Mettnau

Mettnau
IUCN category IV (habitat/species management area)
Location	Radolfzell
Coordinates	47°43′50″N 8°59′50″E
Area	1.4 square kilometres (0.54 sq mi)
Established	1926 (1926)

Mettnau is a peninsula, located east of the town of Radolfzell in the western part of Lake Constance. It lies between the Markelfingen cornerin the north and the Zeller See in the south and has a length of 3.5 kilometers and a width of up to 800 meters, a size of 140 hectares.

A large part of the peninsula is a nature reserve. The Nature Reserve Mettnau includes a small island name Love Island. It is managed by Naturschutzbund Deutschland on behalf of the Regierungsbezirk of Freiburg. A spa is located on the island, and a field station of the Bird observatory Radolfzell.

Nature Reserve

Mettnau and offshore Love Island in the winter; in the background Radolfzell

eastern tip of the Mettnau peninsula

The nature reserve of Mettnau was established in 1926 by the town of Radolfzell, but only expanded to its current size of 140 hetctaresin 1984. A pond was accidentally created when the peninsula was used as a landfill. The pond is independent of fluctuations in the water of Lake Constance, making it an attractive place for hatching ducks. It is close to the nutrient-rich shallow-water zones of Markelfingen corner, which provides food for the ducks and their offspring.

References and sources

• Peter Berthold, Karl Mühl and Siegfried Schuster: Naturschutzgebiet Halbinsel Mettnau: Geschichte - Natur - Landschaft, Ornithologische Arbeitsgemeinschaft Bodensee, Constance, 1979