Uhldingen-Mühlhofen

The town consists of the three villages Unteruhldingen, Oberuhldingen und Mühlhofen. Further, the hamlets of Seefelden, Maurach, Obermaurach, Gebhardsweiler and Hallendorf are included in the area of the commune.

Seefelden, Maurach and the cathedral of Birnau around 1809

Aerial view from Uhldingen-Mühlhofen with Lake Constance and the island Mainau in the background

Archeological finds show that the shore of Lake Constance near Unteruhldingen was already inhabited during the Neolithic and Bronze ages. During the time of the Roman Empire there may have been a port, as the discovery of coins from the 1st century AD suggests. Oberuhldingen is situated at a Roman road from Meersburg to the valley of Salem (Baden) where remains of a Roman estate have been found.

The parish of Seefelden was possibly founded already in the 7th century and, along with Bermatingen, Aufkirch und Reichenau Monastery, is one of the first churches of the northern Lake Constance area. Thus it may have been witness to the first Christian conversions through the Frankish Empire. (Official documents mention it for the first time in 1165.) It was subject to the Bishop of Constance.

The name Uhldingen was mentioned for the first time in documents from 1058 as Oweltinga/Ouweltingen; later the names Uoldingen and Ueldingen were used. The town carries the name of the eldest Owalt from Alemannic times. Mühlhofen was first mentioned in 1165 as Mulnhoven.

For the year 1175 a document by Frederick Barbarossa states the existence of ship traffic between Unteruhldingen and Konstanz.

In the 12th century Salem Abbey began targeted property purchases in Uhldingen and the surrounding area. Presumably in Seefelden a monastery was founded in 1227, which belonged to Salem. A few years later it was moved to Baindt.

In 1348 the plague devastated the area.

At the hill of Zihlbühl, in the Knappenhöhle cave, medieval efforts to dig for gold were only scarcely successful.

On the lower Lichtenberg there was a castle which was destroyed in 1499 during the Swabian War. It was the residence of the lord of Oberrieden.

Salem area around 1765.

From 1264 the villages Oberuhldingen, Mühlhofen and Seefelden belonged to the territory of Salem Abbey. Unteruhldingen was on the neighbouring territory of the county of Heiligenberg, which became part of the Principality of Fürstenberg in 1516.

The port villages of Maurach and Unteruhldingen were hubs for goods from the Salem valley and for salt, which were imported by Salem from their own salt mines. A sunk salt ship still lies on the bottom of the lake in front of modern Unteruhldingen harbour. The Bishop of Constance also owned land here. From 1733 Uhldingen harbour was the main port of the county of Heiligenberg.

After secularization in 1803/1804, the villages of Oberuhldingen, Unteruhldingen and Mühlhofen were given to the Margraviate of Baden and became independent towns.

From 1939 until the county reform of 1973 they belonged to the county of Überlingen. Since then they are part of the Bodenseekreis. On 1 January 1972 Unteruhldingen, Oberuhldingen and Mühlhofen were united into the commune of Uhldingen-Mühlhofen.

Uhldingen-Mühlhofen, the city of Meersburg and the communes of Daisendorf, Hagnau and Stetten are joined in an administrative association.

Around 12 km² of the commune's territory are still used agriculturally dominated by orchards and vineyards. A part of the working population commutes into the nearby cities like Überlingen and Friedrichshafen. In the town itself people work predominantly in middle class professions. There has been a continuing trend from a producing to the service sector. In particular, tourism plays an important role.

Train station

• Überlingen und der Linzgau am Bodensee. Stuttgart: Theiss 1972. ISBN 3-8062-0102-1

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Uhldingen-Mühlhofen.

Wikivoyage has a travel guide for Uhldingen-Mühlhofen.

• Official website (in German)
• Pfahlbauten open-air museum