Discover Engen

Old Town and Local History

Engen’s historic old town invites you to stroll and linger. If you would like to learn more about the town’s development, you can find out about the guided town tours on offer. The available tours may vary. Topics include Engen’s past and present, as well as the inscription on the Romanesque portal of the Catholic town church. This allows you to combine a walk through the old town with a closer look at a specific historic detail.

The Engen Municipal Museum + Gallery is housed in the former Dominican monastery of St. Wolfgang. Its permanent exhibition covers 900 years of Engen’s history—from its beginnings to the present—and features archaeological finds from the surrounding area. Topics include the history of hunter-gatherers 15,000 years ago and the Venus of Engen. The former monastery church of St. Wolfgang is also part of the town’s architectural history; it was built in 1629.

A special focus is placed on finds from the Brudertal valley and Petersfels. Excavations yielded around 50,000 flint artefacts and 1,000 tools made of bone and antler. Two dioramas illustrate the reconstructed surroundings at Petersfels and a reindeer hunt from around 15,000 years ago. Recurring special exhibitions also explore Classical Modernism after 1900; the specific exhibition programme changes.

Ice Age Landscape and Hohenhewen

The Brudertal valley, with Petersfels on the outskirts of town, is one of Europe’s significant Ice Age archaeological sites. The Engen Ice Age Park recreates the late-glacial steppe-tundra vegetation around Petersfels. The landscape features depicted include a moor with tamarisks, cotton grass and birches. The park is open year-round with free admission, offering its own way to experience the Ice Age landscape, independently of a museum visit.

Hohenhewen defines the landscape as Engen’s local mountain. An area of 39 hectares has been designated a nature reserve since 1982. The Hewensteig is a six-kilometre premium circular trail to Hohenhewen, with two ascent options to choose from. From there, views extend across the volcanically shaped Hegau landscape to the Alps of Switzerland and Austria; visibility depends on the weather. Those interested in the mountain’s history will also find remains of a castle wall about three metres high and a tower with a viewing platform on the summit plateau.

Different Ways to Shape Your Trip

There are also various options for a more active stay: the long-distance hiking trails Querweg Freiburg-Bodensee and Schwarzwald-Jura-Bodensee-Weg pass through Engen on their way towards Lake Constance. The Hewensteig offers a clearly defined hiking option with its six-kilometre circular route. At Engen Adventure Pool, by contrast, the focus is on water: an 89-metre stainless-steel slide leads into an adventure pool with a 15-metre current channel. Two interconnected children’s pools offer water games and slides. An environmentally friendly solar heating system helps maintain comfortable water temperatures.

Families travelling with children will find a dedicated water attraction at the adventure pool; this does not, however, imply anything about the facilities or suitability of individual accommodations.

Practical Information for Your Stay

The Engen Guest Card may offer free or discounted services to overnight guests who stay for at least one night at a participating accommodation provider. Visitor information for Engen covers attractions, guided tours, restaurants and events, and is provided through a shared tourism portal with REGIO Konstanz Bodensee Hegau e.V. For dates of guided tours or events, it is advisable to check the latest information. This lets you tailor the balance of cultural visits, nature experiences and other interests to your stay.

Discover More Destinations

Allensbach, Hohenfels, Rielasingen-Worblingen, Mühlhausen-Ehingen, Öhningen, Büsingen Am Hochrhein, Eigeltingen and Hilzingen.

For the main travel overview: Konstanz.