evidence: Affectionately known as the lake without a nation, freshwater Lake Constance, Bodensee in German, was formed in the ice age by glaciers and is Europe's third largest lake, named after the Roman town of Constance (Konstanz) which, today, sits on its western shoreline. Germany, Switzerland, and Austria flank Lake Constance and it lies on the Rhine River at the foot of the Alps. Lake Constance’s size is considerable, spanning about 63 kilometres in length and 14 kilometres at its widest point, covering an area of approximately 536 square kilometres (207 square miles) with a maximum depth of 252 meters.