Markdorf: Market History and Hiking Trails

Markdorf is part of the Gehrenberg-Lake Constance holiday region and offers concrete starting points for a stay: market history, exploring the town, a weekly farmers’ market and routes with varied scenery. If you’re looking for hotels in Markdorf, these themes can help you choose the town and plan your days. You can combine a market day with exploring historic buildings or focus on the routes described here. When choosing your destination, consider whether you’d rather include the town’s history or the scenery along a trail in your trip.

Market Square and Historic Traces

Markdorf was granted market rights by 1236 at the latest; Emperor Charles IV confirmed the grant in 1354. After the great fire of 1842, Markdorf decided to preserve the market square as a larger open space for markets and other events. These two dates provide historical context for the square: the market rights date back to the town’s early history, while the decision made after the fire explains why the area was preserved for markets and events.

Remains of the medieval town wall can be found in houses on Ulrichstraße, on Stadtgrabenstraße and at the Schlossscheuer. The Chapel of the Protective Mantle in St. Nicholas Church is particularly worth seeing for its three depictions of the Madonna. A historical guided tour of Markdorf introduces the Bishop’s Castle and the Witch’s Tower, and includes puzzles and prizes. These different historical themes come together: medieval town fortifications, religious art and the buildings featured on the tour.

Farmers’ Market and Trails

The large farmers’ market on Marktstraße takes place every Thursday from 07:00 to 12:00. Check the times again before your visit, as the exact market hours may change.

The second half of the GuckinsLand circular trail runs mainly through picturesque forest, across clearings and a wooden bridge, and past another resting place. In places, it passes directly through secluded farmsteads and offers views over the countryside and towards the Alps. Alternative starting points for the GuckinsLand trail are Markdorf’s market square, the Hohreute car park, Gangenweiler and the Wirthshof in Steibensteg. If you plan to start at the Hohreute car park, check the current parking situation before setting off.

The Fürstenberg Tour runs from Markdorf via Möggenweiler, the Vogelsang hiking car park, the Gehrenberg Tower and the Schweppenen barbecue hut, before returning to Markdorf. There is a clear difference to consider when choosing between the trails: the scenery of the second half of GuckinsLand is described in detail, while the route of the Fürstenberg Tour can be understood from the listed stops.

Getting Here

Markdorf is on the Friedrichshafen–Überlingen–Basel railway line. If you plan to travel by train, check the current timetables for your intended travel date.

Within the Wider Bodenseekreis Destination

The Bodenseekreis stretches along almost the entire northern shore of Lake Constance in Baden-Württemberg and extends into the Upper Swabian hill country and, to the east, the West Allgäu hill country. It has 57.7 kilometres of Lake Constance shoreline. The landscape of the Bodenseekreis is shaped by the lake and the adjacent hills, with fruit orchards, vineyards, meadows and forests.

Cultural attractions in the Bodenseekreis include the pile dwellings of Unteruhldingen, Germany’s oldest open-air archaeological museum. The visitor route includes the ARCHAEORAMA multimedia show, which offers a virtual dive to the pile dwellings in Lake Constance. The site also features the DISCOVERY TRAIL, with a pile-dwelling cinema where experimental archaeologists introduce visitors to historical house-building techniques.

The Dornier Museum Friedrichshafen is another regional highlight: it houses almost 400 exhibits across 6,000 square metres, including 14 original aircraft and a helicopter. Alongside its landscapes, the Bodenseekreis therefore offers a range of cultural and technological history attractions.

Discover more destinations: Beuren, Owingen, Eriskirch, Frickingen, Sipplingen, Salem, Deggenhausertal, Uhldingen-Mühlhofen.

Back to the main travel overview: Lake Constance.