Werd - The monastery island on the river Rhine

Stein am Rhein is one of our favorite places in Switzerland and we come here at least once a month. There is a charming promenade, many cafes and restaurants, vineyards, castle on top of the hill and crystal clear water of the river Rhine - perfect place for a day trip.

We have noticed an island formation close to Stein am Rhein long time ago but we have never managed to go there. We have only admired it from the bridge over the river Rhine.

Last weekend, when we were standing on the bridge we thought that it would be nice to walk there and explore the island. We still had some time before we had to go back home and decided that we will walk in that direction for 30 minutes and if we don't get there by then we will turn around and walk back.

Luckily, it was much closer than we thought and we managed to visit the island this time.

The monastery island Wert belongs to the municipality of Eschenz. This is something what I have learned recently as I thought that it was part of Stein am Rhein. The other smaller islands do belong to Stein am Rhein though.

Archaeological research showed that the island was inhabited already in 5000 BC by pile dwellers. The settlement was excavated in 1932.

It is connected with Eschenz by a 125 meters long wooden bridge.

Geographically, this island doesn't lie on the river Rhine but in the lake Constance as the border between the river and the lake is the Rhine bridge in Stein am Rhein. But to me it is still the river as the lake Constance is further away.

On the way to the island we enjoyed the views of the canton Thurgau. The weather was ideal as it wasn't too sunny or hot - actually it was mostly cloudy.

There are many swans on the river and we came across several swan families with babies. It was nice until they became very curious and started swimming in our direction.

The castle above Stein am Rhein is called Hohenklingeln. You can visit it free of charge and there is a great restaurant with amazing views of the region - worth a visit.

The bridge in the back will lead us to the island...

These swans were so fast! We were running away when they got too close!

It was later in the afternoon and there were not many people around. It was nice as at some places it was just us. Here, we were approaching Eschenz and it took us about 5 more minutes to walk to the bridge.

These place made me feel so good. The view were fairy-tale like.

And here is the bridge to the island!

There are gaps (1-3 cm) between each wooden piece, so you can see the river underneath your feet which made me feel funny. But it looked sturdy and I survived!

On the other side of the bridge is a monastery which is actively operating with a few Franciscan brothers who lease the island from the Benedictines. There is a small chapel, the house of brothers and an extensive garden.

It's a place of rest and devotion and there are certain rules to be followed on the island, such as speaking quietly, not running and not laying or sitting on the grass.

Let's go to the other side of the bridge!

I could enjoy this view all day...

And the view of the other side - the lake Constance is in this direction.

Getting there...

The house is attached to the chapel that dates back to the 10th century. It was erected in the memory of Saint Othmar, the first abbot of the Abbey of St. Gallen, who was sent into exile to Werd and died here in 759.

The chapel was built on the former grave of Saint Othmar. Why former? It's because his remains were moved to St. Gallen 10 years after his death.

Here is the chapel where you can pray and light a candle...

The house is surrounded with lavender and entire island smells like Provence in France. It gives another dimension to this spiritual place.

We didn't have a lot of time anymore, so we walked around the small island and then back to Stein am Rhein.

On the way back home we saw this old locomotive from the car. It must have been some special occasion as I haven't seen a locomotive like this in Switzerland before.

(the photo is taken from the moving car though dirty window, so kindly excuse the quality.)

I hope that you have enjoyed our trip to the monastery garden!

Thank you for reading!
Cheers!
Martina