Bodensee

Bodensee (also Lake of Constance), lake of central Europe, in the Alps, bordered by Switzerland, Germany, and Austria, 396 m (1,299 ft) above sea level. After Lake Geneva it is the largest of the Alpine lakes, having a maximum length of about 74 km (about 46 mi) and a maximum breadth of about 16 km (about 10 mi). The area of the lake is 540 sq km (210 sq mi), and the greatest depth, 252 m (827 ft). Bodensee extends northwest and southeast. At the northwestern end it is divided by a peninsula into two forks north of the city of Konstanz, Germany. The northern fork is called the Überlinger See and the southern fork is the Untersee. The main body of the lake is known as the Obersee. The lake is on the course of the Rhine River, which enters from the south and then emerges from the Untersee in a westerly direction. A number of minor streams discharge into the lake, nearly all of them on the northeastern side. The water of the lake is subject to sudden rises of up to 3.7 m (12 ft), partly because of the melting of the Alpine snows. The waters are clear, and the lake is rich in fish. The chief towns bordering the lake are Konstanz and Friedrichshafen, Germany; Rorschach, Switzerland; and Bregenz, Austria.

In prehistoric times the shallow areas of Bodensee were the site of an extensive community of lake dwellers. Studies of the remains of the ancient lake dwellings have established Bodensee as one of the most important sources of knowledge of this period of human history.