Altnau
Encyclopedia
Altnau is a municipality
in the district of Kreuzlingen
in the canton
of Thurgau
in Switzerland
.
of Ruderbaum, the remains of a Horgen culture
settlement have been discovered. Below the Horgen site, there may be also be Pfyn culture
site, but that is less certain.
The modern village of Altnau may be first first mentioned in 787 as Althinouva. In the 8th Century the Abbey of St. Gall
owned most of the land in Altnau. In 1155, Emperor Friedrich Barbarossa confirmed that the Cathedral of Constance
owned the church and church yard in the village. The vogt
right over the church's farms belonged to the Freiherr
of Altenklingen after 1300. During the Late Middle Ages
, this right was given to several noble families from Constance; 1378 Schwarz, 1430 Tettikofen, 1468 Mangolte, and from 1471 until 1798 the city of Constance directly controlled the farms. In 1454 the villagers were represented in the Appenzell
Landrecht, but following complaints from Constance they were forced to give up their membership. The rights of the village are first listed in the Gerichtsoffnung of 1468.
The right to administer the parish
of Altnau went from the cathedral's provost
to the cathedral's dean in 1347. After the Protestant Reformation
in 1528, the few remaining Catholics were looked after by Constance and the village church became a shared church
. This situation remained until 1810 when two churches were completed.
Until the 19th Century, most of the local economy revolved around three-field
agriculture. About 1880 a dairy company was founded in the village, and livestock and cheese production became common. Viticulture
was common from the middle ages
until 1912. In 1840 the Seestrasse (Lake Road) was built, and in 1870, the Seetalbahn (railroad line) was added. However, neither the road or the railroad led to a boost in the local economy, as the station was too far away.
Of the built up area, industrial buildings made up 7.0% of the total area while housing and buildings made up 0.6% and transportation infrastructure made up 0.7%. Power and water infrastructure as well as other special developed areas made up 1.6% of the area while parks, green belts and sports fields made up 3.9%. Out of the forested land, all of the forested land area is covered with heavy forests. Of the agricultural land, 47.2% is used for growing crops, while 23.5% is used for orchards or vine crops. All the water in the municipality is flowing water.
The municipality is located in the Kreuzlingen district along the Romanshorn
-Kreuzlingen
road about 2 km (1.2 mi) from Lake Constance
.
(94.5%), with Albanian
being second most common ( 1.1%) and Italian
being third ( 0.9%).
, the gender distribution of the population was 51.2% male and 48.8% female. The population was made up of 829 Swiss men (42.5% of the population), and 170 (8.7%) non-Swiss men. There were 819 Swiss women (42.0%), and 133 (6.8%) non-Swiss women.
In there were 17 live births to Swiss citizens and 4 births to non-Swiss citizens, and in same time span there were 8 deaths of Swiss citizens. Ignoring immigration and emigration, the population of Swiss citizens increased by 9 while the foreign population increased by 4. There was 1 Swiss man, 1 Swiss woman who emigrated from Switzerland to another country, 10 non-Swiss men who emigrated from Switzerland to another country and 12 non-Swiss women who emigrated from Switzerland to another country. The total Swiss population change in 2008 (from all sources) was an increase of 57 and the non-Swiss population change was an increase of 13 people. This represents a population growth rate of 3.7%.
The age distribution, , in Altnau is; 199 children or 10.0% of the population are between 0 and 9 years old and 295 teenagers or 14.9% are between 10 and 19. Of the adult population, 193 people or 9.7% of the population are between 20 and 29 years old. 247 people or 12.5% are between 30 and 39, 395 people or 19.9% are between 40 and 49, and 277 people or 14.0% are between 50 and 59. The senior population distribution is 222 people or 11.2% of the population are between 60 and 69 years old, 104 people or 5.2% are between 70 and 79, there are 45 people or 2.3% who are between 80 and 89, and there are 4 people or 0.2% who are 90 and older.
the average number of residents per living room was 0.55 which is about equal to the cantonal average of 0.56 per room. In this case, a room is defined as space of a housing unit of at least 4 m² (43.1 sq ft) as normal bedrooms, dining rooms, living rooms, kitchens and habitable cellars and attics. About 54.5% of the total households were owner occupied, or in other words did not pay rent (though they may have a mortgage
or a rent-to-own agreement).
, there were 679 private households in the municipality, and an average of 2.6 persons per household. there were 351 single family homes (or 84.0% of the total) out of a total of 418 inhabited buildings. There were 32 two family buildings (7.7%), 11 three family buildings (2.6%) and 24 multi-family buildings (or 5.7%). There were 384 (or 21.3%) persons who were part of a couple without children, and 1,101 (or 61.0%) who were part of a couple with children. There were 108 (or 6.0%) people who lived in single parent home, while there are 6 persons who were adult children living with one or both parents, 6 persons who lived in a household made up of relatives, 26 who lived in a household made up of unrelated persons, and 9 who are either institutionalized or live in another type of collective housing.
The vacancy rate for the municipality, , was 0.73%. , the construction rate of new housing units was 3.7 new units per 1000 residents. there were 751 apartments in the municipality. The most common apartment size was the 5 room apartment of which there were 202. There were 16 single room apartments and 183 apartments with six or more rooms. the average price to rent an average apartment in Altnau was 1109.58 Swiss franc
s (CHF) per month (US$890, £500, €710 approx. exchange rate from 2000). The average rate for a one room apartment was 466.43 CHF (US$370, £210, €300), a two room apartment was about 728.08 CHF (US$580, £330, €470), a three room apartment was about 787.67 CHF (US$630, £350, €500) and a six or more room apartment cost an average of 1543.68 CHF (US$1230, £690, €990). The average apartment price in Altnau was 99.4% of the national average of 1116 CHF.
In the 2007 federal election
the most popular party was the SVP
which received 38.69% of the vote. The next three most popular parties were the Green Party
(17.58%), the FDP
(14.91%) and the CVP
(11.74%). In the federal election, a total of 560 votes were cast, and the voter turnout
was 45.6%.
The historical population is given in the following table:
there were 1,311 workers who lived in the municipality. Of these, 632 or about 48.2% of the residents worked outside Altnau while 192 people commuted into the municipality for work. There were a total of 871 jobs (of at least 6 hours per week) in the municipality. Of the working population, 9.9% used public transportation to get to work, and 49.1% used a private car.
. Of the rest of the population, there are 5 individuals (or about 0.28% of the population) who belong to the Orthodox Church, and there are 74 individuals (or about 4.10% of the population) who belong to another Christian church. There were 43 (or about 2.38% of the population) who are Islam
ic. There are 4 individuals (or about 0.22% of the population) who belong to another church (not listed on the census), 169 (or about 9.37% of the population) belong to no church, are agnostic
or atheist
, and 58 individuals (or about 3.22% of the population) did not answer the question.
).
Altnau is home to the Altnau primary school district. It is also home to the Altnau secondary school district. In the 2008/2009 school year there were 176 students in the primary school district. There were 44 children in the kindergarten
, and the average class size was 22 kindergartners. Of the children in kindergarten, 18 or 40.9% were female, 7 or 15.9% were not Swiss citizens and 2 or 4.5% did not speak German natively. The lower and upper primary levels begin at about age 5-6 and last for 6 years. There were 59 children in who were at the lower primary level and 73 children in the upper primary level. The average class size in the primary school was 22 students. At the lower primary level, there were 26 children or 44.1% of the total population who were female, 5 or 8.5% were not Swiss citizens and 1 or 1.7% did not speak German natively. In the upper primary level, there were 35 or 47.9% who were female, 6 or 8.2% were not Swiss citizens and 3 or 4.1% did not speak German natively.
There are 273 students in the secondary school district. At the secondary level, students are divided according to performance. The secondary level begins at about age 12 and usually lasts 3 years. There were 178 teenagers who were in the advanced school, of which 97 or 54.5% were female, 15 or 8.4% were not Swiss citizens and 7 or 3.9% did not speak German natively. There were 95 teenagers who were in the standard school, of which 47 or 49.5% were female, 23 or 24.2% were not Swiss citizens and 18 or 18.9% did not speak German natively. The average class size for all classes at the secondary level was 18.2 students.
Municipalities of Switzerland
Communes , also known as municipalities, are the smallest government division in Switzerland, numbering 2,596 . While many have a population of a few hundred citizens, the largest cities such as Zürich or Geneva also have the legal status of municipalities...
in the district of Kreuzlingen
Kreuzlingen (district)
Kreuzlingen District is one of the five districts of the canton of Thurgau in Switzerland. It has a population of . Its capital is the city of Kreuzlingen.The district contains the following municipalities:...
in the canton
Cantons of Switzerland
The 26 cantons of Switzerland are the member states of the federal state of Switzerland. Each canton was a fully sovereign state with its own borders, army and currency from the Treaty of Westphalia until the establishment of the Swiss federal state in 1848...
of Thurgau
Thurgau
Thurgau is a northeast canton of Switzerland. The population, , is . In 2007, there were a total of 47,390 who were resident foreigners. The capital is Frauenfeld.-History:...
in Switzerland
Switzerland
Switzerland name of one of the Swiss cantons. ; ; ; or ), in its full name the Swiss Confederation , is a federal republic consisting of 26 cantons, with Bern as the seat of the federal authorities. The country is situated in Western Europe,Or Central Europe depending on the definition....
.
History
Near the hamletHamlet (place)
A hamlet is usually a rural settlement which is too small to be considered a village, though sometimes the word is used for a different sort of community. Historically, when a hamlet became large enough to justify building a church, it was then classified as a village...
of Ruderbaum, the remains of a Horgen culture
Horgen culture
The Horgen culture is one of several archaeological cultures belonging to the Neolithic period of Switzerland. The Horgen culture may derive from the Pfyn culture and early Horgen pottery is similar to the earlier Cortaillod culture pottery of Twann, Switzerland...
settlement have been discovered. Below the Horgen site, there may be also be Pfyn culture
Pfyn culture
The Pfyn Culture is one of several archaeological cultures of the Neolithic period in Switzerland. It dates from c. 3900 BC to c. 3500 BC.-Discovery:...
site, but that is less certain.
The modern village of Altnau may be first first mentioned in 787 as Althinouva. In the 8th Century the Abbey of St. Gall
Abbey of St. Gall
The Abbey of Saint Gall is a religious complex in the city of St. Gallen in present-day Switzerland. The Carolingian-era Abbey has existed since 719 and became an independent principality during the 13th century, and was for many centuries one of the chief Benedictine abbeys in Europe. It was...
owned most of the land in Altnau. In 1155, Emperor Friedrich Barbarossa confirmed that the Cathedral of Constance
Constance
Constance is a female given name that derives from Latin and means "constant." Variations of the name include Connie, Constancia, Constanze, Constanza, Stanzy, and Konstanze.Constance may refer to:-People:*Constance Bennett , American actress...
owned the church and church yard in the village. The vogt
Vogt
A Vogt ; plural Vögte; Dutch voogd; Danish foged; ; ultimately from Latin [ad]vocatus) in the Holy Roman Empire was the German title of a reeve or advocate, an overlord exerting guardianship or military protection as well as secular justice...
right over the church's farms belonged to the Freiherr
Freiherr
The German titles Freiherr and Freifrau and Freiin are titles of nobility, used preceding a person's given name or, after 1919, before the surname...
of Altenklingen after 1300. During the Late Middle Ages
Late Middle Ages
The Late Middle Ages was the period of European history generally comprising the 14th to the 16th century . The Late Middle Ages followed the High Middle Ages and preceded the onset of the early modern era ....
, this right was given to several noble families from Constance; 1378 Schwarz, 1430 Tettikofen, 1468 Mangolte, and from 1471 until 1798 the city of Constance directly controlled the farms. In 1454 the villagers were represented in the Appenzell
Appenzell
Appenzell is a region and historical canton in the northeast of Switzerland, entirely surrounded by the Canton of St. Gallen....
Landrecht, but following complaints from Constance they were forced to give up their membership. The rights of the village are first listed in the Gerichtsoffnung of 1468.
The right to administer the parish
Parish
A parish is a territorial unit historically under the pastoral care and clerical jurisdiction of one parish priest, who might be assisted in his pastoral duties by a curate or curates - also priests but not the parish priest - from a more or less central parish church with its associated organization...
of Altnau went from the cathedral's provost
Provost (religion)
A provost is a senior official in a number of Christian churches.-Historical Development:The word praepositus was originally applied to any ecclesiastical ruler or dignitary...
to the cathedral's dean in 1347. After the Protestant Reformation
Protestant Reformation
The Protestant Reformation was a 16th-century split within Western Christianity initiated by Martin Luther, John Calvin and other early Protestants. The efforts of the self-described "reformers", who objected to the doctrines, rituals and ecclesiastical structure of the Roman Catholic Church, led...
in 1528, the few remaining Catholics were looked after by Constance and the village church became a shared church
Simultaneum
A shared church, or Simultankirche, Simultaneum or, more fully, simultaneum mixtum, a term first coined in 16th century Germany, is a church in which public worship is conducted by adherents of two or more religious groups. Such churches became common in Europe in the wake of the Reformation...
. This situation remained until 1810 when two churches were completed.
Until the 19th Century, most of the local economy revolved around three-field
Crop rotation
Crop rotation is the practice of growing a series of dissimilar types of crops in the same area in sequential seasons.Crop rotation confers various benefits to the soil. A traditional element of crop rotation is the replenishment of nitrogen through the use of green manure in sequence with cereals...
agriculture. About 1880 a dairy company was founded in the village, and livestock and cheese production became common. Viticulture
Viticulture
Viticulture is the science, production and study of grapes which deals with the series of events that occur in the vineyard. When the grapes are used for winemaking, it is also known as viniculture...
was common from the middle ages
Middle Ages
The Middle Ages is a periodization of European history from the 5th century to the 15th century. The Middle Ages follows the fall of the Western Roman Empire in 476 and precedes the Early Modern Era. It is the middle period of a three-period division of Western history: Classic, Medieval and Modern...
until 1912. In 1840 the Seestrasse (Lake Road) was built, and in 1870, the Seetalbahn (railroad line) was added. However, neither the road or the railroad led to a boost in the local economy, as the station was too far away.
Geography
Altnau has an area, , of 6.68 square kilometres (2.6 sq mi). Of this area, 4.72 km² (1.8 sq mi) or 70.7% is used for agricultural purposes, while 1.03 km² (0.397685223350311 sq mi) or 15.4% is forested. Of the rest of the land, 0.93 km² (0.359075007491058 sq mi) or 13.9% is settled (buildings or roads), 0.02 km² (4.9 acre) or 0.3% is either rivers or lakes.Of the built up area, industrial buildings made up 7.0% of the total area while housing and buildings made up 0.6% and transportation infrastructure made up 0.7%. Power and water infrastructure as well as other special developed areas made up 1.6% of the area while parks, green belts and sports fields made up 3.9%. Out of the forested land, all of the forested land area is covered with heavy forests. Of the agricultural land, 47.2% is used for growing crops, while 23.5% is used for orchards or vine crops. All the water in the municipality is flowing water.
The municipality is located in the Kreuzlingen district along the Romanshorn
Romanshorn
Romanshorn is a municipality in the district of Arbon in the canton of Thurgau in Switzerland.-History:Romanshorn was probably settled in the 7th Century, and is first mentioned in 779 as Rumanishorn in a land grant from Waldrata to the Abbey of St. Gall. During the Late Middle Ages and until...
-Kreuzlingen
Kreuzlingen
Kreuzlingen is a municipality in the district of Kreuzlingen in the canton of Thurgau in north-eastern Switzerland. It is the seat of the district and is the second largest city of the canton, after Frauenfeld, with a population of over 18,000...
road about 2 km (1.2 mi) from Lake Constance
Lake Constance
Lake Constance is a lake on the Rhine at the northern foot of the Alps, and consists of three bodies of water: the Obersee , the Untersee , and a connecting stretch of the Rhine, called the Seerhein.The lake is situated in Germany, Switzerland and Austria near the Alps...
.
Demographics
Altnau has a population of , 15.5% of the population are foreign nationals. Over the last 10 years (1997–2007) the population has changed at a rate of 11.8%. Most of the population speaks GermanGerman language
German is a West Germanic language, related to and classified alongside English and Dutch. With an estimated 90 – 98 million native speakers, German is one of the world's major languages and is the most widely-spoken first language in the European Union....
(94.5%), with Albanian
Albanian language
Albanian is an Indo-European language spoken by approximately 7.6 million people, primarily in Albania and Kosovo but also in other areas of the Balkans in which there is an Albanian population, including western Macedonia, southern Montenegro, southern Serbia and northwestern Greece...
being second most common ( 1.1%) and Italian
Italian language
Italian is a Romance language spoken mainly in Europe: Italy, Switzerland, San Marino, Vatican City, by minorities in Malta, Monaco, Croatia, Slovenia, France, Libya, Eritrea, and Somalia, and by immigrant communities in the Americas and Australia...
being third ( 0.9%).
, the gender distribution of the population was 51.2% male and 48.8% female. The population was made up of 829 Swiss men (42.5% of the population), and 170 (8.7%) non-Swiss men. There were 819 Swiss women (42.0%), and 133 (6.8%) non-Swiss women.
In there were 17 live births to Swiss citizens and 4 births to non-Swiss citizens, and in same time span there were 8 deaths of Swiss citizens. Ignoring immigration and emigration, the population of Swiss citizens increased by 9 while the foreign population increased by 4. There was 1 Swiss man, 1 Swiss woman who emigrated from Switzerland to another country, 10 non-Swiss men who emigrated from Switzerland to another country and 12 non-Swiss women who emigrated from Switzerland to another country. The total Swiss population change in 2008 (from all sources) was an increase of 57 and the non-Swiss population change was an increase of 13 people. This represents a population growth rate of 3.7%.
The age distribution, , in Altnau is; 199 children or 10.0% of the population are between 0 and 9 years old and 295 teenagers or 14.9% are between 10 and 19. Of the adult population, 193 people or 9.7% of the population are between 20 and 29 years old. 247 people or 12.5% are between 30 and 39, 395 people or 19.9% are between 40 and 49, and 277 people or 14.0% are between 50 and 59. The senior population distribution is 222 people or 11.2% of the population are between 60 and 69 years old, 104 people or 5.2% are between 70 and 79, there are 45 people or 2.3% who are between 80 and 89, and there are 4 people or 0.2% who are 90 and older.
the average number of residents per living room was 0.55 which is about equal to the cantonal average of 0.56 per room. In this case, a room is defined as space of a housing unit of at least 4 m² (43.1 sq ft) as normal bedrooms, dining rooms, living rooms, kitchens and habitable cellars and attics. About 54.5% of the total households were owner occupied, or in other words did not pay rent (though they may have a mortgage
Mortgage loan
A mortgage loan is a loan secured by real property through the use of a mortgage note which evidences the existence of the loan and the encumbrance of that realty through the granting of a mortgage which secures the loan...
or a rent-to-own agreement).
, there were 679 private households in the municipality, and an average of 2.6 persons per household. there were 351 single family homes (or 84.0% of the total) out of a total of 418 inhabited buildings. There were 32 two family buildings (7.7%), 11 three family buildings (2.6%) and 24 multi-family buildings (or 5.7%). There were 384 (or 21.3%) persons who were part of a couple without children, and 1,101 (or 61.0%) who were part of a couple with children. There were 108 (or 6.0%) people who lived in single parent home, while there are 6 persons who were adult children living with one or both parents, 6 persons who lived in a household made up of relatives, 26 who lived in a household made up of unrelated persons, and 9 who are either institutionalized or live in another type of collective housing.
The vacancy rate for the municipality, , was 0.73%. , the construction rate of new housing units was 3.7 new units per 1000 residents. there were 751 apartments in the municipality. The most common apartment size was the 5 room apartment of which there were 202. There were 16 single room apartments and 183 apartments with six or more rooms. the average price to rent an average apartment in Altnau was 1109.58 Swiss franc
Swiss franc
The franc is the currency and legal tender of Switzerland and Liechtenstein; it is also legal tender in the Italian exclave Campione d'Italia. Although not formally legal tender in the German exclave Büsingen , it is in wide daily use there...
s (CHF) per month (US$890, £500, €710 approx. exchange rate from 2000). The average rate for a one room apartment was 466.43 CHF (US$370, £210, €300), a two room apartment was about 728.08 CHF (US$580, £330, €470), a three room apartment was about 787.67 CHF (US$630, £350, €500) and a six or more room apartment cost an average of 1543.68 CHF (US$1230, £690, €990). The average apartment price in Altnau was 99.4% of the national average of 1116 CHF.
In the 2007 federal election
Swiss federal election, 2007
Elections to the Swiss Federal Assembly, the federal parliament of Switzerland, were held on Sunday, 21 October 2007. In a few cantons, a second round of the elections to the Council of States was held on 11 November, 18 November, and 25 November 2007...
the most popular party was the SVP
Swiss People's Party
The Swiss People's Party , also known as the Democratic Union of the Centre , is a conservative political party in Switzerland. Chaired by Toni Brunner, but spearheaded by Christoph Blocher, the party is the largest party in the Federal Assembly, with 58 members of the National Council and 6 of...
which received 38.69% of the vote. The next three most popular parties were the Green Party
Green Party of Switzerland
The Green Party of Switzerland is the fifth-largest party in the National Council of Switzerland, and the largest party that is not represented on the Federal Council.-History:...
(17.58%), the FDP
Free Democratic Party of Switzerland
The Free Democratic Party was a classical liberal political party in Switzerland. It was one of the major parties in Switzerland until its merger with the smaller classical liberal Liberal Party, to form FDP.The Liberals on 1 January 2009....
(14.91%) and the CVP
Christian Democratic People's Party of Switzerland
The Christian Democratic People's Party of Switzerland is a Christian democratic political party in Switzerland. It is the fourth-largest party in the National Council, with 31 seats, and the largest in the Council of States, with 15 seats. It has one seat, that of Doris Leuthard, on the Swiss...
(11.74%). In the federal election, a total of 560 votes were cast, and the voter turnout
Voter turnout
Voter turnout is the percentage of eligible voters who cast a ballot in an election . After increasing for many decades, there has been a trend of decreasing voter turnout in most established democracies since the 1960s...
was 45.6%.
The historical population is given in the following table:
| year | population |
|---|---|
| 1850 | 869 |
| 1910 | 1,001 |
| 1970 | 957 |
| 1980 | 1,036 |
| 1990 | 1,439 |
| 2000 | 1,804 |
Sights
The entire village of Altnau is designated as part of the Inventory of Swiss Heritage SitesInventory of Swiss Heritage Sites
The Inventory of Swiss Heritage Sites is part of a 1981 Ordinance of the Swiss Federal Council implementing the Federal Law on the Protection of Nature and Cultural Heritage.-Sites of national importance:-Types:...
Economy
, Altnau had an unemployment rate of 1.46%. , there were 100 people employed in the primary economic sector and about 32 businesses involved in this sector. 187 people are employed in the secondary sector and there are 35 businesses in this sector. 317 people are employed in the tertiary sector, with 66 businesses in this sector.there were 1,311 workers who lived in the municipality. Of these, 632 or about 48.2% of the residents worked outside Altnau while 192 people commuted into the municipality for work. There were a total of 871 jobs (of at least 6 hours per week) in the municipality. Of the working population, 9.9% used public transportation to get to work, and 49.1% used a private car.
Religion
From the , 570 or 31.6% were Roman Catholic, while 881 or 48.8% belonged to the Swiss Reformed ChurchSwiss Reformed Church
The Reformed branch of Protestantism in Switzerland was started in Zürich by Huldrych Zwingli and spread within a few years to Basel , Bern , St...
. Of the rest of the population, there are 5 individuals (or about 0.28% of the population) who belong to the Orthodox Church, and there are 74 individuals (or about 4.10% of the population) who belong to another Christian church. There were 43 (or about 2.38% of the population) who are Islam
Islam
Islam . The most common are and . : Arabic pronunciation varies regionally. The first vowel ranges from ~~. The second vowel ranges from ~~~...
ic. There are 4 individuals (or about 0.22% of the population) who belong to another church (not listed on the census), 169 (or about 9.37% of the population) belong to no church, are agnostic
Agnosticism
Agnosticism is the view that the truth value of certain claims—especially claims about the existence or non-existence of any deity, but also other religious and metaphysical claims—is unknown or unknowable....
or atheist
Atheism
Atheism is, in a broad sense, the rejection of belief in the existence of deities. In a narrower sense, atheism is specifically the position that there are no deities...
, and 58 individuals (or about 3.22% of the population) did not answer the question.
Education
In Altnau about 79.2% of the population (between age 25-64) have completed either non-mandatory upper secondary education or additional higher education (either University or a FachhochschuleFachhochschule
A Fachhochschule or University of Applied Sciences is a German type of tertiary education institution, sometimes specialized in certain topical areas . Fachhochschulen were founded in Germany and later adopted by Austria, Liechtenstein, Switzerland and Greece...
).
Altnau is home to the Altnau primary school district. It is also home to the Altnau secondary school district. In the 2008/2009 school year there were 176 students in the primary school district. There were 44 children in the kindergarten
Kindergarten
A kindergarten is a preschool educational institution for children. The term was created by Friedrich Fröbel for the play and activity institute that he created in 1837 in Bad Blankenburg as a social experience for children for their transition from home to school...
, and the average class size was 22 kindergartners. Of the children in kindergarten, 18 or 40.9% were female, 7 or 15.9% were not Swiss citizens and 2 or 4.5% did not speak German natively. The lower and upper primary levels begin at about age 5-6 and last for 6 years. There were 59 children in who were at the lower primary level and 73 children in the upper primary level. The average class size in the primary school was 22 students. At the lower primary level, there were 26 children or 44.1% of the total population who were female, 5 or 8.5% were not Swiss citizens and 1 or 1.7% did not speak German natively. In the upper primary level, there were 35 or 47.9% who were female, 6 or 8.2% were not Swiss citizens and 3 or 4.1% did not speak German natively.
There are 273 students in the secondary school district. At the secondary level, students are divided according to performance. The secondary level begins at about age 12 and usually lasts 3 years. There were 178 teenagers who were in the advanced school, of which 97 or 54.5% were female, 15 or 8.4% were not Swiss citizens and 7 or 3.9% did not speak German natively. There were 95 teenagers who were in the standard school, of which 47 or 49.5% were female, 23 or 24.2% were not Swiss citizens and 18 or 18.9% did not speak German natively. The average class size for all classes at the secondary level was 18.2 students.