Lake Constance

At the northern foot of the Alps, Lake Constance lies in a basin carved by the Rhine Glacier. The Alpine Rhine enters at its southeastern end, and the river continues west through the Upper and Lower Lakes. The peninsula of Bodanrück separates the two stretches of water; Reichenau lies in the Lower Lake, while Lindau and Mainau are islands in the Upper Lake. The lake's German name, Bodensee, comes from Bodman, once the site of a Frankish royal palace at the western end of the lake.