Re-Assessment of the prehistoric Lake Shore Sites at Überlingersee, Lake Constance

Spring 2019 – City of Constance, Baden-Württemberg – Southern Germany - Landesamt für Denkmalpflege Baden Württemberg, Dienststelle Hemmenhofen / 9.9.2019 - Martin Mainberger

Keywords: Überlingersee – Lake Constance – Neolithic – Bronze Age - lake shore settlements – pile dwellings –– UNESCO world heritage

2002 – 2004 the Landesamt für Denkmalpflege, Dienststelle Hemmenhofen, carried out an assessment of the underwater cultural heritage in the shallow water zones of Überlinger See, a fjord-like section of Western Lake Constance. The underwater archaeological investigation yielded a variety of new discoveries and a wide range of conservation conditions. In the meantime one of the respective sites has been enlisted into the UNESCO Serial World Heritage “Pile dwelling around the alps” .

Aim of the 2019 re-assessment was the control of the sites and of the measures that have been undertaken to provide them with long-term protection. 14 sites were monitored. While some sites seem to be more or less unchanged in relation to the 2004 conditions, other places suffer from erosion due to boat traffic, storms, and frost. At several sites new sets of erosion markers were installed.