Lindau

City in Bavaria, Germany, built partly on a small island in Lake Constance, but linked by road and rail to the northeast shore; population (1994) 75,500. With many buildings from its rich medieval history, Lindau is a tourist resort and a principal port of call for lake traffic. The city produces electrical goods and rubber.

In 1275 Lindau was made a free city of the Holy Roman Empire and throughout the Middle Ages it was an important merchant town, trading chiefly with Italy. In 1803 it passed to Bavaria. Its abbey, founded in 810, was secularized in 1804. There are numerous historical buildings, including the abbey church (12th–18th centuries), medieval churches, a 15th-century Rathaus (town hall), towers, and residential buildings. The carved lion on one of the harbour walls is a landmark.