White Fleet (Lake Constance)

Shipping routes on Lake Constance

The "Karlsruhe" in front of Meersburg with a view of the Säntis

Motor ships of the Bodensee-Schiffsbetriebe in the port of Meersburg

The white fleet of Lake Constance is colloquially the entirety of all local providers in public shipping (scheduled shipping). The expression comes from the traditional white painting of the ships. The four German, Swiss and Austrian shipping companies united in the United Shipping Companies for Lake Constance and the Rhine (VSU) currently have 33 motor ships (as of 2013) in the course and excursion program, these serve seven ports .

history

Freight transport

The use of Lake Constance as a transport route goes back to the Bronze Age. Until the end of the 19th century, it was mostly only used for the transport of freight. For this purpose cargo gliders ( Lädinen ) were used, which from 1824 on were initially replaced by steam ships (introduced by Johann Friedrich Cotta ) and goods tugs like the Möve . At the end of the 19th century, after the railroad also reached Lake Constance, rail ferries (trajectories) became very important. There were corresponding trajectories in Bregenz , Friedrichshafen , Konstanz , Lindau and Romanshorn . In the course of general motorization at the beginning of the 20th century, the first ferry connection between Konstanz and Meersburg was opened in 1928 . Today, classic freight transport no longer plays a role, only the transport of cycle tourists' bicycles is increasing continuously. There are no longer any rail ferries.

The council building at the port of Constance is an example of the once brisk trade on the lake. Until the redesign of the bank area, the building stood on the water and could be approached directly by ships.

Passenger shipping

Paddle steamer "Hohentwiel"

The time of passenger shipping began in 1824 with paddle steamers (SD). In the smooth-deck steamers without superstructures, which were primarily designed for freight traffic , the transport of passengers in a dark space in the foredeck was of secondary importance. Towards the end of the 19th century, the railroad increasingly took over freight transport and improved the accessibility of Lake Constance for tourists. Therefore, the type of comfortable (semi) saloon steamer prevailed as a combined passenger and cargo ship. This development continued with the motorization of road traffic in the 1930s. The old steam ships were rebuilt and, like the new motor ships (MS), were almost exclusively used for passenger transport.

Restrictions in and after World War II

During the Second World War, most of the ships were shut down due to a lack of fuel. After the first air raid on Friedrichshafen on June 21, 1943, the ships were painted gray for camouflage. Some ferries and steamers were used for anti-aircraft defense. The ships escaped destruction in accordance with the NS order of March 1945 after Reich Railway Director Alfred Otter managed, through secret negotiations with Switzerland, that the coal-fired steamers with the motor ships in tow could find refuge in the Swiss ports of Romanshorn and Arbon. On May 17, 1945, the ships came back to Germany. The Überlingen ship was used by the French occupying power as floating accommodation, the Baden ship as a floating casino at the Inselhotel in Konstanz. In the summer of 1945, shipping was banned on Lake Constance. It could not be resumed until October 16, 1945. The ferries Meersburg, Konstanz I and Konstanz II transported French troops. The ferry service only started again in November 1945.

Commuters, tourism, events

Passenger shipping was operated all year round until 1952. After that, the winter service was limited to the sections Constance - Friedrichshafen and Constance - Überlingen, until these were discontinued in 1960 for economic reasons. 1973 came the end for the last course connection in winter between Konstanz and Meersburg. Today, Lake Constance shipping makes a clear distinction between year-round operation of ferries and catamarans , which rely on rush-hour traffic in the winter half-year, and tourist shipping, which takes place almost only in the months of April to October. The rental or charter business for special occasions, events or celebrations such as B. Fireworks, company parties and New Year's Eve trips . The only remaining paddle wheel steamer, the Hohentwiel , which was saved from scrapping and extensively restored, also serves this purpose .

In the course of the privatization of the state railways , there was also a wave of privatization among the large shipping companies on Lake Constance, as many were owned by the state railways. After they were privatized, the sale took place, as shipping is not part of the railways' core business . Today, Lake Constance has the largest inland fleet in Europe . The fleet has an estimated 60 to 80 ships, boats, ferries of various sizes and purposes ( not counting private yachts and sailing boats ).

operator

Ships from various operators operate on the lake . In the post-war period they were mostly daughters of the respective national railways of the neighboring countries. Since about 2000 there has also been a transnational convergence in this industry.

Bodensee-Schiffsbetriebe GmbH (BSB): BSB is a new establishment as a result of the restructuring of Deutsche Bahn AG (DB), formerly Deutsche Bundesbahn . Your courses therefore appeared earlier in the national course book of the DB. The main owner is the city of Konstanz via Stadtwerke Konstanz GmbH. The operation also includes many port facilities and water areas in the lakeside communities, they have been operating under the Bodensee-Hafengesellschaft mbH (BHG) since the purchase.
SBS Schifffahrt AG : SBS and BSB jointly operate the Friedrichshafen – Romanshorn ferry line, among other things .
Schweizerische Schifffahrtsgesellschaft Untersee und Rhein (URh): Between April and October motor ships of the URh operate up the Rhine to the Lake Constance region.
Vorarlberg Lines-Bodenseeschifffahrt GmbH & Co. (VLB): The Austrian Federal Railways (ÖBB) operated shipping on Lake Constance until 2005. Since the 2006 season, the red-white-red fleet has been operated by the VLB based in Bregenz . The main route is the Bregenz – Lindau – Friedrichshafen – Meersburg– (Mainau Island) –Konstanz course and back.
Other companies: Some other companies are of local importance, e.g. B. for serving the island of Mainau or for smaller tours. This includes the Motorbootgesellschaft Bodman mbH , founded in 1897 .

Courses, lines, ships

Car ferries

Car ferry Konstanz – Meersburg

Car ferry "Fontainebleau" on the Konstanz-Meersburg line

The ferries Fontainebleau (1970), Konstanz (1975), Meersburg (1980), Kreuzlingen (1993), Tábor (2004) and Lodi (2010) run between Constance and Meersburg, every quarter of the day during the day, every half hour in the evening and every hour at night .

Friedrichshafen – Romanshorn

The "Friedrichshafen" cruises the catamaran "Fridolin"

The Friedrichshafen – Romanshorn ferry line is a joint route of the BSB and the SBS, founded in a joint agreement for car ferry operations signed in 1982 by the Deutsche Bundesbahn (DB) and the Swiss Federal Railways (SBB): Both contractual partners each committed to a ferry, the Friedrichshafen (1966 ) and the Romanshorn (1958), used for the line.

Today two ferries run regularly, namely the Romanshorn and the Euregia (1998), together every hour. With Friedrichshafen , the BSB has a replacement ferry ready. The journey time is 41 minutes and runs directly over the widest part of the lake. Due to the rail connections on both banks, the departure times are chosen so that the ferries meet at the symmetry minute just before the hour.

It usually takes at least 90 minutes to bypass 70 km. There is customs clearance in both Friedrichshafen and Romanshorn .

Passenger ships

catamaran

Catamaran "Fridolin"

The catamaran line between Konstanz and Friedrichshafen is the result of an increasing number of commuters on both sides of the lake. The idea for the project dates back to the mid-1990s, but initially after massive protests and complaints from fishermen , sailors and environmentalists could not be realized. The operating company Katamaran-Reederei Bodensee GmbH & Co. KG was founded in 1998. Stadtwerke Konstanz and Technischen Werke Friedrichshafen are each 50% shareholders of the GmbH .

However, construction of the ships did not begin until 2004, after the Administrative Court in Mannheim had given the go-ahead. Two catamarans were ordered from the Bodan shipyard in Kressbronn on Lake Constance in cooperation with the Damen Shipyards Group in the Netherlands. The cost per ship was 2.75 million euros, with the state of Baden-Württemberg assuming half of the construction costs . The two catamarans named Fridolin and Constanze have been commuting every hour since July 6, 2005. Travel time is 46 minutes in summer and 53 minutes in winter. The landing stages have been chosen so that a connection to local public transport is guaranteed. In addition, waiting houses for passengers were set up at newly installed jetties. Due to the high demand on the connection and to replace one of the two catamarans, a third catamaran named Ferdinand was commissioned in 2006 for 2.7 million euros and put into service on January 28, 2007.

The project is criticized for its lack of profitability : the catamaran has run a deficit of four million euros since 2005, which corresponds to an annual deficit of around 800,000 euros, which has to be borne by the two shareholders.

Course and excursion boats

Lake Constance ship "Munich"

The scheduled and excursion boats are an important pillar of tourism on Lake Constance. The connections from Allensbach to the island of Reichenau and from Wallhausen to Überlingen are also used by commuters. Depending on the importance and number of passengers, there are very different seasonal timetables.
The operation is very limited in the winter months and is completely stopped on some routes. According to the current of the Rhine, scheduled boats go "down" from Bregenz to Constance, the opposite west-east course goes "up" towards Bregenz. The "cross traffic" leads to the opposite bank.

Lines:

Konstanz - Bregenz : The line runs along the north bank of the Obersee and goes to the ports or landing stages Mainau , Meersburg , Hagnau , Immenstaad , Friedrichshafen , Langenargen , Kressbronn , Nonnenhorn , Wasserburg and Lindau . This line is operated by Bodensee-Schiffsbetriebe GmbH (BSB), which has the largest fleet of transport and excursion boats on Lake Constance, in cooperation with the Austrian Vorarlberg-Lines Bodenseeschifffahrt, which emerged from the ÖBB Bodenseeschifffahrt in spring 2006. In 2003 the BSB passed from the possession of the Deutsche Bahn AG to the Stadtwerke Konstanz GmbH based in Konstanz. BSB ships: Stuttgart , Baden , Swabia , Munich , Graf Zeppelin , Überlingen , Karlsruhe , Konstanz , Queen Katharina , Lindau and two other, smaller ones.
Konstanz – Überlingen: The line runs across Lake Überlingen from Konstanz via Meersburg and the island of Mainau, Unteruhldingen and Dingelsdorf, which is heavily frequented by tourists, to Überlingen. The operators are also the BSB.
Überlingen-Nußdorf-Mainau: The line connects Überlingen and the Überlingen district of Nußdorf with the island of Mainau from Easter to mid-October. The operators are the Überlinger Schiffsbetriebe (an amalgamation of three private companies).
Überlingen– Bodman : The line connects Überlingen with the Marienschlucht on the west bank, from there crosses back to the east bank to Sipplingen . From there it goes on via Ludwigshafen to Bodman. The operator is the Motorbootgesellschaft Bodman mbH .
Germany – Switzerland: A line runs from Lindau via Wasserburg to Rorschach in Switzerland , which in turn is connected to Friedrichshafen. The operators here are both the BSB and the SBS.
Switzerland: Liner operations on the Swiss side of the Obersee are operated by SBS based in Romanshorn .
Rheineck : On the south-east bank of the lake at the mouth of the Old Rhine , Altenrhein and the upstream Rheineck are approached by the SBS ships of the former Rorschach shipping company .
Bregenz: The ports in Hard and Lochau are approached from Bregenz . The operator is Vorarlberg Lines Bodenseeschifffahrt. Until 2006, Austrian shipping on Lake Constance was operated by the Austrian Federal Railways.
Kreuzlingen - Schaffhausen : This line leads over the Untersee and the Upper Rhine . Stops are Kreuzlingen, Gottlieben , Ermatingen , the island of Reichenau, Mannenbach , Berlingen , Gaienhofen , Steckborn , Hemmenhofen , Wangen , Mammern , Öhningen , Stein am Rhein , Diessenhofen , Büsingen am Hochrhein and Schaffhausen. The operator of this line is the Swiss shipping company Untersee und Rhein based in Schaffhausen. The stretch between Schaffhausen and Stein am Rhein is one of the most pristine river landscapes in Europe.
Konstanz – Radolfzell: The line across Lake Zell via Gottlieben , Ermatingen and the island of Reichenau to Radolfzell.

Stuttgart (BSB)
Munich (BSB)
Swabia (BSB)
Baden (BSB)
Graf Zeppelin (BSB)
Arenenberg (URH)
Karlsruhe (BSB)
Steamship Hohentwiel
Uhldingen (BSB)
Work ship Friedrichshafen (BSB)

Overview

With the information in the tables, it should be noted that not all intermediate stations are always approached. This can significantly reduce the journey time and route length. The table also takes into account the small shipping companies.

Year-round courses:

route	Intermediate stations	operator	Journey time	Route length	km / h	Remarks
Friedrichshafen - Romanshorn	no	BSB and SBS	0:41 h	13 km	19 km / h	Car ferry every hour
Constance - Meersburg	no	SWK	0:15 h	4.2 km	17 km / h	Car ferry every 15 minutes
Constance - Friedrichshafen	no	SWK and TWF	0: 46-0: 53 h	24 km	35 km / h	Passenger ferry, catamaran, hourly
Überlingen - Wallhausen	no	Passenger shipping Giess + Giess		2.6 km		Passenger ferry

Summer courses (all without car transport):

route	Intermediate stations	operator	Journey time	Route length	km / h	Remarks
Constance - Bregenz	(Mainau) - Meersburg - Hagnau - Immenstaad - Friedrichshafen - Langenargen - Kressbronn - Nonnenhorn - Wasserburg - Lindau	VL and BSB	3:42 h	61 km	16 km / h	March - October
Allensbach - Reichenau	no	Shipping Baumann		1.4 km
Schaffhausen - Kreuzlingen	Stein - Constance	URh	3:45 h	48 km	13 km / h	April - October
Constance - Überlingen	Meersburg - Mainau - Unteruhldingen - Dingelsdorf	BSB	2:00 h	24 km	12 km / h	March - October
Unteruhldingen - Mainau	no	BSB	0:12 h	2.7 km	13 km / h	Part of the Konstanz – Überlingen line
Ueberlingen - Bodman	Marienschlucht - Sipplingen - Ludwigshafen	CMS shipping	1:05 h	15 km	15 km / h	March - October
Überlingen - Mainau	Nussdorf	Schifffahrtsbetrieb Held	0:35 h	8.3 km		March - October
Überlingen - Constance	Unteruhldingen - Mainau	Heidegger shipping company
Überlingen - Stein am Rhein	Nussdorf - Unteruhldingen	Überlingen ship operations	2:45 h	49 km		Thursday and Sunday from May to September
Constance - Radolfzell	Gottlieben - Ermatingen - Reichenau - Iznang	BSB, URh	1:30 h	21 km	14 km / h	March - October
Constance - Bottighofen - Constance	Seestraße - Bodenseetherme - Bottighofen	Passenger shipping Wilfried Giess				Circuit
Mannenbach - Reichenau	no	Solar ferry Reichenau - Mannenbach, Tom Geiger		1.5 km		March - October, solar drive
Steckborn - Horn		Harald Lang		3.0 km		June - September, "Höri ferry"
Steckborn - Gaienhofen	no		0:06 h	1.2 km	12 km / h
Lindau - Rorschach	Bad Schachen - moated castle	BSB, SBS	1:05 h	22 km	20 km / h	May - October
Friedrichshafen - Rorschach	Langenargen - Kressbronn - Arbon - Horn	BSB, SBS	1:35	36 km	22 km / h	May - October
Rorschach - Meersburg	Horn - Arbon - Romanshorn - Uttwil - Altnau - Bottighofen - Kreuzlingen - Mainau - Unteruhldingen	SBS	3:05	51 km	16 km / h	May - October
Kreuzlingen - Bottighofen	no		0:15 h	2.6 km	10 km / h
Rorschach - Rheineck	Altenrhein	SBS	1:00	12 km	12 km / h	May - September

literature

Federal Railway Directorate Karlsruhe - Lake Constance Office - Constance Ship Operations (publisher): 150 years of shipping on Lake Constance and the Rhine 1824–1974 , Konstanz no year.

Werner Deppert: With a steam engine and a paddle wheel - Steam navigation on Lake Constance 1817–1967. Friedr. Stadler, Konstanz 1975, ISBN 3-7977-0015-6 .

Werner Deppert: The white fleet - interesting facts about shipping on Lake Constance. Friedr. Stadler, Konstanz 1977, ISBN 3-7977-0018-0 .

Karl F. Fritz: From the paddle steamer to the white fleet; History of Lake Constance Shipping. (Illustrated book, 1824–2013). Sutton Verlag, approx. 2013, ISBN 978-3-95400-170-5 .

Emil Krumholz: The history of the steamship operation on Lake Constance. In the commission publishing house of the Wagner University bookstore, Innsbruck, 1906.

Friedrich Pernwerth von Bärnstein: Steam navigation on Lake Constance and its historical development during its first main period (1824–1847) . Deichert, Leipzig 1905. ( digitized version )

Friedrich Pernwerth von Bärnstein: Steam navigation on Lake Constance and its historical development in cooperation with the railways during its second main period (1847–1900) . Deichert, Leipzig 1906 ( digitized version )

Arnulf Dieth: "The Austrian Shipping on Lake Constance". Hecht-Verlag, Hard, 1984

Movies

Insights into Lake Constance shipping. Germany 2015. Shown in SWR / SR on April 10, 2015 from 9:00 p.m. to 9:45 p.m.

Web links

Commons : Bodenseeschiffe - Collection of pictures, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

↑ List of ships in the "Ship timetable Bodensee and Rhine 2013", page 3

↑ Full steam ahead. In: Konstanzer Anzeiger, August 7, 2013, p. 2.

↑ Kirsten Schlueter : On a hamster tour with the Red Arnold. In: Südkurier of August 28, 2015, p. 19.

↑ Anna-Maria Schneider: Life in the fairway of the white fleet. In: Südkurier of August 9, 2014, p. 22.

[1] List of ships in the "Ship timetable Bodensee and Rhine 2013", page 3

[2] Full steam ahead. In: Konstanzer Anzeiger, August 7, 2013, p. 2.