Pile Dwellings - UNESCO World Heritage Site

To do this, they drove stakes into the ground in shallow areas. These stakes consisted of whole or split logs. At the base of the stakes, the pile-dwelling people usually buried stones to give the structure greater stability against waves. The houses were also built on stilts, and a layer of clay was applied to ensure stability. Other materials used in construction included bark, straw, and brushwood. Today, we can trace this history back to the Neolithic, or New Stone Age. Through archaeological excavations, many everyday objects have been unearthed, offering a firsthand glimpse into a fascinating era.

Anyone visiting Lake Constance should definitely take the time to see the historic pile dwellings. They are a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The Lake Dwelling Museum is located in Uhldingen-Mühlhofen, right on the shores of Lake Constance. Here you can explore reconstructions of lake dwellings as they stood in this region during the Stone Age and the Bronze Age. Through a multimedia show, you’ll be immersed in the era of the pile dwellings and experience life as a modern-day descendant of the pile-dwelling people. As part of a special exhibition, more than 1.000 original artifacts from the workshops are on display. In addition, during the summer months, a Stone Age adventure course offers a truly unique journey back in time.

This pile-dwelling museum is one of the largest open-air museums in all of Europe. Every year, up to 300,000 visitors come to admire the pile dwellings. So it goes without saying that in 2011, UNESCO took notice of this historical heritage. One reason for this was the large number of organic artifacts - such as baskets, hats, and clothing - that have been preserved over the centuries and offer visitors a firsthand glimpse into a time that dates back thousands of years. Through the seasonal guided tours, you’ll learn much more about life in the Stone Age and have the chance to try things out for yourself.

With the help of models and actors, living scenes are reenacted and displayed on site. Visitors are allowed to pick up the tools themselves to test their skills. The fact that entire settlements were built directly on the water back then continues to impress thousands of guests and curious visitors every year.

Additional pile dwellings have been found in France, Scotland, Latvia, Slovenia, and Lithuania, primarily along the edges of lakes. Some of these prehistoric structures stood on the shore; these were referred to as “wetland settlements.” Later on, the lake level and the waterline rose, causing many of the structures to be mistakenly identified as pile dwellings at first. Over time, more and more genuine pile dwellings were added, which together formed entire settlements. People sought to protect themselves on the water from hostile neighbors, predators, and even floods.