Garten St. Franziskus

Garten St. Franziskus sits in the old town of Überlingen, right beside the care home of the same name. At about 0.1 hectares, it is the eleventh largest park in the city. The design turns it into a quiet oasis: benches in the greenery look out on the Münster, the city's main church. Access is barrier-free, so visitors with limited mobility can use it too.

The layout follows the model of old monastery gardens. Two old linden trees give shade, and a ring of globe maples surrounds the choir area of the former Franciscan church. Geometric boxwood hedges and perennial beds are typical features of that monastic tradition. A flower bed by the local beautification association catches your eye at the entrance. In May daisies cover the lawns, and in June the lindens fill the air with scent. The garden is one stop on the garden culture path, a route that links several green spaces and gardens. The Menzinger Gardens, the Rosenobel Gardens, the Museum Garden and the Stadtgarten are among its other stops.

From here, the route runs towards the museum and past a building that looks like half a house. It also leads through the Zitronengässle, the narrowest alley in town. That name dates to the eighteenth century, when the Vanotti merchant family stored lemons in a cellar at the eastern end.