Meersburg — The Lost Verses of Annette

Your journey in Meersburg, a candidate city for UNESCO Heritage, begins at Hafen Meersburg, the historic 14th-century port. This stone quay, adapted for maritime traffic since the Middle Ages, was the departure point for Meersburg wine exported to Switzerland as early as 1300. It is here, following in the footsteps of merchants and travelers, that you will find the first enigma leading to the manuscript. Lake Constance, a mirror of the skies, is said to have inspired Annette von Droste-Hülshoff with verses on contemplation and travel, which she entrusted to a local sailor.

Leaving the port, the road to the upper town leads you to the Unterstadttor, a fortified gate built around 1350. This main entrance, 8 m high, still retains its partially preserved original portcullis. Restored in 1752 after damage from the War of the Austrian Succession, it represents a symbol of resilience. The poetess, Annette von Droste-Hülshoff, is believed to have passed through this gate many times during her stays in Meersburg, seeking inspiration for her 'Lieder von einer im Moor', poems that capture the essence of the Baden-Württemberg landscape.

Your journey continues through the Weinberge Meersburg, these steep vineyard terraces classified since the High Middle Ages, around 800. With a maximum slope of 60% and an altitude of 100-250 m, these vineyards produce Müller-Thurgau and Pinot Noir, perpetuating a tradition that saw the founding of Germany's oldest wine cooperative in 1896. It is in this landscape shaped by centuries of work that you will discover clues related to nature and the land, themes dear to Annette von Droste-Hülshoff, who wrote: "I am a child of the mountains and do not know how I should live without them."

The exploration of Meersburg's heritage then takes you to Burg Meersburg, Germany's oldest inhabited castle. Residence of the Counts of Montfort from 1031, with its 30 m high main tower dating from the 12th century, this historic monument became property of the State of Baden-Württemberg in 1877 and a museum in 1921. It was within these walls that Count Otto I of Montfort lived. Annette von Droste-Hülshoff stayed here, and it is said that she hid verses in one of the 44 rooms of the Neues Schloss Meersburg, built between 1702 and 1710 by the Bishops of Constance as a princely residence. This castle, acquired by the city in 1802, contrasts with the Fürstenhäusle, a 16th-century (1527) princely house and summer residence of the bishops, whose half-timbered facade with a Renaissance oriel was restored in 1956. The former private chapel of the Fürstenhäusle is now an Annette von Droste-Hülshoff literary museum, a key location in your quest.

Your quest for the "Lost Verses of Annette" in Meersburg concludes at the Neues Schloss Meersburg, a building housing 44 furnished rooms with rococo frescoes over 3,500 m². Having served as a residence for prince-bishops like Hugo von Fürstenberg, it represents the architectural grandeur of the 18th century. The spirit of Annette von Droste-Hülshoff hovers over this site. By exploring the rooms and connecting the clues found at the Hafen, Unterstadttor, in the vineyards, at the Burg, and the Fürstenhäusle, you will reconstruct the poetess's thought process. This interactive visit to Meersburg, one of Germany's most beautiful villages, will leave you not only with the rediscovered manuscript but also a deep understanding of its history and cultural influence, a true thematic circuit on the Baden-Württemberg Wine Route.