ISCOME 2016 Workgroup Location
The Venue
The Workgroup meeting will be held at the Lilienberg Conference Center in northern Switzerland. The nearest airport is in Zurich (Zurich Flughafen) , 54 km away.
Surrounding area: Canton Thurgau, municipality of Ermatingen
Lilienberg Conference Center is located in the municipality of Ermatingen. The municipality is located on the Untersee section of lake Constance, across from Reichenau Island in Germany. It consists of the villages of Ermatingen and Triboltingen, both of which are on the Inventory of Swiss Heritage Sites.
Nearby attractions
Lake Constance
is the largest lake in Germany with a surface area of 536 km² and a volume of 48,5 billion m³ of water. At its longest, the lake measures 63 km and at its broadest it measures 14 km between Langenargen (D) and Rorschach (CH). The deepest part of the lake is 254 m between Friedrichshafen (D) and Uttwil (CH).
- German shoreline 173 km
- Swiss shoreline 72 km
- Austrian shoreline 28 km
For more information, see: http://www.konstanz-magazin.de/Englisch/lakeconstance.php
City of Konstanz
Konstanz is situated on Lake Constance (the Bodensee in German). With a population of around 82,000, the historical town of Constance is the largest town on Lake Constance.
Today, it is a lively university town offering a wide range of leisure activities for visitors of all ages. The town's unique location on the shores of Lake Constance and the River Rhine, and its proximity to Switzerland, Austria and Liechtenstein, make Constance an ideal holiday destination and touring base for excursions in the surrounding region.
The Rhine river, which starts in the Swiss Alps, passes through Lake Constance and leaves it, considerably larger, by flowing under a bridge connecting the two parts of the city. North of the river lies the larger part of the city with residential areas, industrial estates, and the University of Konstanz; while south of the river is the old town, which houses the administrative centre and shopping facilities. At the old town's southern border lies the Swiss town of Kreuzlingen.
Konstanz is home to one or more prehistoric pile-dwelling (or stilt house) settlements that are part of the Prehistoric Pile dwellings around the Alps UNESCO World Heritage Site. It was also the birthplace of Count Ferdinand von Zeppelin, constructor of the famous Zeppelin airships.
For more information, see: http://www.konstanz-magazin.de/Englisch/constance.php
Mainau Island
Mainau is an island on Lake Constance. It is maintained as a garden island and a model of excellent environmental practices. Mainau is a "flowering island" notable for its parks and gardens. Frederick I, Grand Duke of Baden, created the island's arboretum, which now contains 500 species of deciduous and coniferous trees, many exotic and valuable, including fine specimens of Sequoiadendron giganteum (1864) and Metasequoia glyptostroboides (1952). The island also contains about 200 rhododendron and azalea varieties.
It is one of the main tourist attractions of Lake Constance. Beside flowers, there is a park landscape with views on the lake. There is also a greenhouse with tropical climate and thousands of butterflies.
For more information, see: http://www.mainau.de/opening-hours-prices.html
Reichnau Island
Reichenau Island is an island in Lake Constance in southern Germany. It lies between Gnadensee and Untersee, two parts of Lake Constance. The island is connected to the mainland by a causeway that was completed in 1838.
It was declared a World Heritage Site in 2000 because of its monastery, the Abbey of Reichenau. The abbey's Münster is dedicated to the Virgin and Saint Mark. Two further churches were built on the island consecrated to St Georg, and to Saints Peter and Paul. The famous artworks of Reichenau include the Ottonian murals of miracles of Christ in St Georg, unique survivals from the 10th century. The abbey's bailiff was housed in a two-floor stone building that was raised by two more floors of timber framing in the 14th century, one of the oldest timber-frame buildings in south Germany.
Today the island is also famous for its vegetable farms. The Wollmatinger Ried next to the island is a big nature preserve, a wetland area of reeds that is used by many birds for the stopover during their annual migration.
UNESCO heritage site for Reichenau: http://whc.unesco.org/en/list/974
Ittingen
Ittingen Charterhouse (Kartause Ittingen) is a former Carthusian monastery near Warth, Canton Thurgau, Switzerland. The buildings now accommodate the art museum of Canton Thurgau, the Ittinger Museum and Tecum, an Evangelical meeting and education centre.
For more information, see: http://www.myswitzerland.com/en-ch/ittingen-charterhouse.html
Stein am Rhein
Stein am Rhein is a municipality in the canton of Schaffhausen in Switzerland.
The town has a well-preserved medieval centre, retaining the ancient street plan. The site of the city wall, and the city gates are preserved, though the former city wall now consists of houses. The medieval part of the town has been pedestrianised and many of the medieval buildings are painted with beautiful frescoes.
Stein am Rhein received the first Wakker Prize for the preservation of its architectural heritage in 1972. The award noted that Stein am Rhein was nearly unique in Switzerland and rare in all of Europe for the number of notable buildings in a compact space. It also noted the excellent care with which the city was preserved.
Picture gallery: http://www.badische-seiten.de/bilder/stein-am-rhein/
Mount Santis
Säntis is the highest mountain in the Alpstein massif of northeastern Switzerland. It is also the culminating point of the whole Appenzell Alps, between Lake Walenstadt and Lake Constance.The mountain is a highly visible landmark thanks to its exposed northerly position within the Alpstein massif. As a consequence, houses called Säntisblick (English: Säntis view) can be found in regions as far away as the Black Forest in Germany. Säntis is among the most prominent summits in the Alps and the most prominent summit in Europe with an observation deck on the top. The panorama from the summit is spectacular. Six countries can be seen if the weather allows: Switzerland, Germany, Austria, Liechtenstein, France, and Italy.
The mountain is also the location of the Swiss Cheese Factory (Schaukaserei Schwagalp).
For more information, see: http://www.about.ch/cantons/appenzell-innerrhoden/saentis/index.html