om a source under one of the towers on the western side of the city wall, had been understood since the early 16th century, and produced a regular source of income for the city and the spital; during the Thirty Years War the spring had been covered over; it remained covered in the post-war period and then was largely forgotten. It was fortuitously "rediscovered" during �berlingen's difficult times. A spa hotel was constructed and the notables started to arrive: Heinrich Zschokke (1771�1848), Ludwig Uhland, the poet (1787�1862), Gustav Schwab (1792�1850) and the Germanist Franz Pfeiffer (1815�1868) were regular visitors. A pathway along the western wall, to the highest point within the city gates is still called the Uhland walkway and a marker notes that this was one of the poet's favorite walks.
The economic problems were in large part due to the difficulties of transportation. Although the first coal powered steam ship, the Hohentwiel (named for the impregnable castle on the dormant volcano Hohentwiel by Singen), owned by Joseph Cotta, had traversed the Lake in 1825, it was not until 1895, with the construction of a railway link to �berlingen, that the city emerged from its economic difficulties as a spa city. In 1901, the link was connected through Friedrichshafen, making travel to and from the city easier and quicker, and improving the city's prospects as a spa city. The link to Friedrichshafen completed the laying of tracks around the lake. Once the rail line was completed, it became feasible to market the city as a spa resort.
The peaceful life in �berlingen was interrupted by the war in 1914, when 145 of its sons died, and 20 were missing in action. In 1918, with the German Revolution and the abdication of the Kaiser, �berlingen became part of the Republic of the Free State of Baden. "The Revolution in the year 1918 came as a peaceful relief." From 1918 to 1923, inflation overran the city, and many of the pensioners living there fell on
