At the bottom of the lake Constance, about 100 Deaths are likely to be. You are killed in an accident while swimming, with the boat capsized, or in a storm – and literally never showed up again. The police since 1947, a summary list.

therefore, It is intended that the officers could quickly see who is missing since when, where, and under what circumstances, on the lake of Constance, says the head of the water police station, Friedrichshafen, Michael Behrendt.

Why is it so hard Missing to the mountains from the lake of Constance? “It depends on the circumstances of the individual case,” explains Behrendt. If it was clear where the accident happened, and the search could start with the divers immediately, the Chance is very large, to find the missing Person. “In all cases, this is also the case.”

Sometimes the exact place and time of an accident, however, cannot be so easily detected – for example, if a boat is found drifting alone on the water. In addition, there are currents in lake Constance, which were from the tributary of the Rhine, and from the Wind-dependent. And of course the lake of Constance with up to 250 meters, is simply not very deep. Although the gases formed in the decomposition of a body. But not enough to bring the dead back to the surface, says Behrendt.

bombs, grenades, Torpedo

But the deep reason of lake Constance, holds more secrets of the Second world war has left its mark. From time to time, for example, bombs or grenades to be found – even on a plane in about 150 meters depth.

A precise Overview of what is where, not, admit it but, says Christopher Rottner from the explosive ordnance disposal service in Stuttgart. One could of course assume that in the cities such as Friedrichshafen, which had been heavily bombed, a lot of sun. However, the findings were mostly not open on the bottom of the lake, but be deep sanded. “You have to places, theoretically, and that’s not all quite as simple as that.”

in 2017, have recovered the explosive ordnance disposal service, for example, a Torpedo from the lake. “The piece was five feet long and was stuck in the Sand – there was just see the tail,” said Rottner. “Free him a huge amount of work was to grow.”

Difficult recovery

Water recoveries were Generally in comparison to the mountain of the country many times more complex. Finds were very deep in the lake, should not be taken necessarily out, because they could not be dangerous. “In the worst case, what rusts through time, and the explosives in the lake – it wouldn’t be but for environmental reasons well.”

In the archive of the Dornier Museum also knows a few secrets of lake Constance: a very well-known wreck of the sun, for example, with the paddle steamer “Jura” on the bottom of the lake in front of Bottighofen, TG, means there. Some aircraft had already been salvaged, others were still in the water – for example, a He 177 bombers should be in some depth.

Probably more in the realm of myths, the story of a “Cognac bomber belongs”: In the Second world war, a correspondingly loaded aircraft above the lake Constance plunged accordingly into the depths of the boxes of decades-old Cognac in store now allegedly still.

Archaeological Sensation

Backed up, however, an archaeological Sensation: In 2015, the Institute for lake research in Langenargen discovered in deep surveys in front of the Swiss banks in Uttwil TG numerous stone hill. They each have a diameter of 15 to 30 meters and are located at regular intervals in a row close to the shore, about four and a half meters under water.

Who has built exactly how they were constructed and why they originated – about these issues, the Swiss archaeologists pondering for years now. Using of samples have been able to find out, the researchers, in the meantime, at least, that the “Hügeli” in the Neolithic period, were heaped up in front of about 5500 years. The assumption of scientists: it May be that they were pile-dwellings, which also lie deep under water and are waiting to be discovered. (fal/sda)

Created: 04.11.2019, 11:02 PM