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Travel Blooms on the Island of MainauBy Katherine Khan, Freelance Writer December 2007
Located at the juncture of Austria, Switzerland, and Germany, the Is
Over 200 years ago, the Bernadotte family carved out this piece of paradise to create intricate gardens representing styles from all over the world. Count Lennart Bernadotte renounced the Swedish throne in 1932, after his marriage to a commoner, and retired to the summer palace in Mainau until his death in 2004. His wife and daughter continue to manage the Mainau Foundation, established in 1974, which preserves the island as a park and aims to protect the historical buildings and promote environmental care.
From the moment you step onto the Island of Mainau your senses are inundated. The depth of color blanketing the gardens justifies its title of Flower Island. Upon arrival, visitors can take advantage of a guided tour or set their own pace with a detailed map. With two children in tow, ages 10 and 7, we opted to explore on our own. With over 100 acres of botanical paradise, I advise visitors to review the map and prioritize your destinations to ensure you see your favorites. The island provides such a continuous stream of picture opportunities, I quickly filled my memory cards, so ardent photographers may want to bring extra. Eventually my daughters revolted as my local models claiming, “Our cheeks hurt” from the amount of shots I took.
Our entrance to the island started with impressive topiary statues. Easily over 10 feet high, made entirely of flowers, a peacock blanketed the grass with its tail of colors. Nearby a garden gnome reclined as if resting after a hard day’s work and in the distance a flock of ducks floated on the lawn. My children w
After a brief walk through a wildflower garden, riotous with color and textures, the girls spied the wooden playground. Heading closer, they realized water flowed beneath it and children were on rafts, bridges, and slides. Not knowing about this aspect of the park we were without swimsuits or a change of clothing.
Thoughtfully, the Island of Mainau provides dryers for those wishing to dry their clothes. The European standard of modesty overlooks young children in their underwear so most were just stripped down, boys and girls, without a second’s hesitation. Our girls held on to their American standards and just rolled up their pants and got wet to their thighs.
Completely enchanted with their adventures in the water park, the girls might have chosen to spend their entire day splashing behind a raft. We finally pried them away with descriptions of the Butterfly House. Filled with various flower and honey plants, it is 500 square meters of flying butterflies.
Entering through a bamboo curtain, the 78 degree temperature and 90% humidity immediately transport you to the tropics. Display cases illustrate the life cycle but my children quickly bypassed it to follow the butterflies. After several fly-bys, my father received the first visitor when a 6 inch butterfly stopped on his shoulder which froze him into position for several minutes. My daughters, enormously envious, parked themselves on a bench until they finally greeted a few friends themselves. With over 25 kinds of butterflies flying free through the building your eyes dart constantly following the flashes of color. The tropical plants demand as much admiration as the butterflies and I often found myself marveling at flowers only to realize several butterflies rested within the petals.
I was most fascinated by the Italian flower and water staircase. Cascading down a long flight of stairs, masses of flowers frame a rippling waterfall. Radiant colors merge until the blooms and water both flow toward you. This definitely was the prime photo spot as people jockeyed for position to capture the sight. My resident models willingly climbed halfway up the staircase and quickly joined the flowing colors for their portraits.
Continuing to the gardens at the top of the staircase leads you through the magnificent arboretum. I usually use this word to mean ‘big garden’ but on the island it refers to its truer meaning, ‘the woods’. The Grand Duke Friederich I favored rare woody plants so began importing trees as early as 1853 to the island. The collection exceeds 500 different types of trees to date. Strolling through giant sequoias, cedars, redwoods, and tulip trees so tall they block out the sun, you realize the history these plants have witnessed.
Arriving at the Arena of Fountains, I couldn’t decide where to point my camera first. A circular terraced garden surrounds a fountain overlooking Lake Constance. Sailboats dot the lake with a rainbow of sails adding to the barrage of color. Planters of painted pottery add more brilliance to the landscape while flowers of radiant hues burst forth from their beds. The graceful sculpture of birds in the center of the fountain was a 70th birthday present to the late Count Bernadotte. I doubted my camera could compete with the contrasts and vividness accomplished by the gardeners, but I certainly tried.
Wanting children to experience nature in all forms, the Bernadottes provide a petting zoo, small farm, and pony track. My daughters, intimidated by hungry animals, chose to observe other children feeding the goats, lambs, and bunnies. Instead of petting the animals, my daughters chose the pony ride. Children do have to be led by a parent, though my 10 year old daughter received permission to lead her younger sister’s pony. I use the term pony loosely as it was stubborn as a mule and the trainer had to snap her riding crop to keep it going. Oddly, my daughter found that the best part of her ride.
Our children couldn’t bear to leave the outdoors but for those visitors not limited by their trave
Our trip to the Island of Mainau only scraped the surface of all its offerings. Limited by the tempo set by our children, the adults wove their way through the gardens we wanted to see en route to destinations chosen by the girls. We managed to wind our route through a vineyard, an herb garden, and a rose garden with over 500 different species. The cactus garden impressed us with its treacherous blooms before we stopped at a pond covered in lily pads. Adults and children alike lay on their stomachs watching the world beneath the water. Throughout our journey on the Island of Mainau we found respite on benches overlooking a glittering Lake Constance, at picnic tables under the majestic sequoias, and in a vine-covered arbor beside goats grazing on the hillside
Chinese Redwoods, at one time considered extinct, escorted us from the park as we exited through Redwood Alley. The girls finally consented to more pictures as an excuse to climb into these giants. With gnarled, twisted trunks providing footholds, they easily scaled into the canopies. What a wonderful way to end their day, experiencing nature, as they enjoyed a truly birds-eye view of the Island of Flowers.
**All photos by Katherine Khan
If You Go Island of Mainau Lake Constance www.mainau.de/htdocs/en/start.htm +49(0)7531-303-0
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land of Mainau nestles in Lake Constance. Easily accessible from any country, most tour books recommend coming by ferry across Lake Constance which presents a Baroque palace overlooking the boat harbor as your first introduction. Boat trips are available from nearly all lakeside towns with a stop at the island. Another option is the pedestrian bridge in Constance, a German city sharing the border with the Swiss town of Kreuzlingen. The bridge itself was a beautiful journey with graffiti-type artwork decorating the sides as we looked out over Lake Constance. Bobbing in the water an armada of swans floated in the sunlight. Never having seen more than one pair at a time, the sight mesmerized me to see so many graceful birds in one area.
ere entranced with the details accomplished with only the pattern of blooms.
l companions the Island of Mainau maintains many historical buildings. The palace church, constructed in 1739, represents true Baroque design with ornate ceiling frescoes, and rich stucco work. The palace, built in the 1700s is currently the Bernadotte’s private residence and only opens during special events. However, visitors may tour the palace greenhouses filled with orchids, palms, and fruit trees. The Gardener’s Tower, part of the original fortification, fills its three massive basements with the history of Mainau from the Middle Ages through today, including its outlook for the future.