Konstanz

Konstanz (pronounced [ˈkɔnstants], locally [ˈkɔnʃtants]; English: Constance, Latin: Constantia) is a university city with approximately 80,000 inhabitants located at the western end of Lake Constance in the south-west corner of Germany, bordering Switzerland. The city houses the University of Konstanz and was for more than 1200 years residence of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Konstanz.

Location

Konstanz is situated on Lake Constance (the Bodensee in German). 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 in addition to the Hochschule or the University of Applied Sciences. Car ferries provide access across Lake Constance to Meersburg, and the Katamaran provides a shuttle service for pedestrians to Friedrichshafen. At the old town's southern border lies the Swiss town of Kreuzlingen.

Constance (novel)

Constance, published in 1982 and sub-titled Solitary Practices, is the central volume of the five novels of Lawrence Durrell's The Avignon Quintet. Although the first chapter continues in Avignon, where the previous novel, Livia, left off, and details Constance's blossoming relationship with Sam, the clouds of war are looming and with it the breakup of the group whose last summer together there was depicted in Livia. Blandford takes up a post in Egypt, kindly offered to him by the Prince. However during a visit from Sam, now a soldier, a picnic trip ends in disaster as the party comes under friendly fire, leading to the death of Sam and the crippling of Blandford. Constance, meanwhile, has moved to Geneva, where she has met Sutcliffe and Toby (despite the fact that they are theoretically fictional creations from one of Blandford's novels), and it is there she hears the news of the accident. Eventually Constance decides to return to Nazi-occupied Provence and the big house of Tu Duc, where eventually Livia puts in a final appearance, disfigured by the loss of an eye (the reasons for which are only clarified in "Quinx"), before committing suicide. Constance returns to Geneva, where she embarks on a passionate affair with the Prince's aide Affad (Sebastian).

Konstanz (district)

Konstanz (or Constance) is a district (Kreis) in the south of Baden-Württemberg on the German-Swiss border, situated along the shores of Lake Constance. Neighboring districts are (from west clockwise) Schwarzwald-Baar, Tuttlingen, Sigmaringen and Bodenseekreis. To the south it borders the Swiss cantons Thurgau and Schaffhausen. The municipality of Büsingen is an exclave located inside Schaffhausen.

History

The district dates back to the Bezirksamt Konstanz, which was created in 1806 when the area became part of Württemberg (since 1810 Baden). After some changes in its outline it was changed into the district in 1936, including part of the dissolved Bezirksamt Engen. 1939 the city Constance became district-free, but was reintegrated into the district in 1953. 1973 it was merged with the neighboring district Stockach and some municipalities from the districts Sigmaringen and Donaueschingen.

Geography

The district is located at the north-western shore of Lake Constance, in a landscape called Hegau. The world heritage island Reichenau with its old monastery as well as the flower island Mainau are part of the district. Also located in the district is the Aachtopf near the city Aach, the biggest spring in Germany by water volume. The spring actually contains water from the Danube which moves through karst caves underneath the European watershed.