garage, re-opens in a brand new museum building
on
the 1st of May, 2010 with a ceremonial parade of the old trucks and cars
through the center of town and a classic car show. The new Sauer Oldtimer
Museum
is located near the Wunderbar Hotel at the shoreline park a short walk
from the castle and old town. The new Saurer Museum will be open
daily from 9 am to 6 pm. Tickets are purchased at the hotel desk. Admission
is 6 CHF for adults, children under 16 are free.
Arbon
also has a beer museum at the Frohsinn Brewery, a restaurant located
in the former
Feilen Stachen Mill. For rail enthusiasts the station at
Arbon (across from the Hotel Metropol) still has the old manual track
switches on display and there's a Marklin model train store around
the corner
from
the
tourist
office.
The Lake Constance Experience Card (Bodensee-Erlebniskarte) is available
for the region’s tourism offices, allowing admission to 170 attractions
and transport on the rail system throughout Thurgau and the boats of
Lake Constance (see Lake
Constance Cruises). © Bargain
Travel Europe
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Saurer
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SEE
ALSO:
SCHLOSS ARENENBERG - NAPOLEON MUSEUM
THE EINSTEIN HOTEL – ST GALLEN
FLIGHT MUSEUM ALTENRHEIN-ST GALLEN AIRPORT
