Bischofszell
Encyclopedia
Bischofszell is a municipality
in Weinfelden District in the canton
of Thurgau
in Switzerland
. It is the seat of the district. In 1987, the city was awarded the Wakker Prize
for the preservation of its architectural heritage. So was its neighboring city Hauptwil-Gottshaus
in 1999.
Tumulus
, scattered Roman
and Alamanni
items and Early Middle Ages
documents provide evidence of earlier settlements. It was probably founded in the 9th Century by the Bishop of Constance Salomo I. The current town of Bischofszell is first mentioned in 1155 as Bischoffescella. In 1250 it avoided being passed from the Bishop of Constance to the Prince-Abbot
of St. Gall
. In 1273 it was conquered the lords of Montfort, who burned the city. East of the castle a market and town grew up during the 13th Century. This new town around the market became the center of the modern city. The second enlargement began in 1360 when the noisy, smell or flammable businesses moved to the east of the town. Around 1405, this section was demolished for military reasons, and rebuilt, with a city wall, in 1437.
The town seal of 1338 (gloved arm with crozier) and the Charter of 1350 testify to the beginning of the municipal government. The financial difficulties of the Bishop encouraged the autonomy aspirations of citizens, who often bought city rights from the Bishop. Bischofszell remained mostly independent under the Bishops of Constance. Starting in 1276 the Bishop's Chief Bailiff
resided in the castle. He was the chairman of the twelve-membered City Council. The bailiff, with two leading members of the council, formed the high court
of the city between 1485 and 1798. The high and low courts were not identical. The City Court had the low justice rights in the city and surroundings, while after the conquest of Thurgau by the Swiss Confederation
in 1460 the Governor had low justice rights in part of the city, and high justice rights over the Heiliggeistspitals.
After the Protestant Reformation
, Zurich
became the protector of the Protestant majority and attempted to protect them from the demands of the bishop. Complex political coalitions were created to govern Bischofszell. In 1587 a Confederation Vogt
was appointed over the city, though the Prince Bishops retained power over the city until 1798.
At the center of the old town, a city hall was built in 1626-29. The first city hall was destroyed in 1743 along with 70 other houses, in a fire. In 1747-50 a new city hall was built by Johann Caspar Bagnato (renovated in 1977-80). The entire population lived inside the city wall from 1437 until the 18th Century. In 1544-45 the cemetery was moved outside the walls.
The castle was damaged by the city fire in 1419 and repaired soon thereafter. During the 17th and 18th Century the castle was expanded and totally renovated. The newly founded Canton of Thurgau took over the castle in 1798, but sold it in 1811 again. About 1838 the west part collapsed, and in 1843 the keep was broken up. Since 1930, the castle has been owned by the municipality.
The village church originally belonged to the Sulgen
parish
. It became an independent parish in 1269. During the 14th Century, the newly built St. Pelagius's Church (oldest foundations were from the 9th century) was a collegiate
and parish church
. Under Zurich's influence most of the population converted to the Reformation in 1529, but by 1535 the Catholic Mass
was again celebrated in the church. In 1536 and 1563 the parish funds were shared between the two faiths. Starting in 1728 all city offices were evenly split between Catholic and Protestant individuals. occupied by an even equally. The two parishes included Hauptwil, Gottshaus and Halden as well as parts of Hohentannen and Schweizersholz. Until the construction of the Reformed
St. John's Church in 1968, the old church was a shared church
.
In 1530 a Protestant school was established. The Catholic School was closed in 1536 and reopened in 1660 with support from the Bishops, though since the late 18th Century it was increasingly supported by the city. In 1834 a secondary school opened in the town and in 1870 both religious school districts united.
The wooden bridge on Thur
(1300) and Sitter Rivers (from 1428) were replaced by stone in 1500. Because these bridges were exempt from taxes until 1796, Bischofszell became and important stop in the transshipment of textiles in the 15th-16th Centuries. It was quite successful in competition with St. Gallen and the Lake Constance
towns. In the 17th and 18th Centuries the trading families of Rietmann, Bridler, Daller and Zwinger grew into powerful trading houses. The local textile production was, however probably of lesser importance. Crafts and trades protected their interests with restrictive decrees including the Gewerbeordnung of 1699 which prohibited guild
s.
Just as under the Ancien Régime
, Bischofszell remained one of the richest municipalities during the Helvetic Republic
. In 1812 the court of Engishalden and the hamlets
of Winklen, Moosburg, Muggensturm, Klausenhäusli, Katzensteig and Im Stich were allocated to Bischofszell. The town spend approximately one third of their assets on the construction of the railway line from Sulgen to Gossau. Its opening in 1876 may have been crucial in addition to the water for industrial expansion.
The first printer in Bischofszell the Thurgauer Druckerei founded in 1792 by Andrew Wehrli. From 1860 until 1872 they published the Bischofszell Zeitung and in 1870 published the Massschneiderei Munz. Between 1856-1911 the Jacquard weaving
Niederer factory was active Bischofszell. Out of the Niederer factory, the paper mill (Papieri Bischofszell) grew and remained open until 1984. About 200 factory jobs offered in 1910 by two embroidery factories. The preferred industrial location in the 19th Century, was around the bridges. In the 20th Century the industrial park Bischofszell-Nord/Sittertal has drawn a number of companies. They include the cooperative Obi (1906) and Tobler (1909) canning factory, which since 1945 belongs to Migros
. In the 1990s it employed about 700 employees and contributed to a positive commuting balance.
Immigration changed the confessional (61% Reformed in 1870, in 1910 it was 55% and in 1990 only 40%) and political conditions, in the elections of the 20th Century, the Christian Democrats or CVP
(or their predecessors) and the FDP
were about equally represented, followed by the SP
. However, in the 2007 federal election
the most popular party was the SVP
which received 39.53% of the vote. The next three most popular parties were the CVP (19.02%), the SP (11.33%) and the FDP (10.8%). In the federal election, a total of 1,537 votes were cast, and the voter turnout
was 44.0%.
The city water supply was built in 1893 and in 1903/08-59 it had its own gas production. In 1908 a storm water control system was built and a Sewage treatment
plant was added in 1973, both of which improved the city's infrastructure. The city has expanded into the terrace area to the east, with the 1945-46 housing development that created "Obi-village", the detached houses on Lättehang and along the roads to Sitterdorf and Sulgen. After an exodus in the 1970s, population began to grow again in 1990.
is about 30 minutes away by train or car.
Bischofszell has an area, , of 11.62 square kilometres (4.5 sq mi). Of this area, 6.4 km² (2.5 sq mi) or 55.1% is used for agricultural purposes, while 2.85 km² (1.1 sq mi) or 24.5% is forested. Of the rest of the land, 2.06 km² (0.795370446700622 sq mi) or 17.7% is settled (buildings or roads), 0.34 km² (0.131274733921462 sq mi) or 2.9% is either rivers or lakes and 0.03 km² (7.4 acre) or 0.3% is unproductive land.
Of the built up area, industrial buildings made up 8.3% of the total area while housing and buildings made up 2.2% and transportation infrastructure made up 0.9%. while parks, green belts and sports fields made up 5.9%. Out of the forested land, 22.5% of the total land area is heavily forested and 2.1% is covered with orchards or small clusters of trees. Of the agricultural land, 47.4% is used for growing crops, while 7.7% is used for orchards or vine crops. All the water in the municipality is flowing water.
The municipality is situated in Weinfelden District. It is located at the confluence
of the Thur and Sitter Rivers, and includes the terrace south of the river. It consists of the town of Bischofszell-Nord/Sittertal and Bischofszell as well as Halden and part of Schweizersholz and Gottshaus (Stocken).
(85.4%), with Portugese
being second most common ( 3.7%) and Serbo-Croatian
being third ( 2.7%).
, the gender distribution of the population was 49.5% male and 50.5% female. The population was made up of 2,047 Swiss men (37.3% of the population), and 673 (12.3%) non-Swiss men. There were 2,221 Swiss women (40.4%), and 551 (10.0%) non-Swiss women.
In there were 31 live births to Swiss citizens and 11 births to non-Swiss citizens, and in same time span there were 57 deaths of Swiss citizens and 2 non-Swiss citizen deaths. Ignoring immigration and emigration, the population of Swiss citizens decreased by 26 while the foreign population increased by 9. There were 2 Swiss men who emigrated from Switzerland to another country, 33 non-Swiss men who emigrated from Switzerland to another country and 31 non-Swiss women who emigrated from Switzerland to another country. The total Swiss population change in 2008 (from all sources) was a decrease of 26 and the non-Swiss population change was an increase of 24 people. This represents a population growth rate of 0.0%.
The age distribution, , in Bischofszell is; 507 children or 9.2% of the population are between 0 and 9 years old and 740 teenagers or 13.4% are between 10 and 19. Of the adult population, 744 people or 13.4% of the population are between 20 and 29 years old. 705 people or 12.7% are between 30 and 39, 915 people or 16.5% are between 40 and 49, and 693 people or 12.5% are between 50 and 59. The senior population distribution is 551 people or 10.0% of the population are between 60 and 69 years old, 391 people or 7.1% are between 70 and 79, there are 232 people or 4.2% who are between 80 and 89, and there are 58 people or 1.0% who are 90 and older.
the average number of residents per living room was 0.56 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 39.8% 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 2,198 private households in the municipality, and an average of 2.4 persons per household. there were 656 single family homes (or 73.0% of the total) out of a total of 899 inhabited buildings. There were 92 two family buildings (10.2%), 51 three family buildings (5.7%) and 100 multi-family buildings (or 11.1%). There were 1,218 (or 22.5%) persons who were part of a couple without children, and 3,010 (or 55.5%) who were part of a couple with children. There were 249 (or 4.6%) people who lived in single parent home, while there are 42 persons who were adult children living with one or both parents, 12 persons who lived in a household made up of relatives, 43 who lived in a household made up of unrelated persons, and 129 who are either institutionalized or live in another type of collective housing.
The vacancy rate for the municipality, , was 1.49%. , the construction rate of new housing units was 2.2 new units per 1000 residents. there were 2,516 apartments in the municipality. The most common apartment size was the 4 room apartment of which there were 736. There were 111 single room apartments and 355 apartments with six or more rooms. the average price to rent an average apartment in Bischofszell was 908.22 Swiss franc
s (CHF) per month (US$730, £410, €580 approx. exchange rate from 2000). The average rate for a one room apartment was 494.53 CHF (US$400, £220, €320), a two room apartment was about 654.29 CHF (US$520, £290, €420), a three room apartment was about 797.11 CHF (US$640, £360, €510) and a six or more room apartment cost an average of 1393.10 CHF (US$1110, £630, €890). The average apartment price in Bischofszell was 81.4% of the national average of 1116 CHF.
The historical population is given in the following table:
. Two houses, the Daller House, the double house Rebstock / Rosenstock are included on the list, as is the former paper factory with paper machines. The house and the map collection of the Dr. Albert Knoepfli collection in the Museum Bischofszell, the Catholic
Church of St Pelagius with St. Michaels Chapel, the Rathaus
(Town council house) and Alte Thurbrücke make up the rest of the list. The entire city of Bischofszell is part of the Inventory of Swiss Heritage Sites
. The Rathaus was built in 1747-50 by Gaspare Bagnato and is on Reichenau Island. The catholic parish church of St. Pelagius dates from the 9th Century.
Other notable sight include:
there were 3,612 workers who lived in the municipality. Of these, 1,283 or about 35.5% of the residents worked outside Bischofszell while 1,429 people commuted into the municipality for work. There were a total of 3,758 jobs (of at least 6 hours per week) in the municipality. Of the working population, 8.2% used public transportation to get to work, and 42.8% used a private car.
there are 104 individuals (or about 1.92% of the population) who belong to the Orthodox Church, and there are 218 individuals (or about 4.02% of the population) who belong to another Christian church. There were 4 individuals (or about 0.07% of the population) who were Jewish
, and 409 (or about 7.54% of the population) who are Islam
ic. There are 15 individuals (or about 0.28% of the population) who belong to another church (not listed on the census), 308 (or about 5.68% of the population) belong to no church, are agnostic
or atheist
, and 200 individuals (or about 3.69% of the population) did not answer the question.
).
Bischofszell is home to the Bischofszell primary and secondary school district
.In the 2008/2009 school year there are 1,173 students at either the primary or secondary levels. There are 211 children in the kindergarten
, and the average class size is 19.18 kindergartners. Of the children in kindergarten, 107 or 50.7% are female, 41 or 19.4% are not Swiss citizens and 44 or 20.9% do not speak German natively. The lower and upper primary levels begin at about age 5-6 and lasts for 6 years. There are 351 children in who are at the lower primary level and 396 children in the upper primary level. The average class size in the primary school is 20.19 students. At the lower primary level, there are 160 children or 45.6% of the total population who are female, 50 or 14.2% are not Swiss citizens and 52 or 14.8% do not speak German natively. In the upper primary level, there are 203 or 51.3% who are female, 65 or 16.4% are not Swiss citizens and 68 or 17.2% do not speak German natively.
At the secondary level, students are divided according to performance. The secondary level begins at about age 12 and usually lasts 3 years. There are 246 teenagers who are in the advanced school, of which 132 or 53.7% are female, 28 or 11.4% are not Swiss citizens and 29 or 11.8% do not speak German natively. There are 172 teenagers who are in the standard school, of which 77 or 44.8% are female, 48 or 27.9% are not Swiss citizens and 57 or 33.1% do not speak German natively. Finally, there are 8 teenagers who are in special or remedial classes, of which 3 or 37.5% are female, 4 or 50.0% are not Swiss citizens and 3 or 37.5% do not speak German natively. The average class size for all classes at the secondary level is 19 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 Weinfelden District 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....
. It is the seat of the district. In 1987, the city was awarded the Wakker Prize
Wakker Prize
The Wakker Prize is awarded annually by the Swiss Heritage Society to a Municipality of Switzerland for the development and preservation of its architectural heritage....
for the preservation of its architectural heritage. So was its neighboring city Hauptwil-Gottshaus
Hauptwil-Gottshaus
Hauptwil-Gottshaus is a municipality in Weinfelden District in the canton of Thurgau in Switzerland.The municipality was created in 1996 by a merger of Hauptwil and Gottshaus....
in 1999.
History
A Bronze AgeBronze Age
The Bronze Age is a period characterized by the use of copper and its alloy bronze as the chief hard materials in the manufacture of some implements and weapons. Chronologically, it stands between the Stone Age and Iron Age...
Tumulus
Tumulus
A tumulus is a mound of earth and stones raised over a grave or graves. Tumuli are also known as barrows, burial mounds, Hügelgrab or kurgans, and can be found throughout much of the world. A tumulus composed largely or entirely of stones is usually referred to as a cairn...
, scattered Roman
Switzerland in the Roman era
The history of Switzerland in the Roman era encompasses the roughly six centuries during which the territory of modern Switzerland was a part of the Roman Republic and Empire...
and Alamanni
Alamanni
The Alamanni, Allemanni, or Alemanni were originally an alliance of Germanic tribes located around the upper Rhine river . One of the earliest references to them is the cognomen Alamannicus assumed by Roman Emperor Caracalla, who ruled the Roman Empire from 211 to 217 and claimed thereby to be...
items and Early Middle Ages
Early Middle Ages
The Early Middle Ages was the period of European history lasting from the 5th century to approximately 1000. The Early Middle Ages followed the decline of the Western Roman Empire and preceded the High Middle Ages...
documents provide evidence of earlier settlements. It was probably founded in the 9th Century by the Bishop of Constance Salomo I. The current town of Bischofszell is first mentioned in 1155 as Bischoffescella. In 1250 it avoided being passed from the Bishop of Constance to the Prince-Abbot
Prince-Bishop
A Prince-Bishop is a bishop who is a territorial Prince of the Church on account of one or more secular principalities, usually pre-existent titles of nobility held concurrently with their inherent clerical office...
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...
. In 1273 it was conquered the lords of Montfort, who burned the city. East of the castle a market and town grew up during the 13th Century. This new town around the market became the center of the modern city. The second enlargement began in 1360 when the noisy, smell or flammable businesses moved to the east of the town. Around 1405, this section was demolished for military reasons, and rebuilt, with a city wall, in 1437.
The town seal of 1338 (gloved arm with crozier) and the Charter of 1350 testify to the beginning of the municipal government. The financial difficulties of the Bishop encouraged the autonomy aspirations of citizens, who often bought city rights from the Bishop. Bischofszell remained mostly independent under the Bishops of Constance. Starting in 1276 the Bishop's Chief Bailiff
Bailiff
A bailiff is a governor or custodian ; a legal officer to whom some degree of authority, care or jurisdiction is committed...
resided in the castle. He was the chairman of the twelve-membered City Council. The bailiff, with two leading members of the council, formed the high court
High, middle and low justice
High, middle and low justices are notions dating from Western feudalism to indicate descending degrees of judiciary power to administer justice by the maximal punishment the holders could inflict upon their subjects and other dependents....
of the city between 1485 and 1798. The high and low courts were not identical. The City Court had the low justice rights in the city and surroundings, while after the conquest of Thurgau by the Swiss Confederation
Old Swiss Confederacy
The Old Swiss Confederacy was the precursor of modern-day Switzerland....
in 1460 the Governor had low justice rights in part of the city, and high justice rights over the Heiliggeistspitals.
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...
, Zurich
Zürich
Zurich is the largest city in Switzerland and the capital of the canton of Zurich. It is located in central Switzerland at the northwestern tip of Lake Zurich...
became the protector of the Protestant majority and attempted to protect them from the demands of the bishop. Complex political coalitions were created to govern Bischofszell. In 1587 a Confederation 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...
was appointed over the city, though the Prince Bishops retained power over the city until 1798.
At the center of the old town, a city hall was built in 1626-29. The first city hall was destroyed in 1743 along with 70 other houses, in a fire. In 1747-50 a new city hall was built by Johann Caspar Bagnato (renovated in 1977-80). The entire population lived inside the city wall from 1437 until the 18th Century. In 1544-45 the cemetery was moved outside the walls.
The castle was damaged by the city fire in 1419 and repaired soon thereafter. During the 17th and 18th Century the castle was expanded and totally renovated. The newly founded Canton of Thurgau took over the castle in 1798, but sold it in 1811 again. About 1838 the west part collapsed, and in 1843 the keep was broken up. Since 1930, the castle has been owned by the municipality.
The village church originally belonged to the Sulgen
Sulgen
Sulgen is a municipality in Weinfelden District in the canton of Thurgau in Switzerland.-Geography:Sulgen has an area, , of . Of this area, or 67.0% is used for agricultural purposes, while or 12.9% is forested...
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...
. It became an independent parish in 1269. During the 14th Century, the newly built St. Pelagius's Church (oldest foundations were from the 9th century) was a collegiate
Collegiate church
In Christianity, a collegiate church is a church where the daily office of worship is maintained by a college of canons; a non-monastic, or "secular" community of clergy, organised as a self-governing corporate body, which may be presided over by a dean or provost...
and parish church
Parish church
A parish church , in Christianity, is the church which acts as the religious centre of a parish, the basic administrative unit of episcopal churches....
. Under Zurich's influence most of the population converted to the Reformation in 1529, but by 1535 the Catholic Mass
Mass (liturgy)
"Mass" is one of the names by which the sacrament of the Eucharist is called in the Roman Catholic Church: others are "Eucharist", the "Lord's Supper", the "Breaking of Bread", the "Eucharistic assembly ", the "memorial of the Lord's Passion and Resurrection", the "Holy Sacrifice", the "Holy and...
was again celebrated in the church. In 1536 and 1563 the parish funds were shared between the two faiths. Starting in 1728 all city offices were evenly split between Catholic and Protestant individuals. occupied by an even equally. The two parishes included Hauptwil, Gottshaus and Halden as well as parts of Hohentannen and Schweizersholz. Until the construction of the Reformed
Swiss 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...
St. John's Church in 1968, the old church was 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...
.
In 1530 a Protestant school was established. The Catholic School was closed in 1536 and reopened in 1660 with support from the Bishops, though since the late 18th Century it was increasingly supported by the city. In 1834 a secondary school opened in the town and in 1870 both religious school districts united.
The wooden bridge on Thur
Thur River (Switzerland)
Thur is a long river in north-eastern Switzerland. Its source is near the mountain Säntis in the south-east of the canton of St. Gallen. In this canton it flows through the Toggenburg region and the town Wil. After Wil it flows through the canton of Thurgau and its capital Frauenfeld. The final ...
(1300) and Sitter Rivers (from 1428) were replaced by stone in 1500. Because these bridges were exempt from taxes until 1796, Bischofszell became and important stop in the transshipment of textiles in the 15th-16th Centuries. It was quite successful in competition with St. Gallen and the 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...
towns. In the 17th and 18th Centuries the trading families of Rietmann, Bridler, Daller and Zwinger grew into powerful trading houses. The local textile production was, however probably of lesser importance. Crafts and trades protected their interests with restrictive decrees including the Gewerbeordnung of 1699 which prohibited guild
Guild
A guild is an association of craftsmen in a particular trade. The earliest types of guild were formed as confraternities of workers. They were organized in a manner something between a trade union, a cartel, and a secret society...
s.
Just as under the Ancien Régime
Early Modern Switzerland
The early modern history of the Old Swiss Confederacy , lasting from formal independence in 1648 to the French invasion of 1798 came to be referred as Ancien Régime retrospectively, in post-Napoleonic Switzerland.The early modern period was characterized by an increasingly...
, Bischofszell remained one of the richest municipalities during the Helvetic Republic
Helvetic Republic
In Swiss history, the Helvetic Republic represented an early attempt to impose a central authority over Switzerland, which until then consisted mainly of self-governing cantons united by a loose military alliance, and conquered territories such as Vaud...
. In 1812 the court of Engishalden and the hamlets
Hamlet (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 Winklen, Moosburg, Muggensturm, Klausenhäusli, Katzensteig and Im Stich were allocated to Bischofszell. The town spend approximately one third of their assets on the construction of the railway line from Sulgen to Gossau. Its opening in 1876 may have been crucial in addition to the water for industrial expansion.
The first printer in Bischofszell the Thurgauer Druckerei founded in 1792 by Andrew Wehrli. From 1860 until 1872 they published the Bischofszell Zeitung and in 1870 published the Massschneiderei Munz. Between 1856-1911 the Jacquard weaving
Jacquard weaving
Jacquard weaving makes possible in almost any loom the programmed raising of each warp thread independently of the others. This brings much greater versatility to the weaving process, and offers the highest level of warp yarn control...
Niederer factory was active Bischofszell. Out of the Niederer factory, the paper mill (Papieri Bischofszell) grew and remained open until 1984. About 200 factory jobs offered in 1910 by two embroidery factories. The preferred industrial location in the 19th Century, was around the bridges. In the 20th Century the industrial park Bischofszell-Nord/Sittertal has drawn a number of companies. They include the cooperative Obi (1906) and Tobler (1909) canning factory, which since 1945 belongs to Migros
Migros
Migros is one of Switzerland's largest enterprises, its largest supermarket chain and largest employer. It co-founded Turkey's largest retailer, Migros Türk, which became independent of Migros Switzerland in 1975....
. In the 1990s it employed about 700 employees and contributed to a positive commuting balance.
Immigration changed the confessional (61% Reformed in 1870, in 1910 it was 55% and in 1990 only 40%) and political conditions, in the elections of the 20th Century, the Christian Democrats or 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...
(or their predecessors) and 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....
were about equally represented, followed by the SP
Social Democratic Party of Switzerland
The Social Democratic Party of Switzerland is the largest centre-left political party in Switzerland....
. However, 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 39.53% of the vote. The next three most popular parties were the CVP (19.02%), the SP (11.33%) and the FDP (10.8%). In the federal election, a total of 1,537 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 44.0%.
The city water supply was built in 1893 and in 1903/08-59 it had its own gas production. In 1908 a storm water control system was built and a Sewage treatment
Sewage treatment
Sewage treatment, or domestic wastewater treatment, is the process of removing contaminants from wastewater and household sewage, both runoff and domestic. It includes physical, chemical, and biological processes to remove physical, chemical and biological contaminants...
plant was added in 1973, both of which improved the city's infrastructure. The city has expanded into the terrace area to the east, with the 1945-46 housing development that created "Obi-village", the detached houses on Lättehang and along the roads to Sitterdorf and Sulgen. After an exodus in the 1970s, population began to grow again in 1990.
Geography
Bischofszell consists of two parts - the older elevated part and the newer more industrial part located to the north. The Sitter river flows in the Thur directly outside Bischofszell. The forest to the south-east and the riverbanks are popular recreation areas. The closest bigger city and capital of the neighboring canton St. GallenSt. Gallen
St. Gallen is the capital of the canton of St. Gallen in Switzerland. It evolved from the hermitage of Saint Gall, founded in the 7th century. Today, it is a large urban agglomeration and represents the center of eastern Switzerland. The town mainly relies on the service sector for its economic...
is about 30 minutes away by train or car.
Bischofszell has an area, , of 11.62 square kilometres (4.5 sq mi). Of this area, 6.4 km² (2.5 sq mi) or 55.1% is used for agricultural purposes, while 2.85 km² (1.1 sq mi) or 24.5% is forested. Of the rest of the land, 2.06 km² (0.795370446700622 sq mi) or 17.7% is settled (buildings or roads), 0.34 km² (0.131274733921462 sq mi) or 2.9% is either rivers or lakes and 0.03 km² (7.4 acre) or 0.3% is unproductive land.
Of the built up area, industrial buildings made up 8.3% of the total area while housing and buildings made up 2.2% and transportation infrastructure made up 0.9%. while parks, green belts and sports fields made up 5.9%. Out of the forested land, 22.5% of the total land area is heavily forested and 2.1% is covered with orchards or small clusters of trees. Of the agricultural land, 47.4% is used for growing crops, while 7.7% is used for orchards or vine crops. All the water in the municipality is flowing water.
The municipality is situated in Weinfelden District. It is located at the confluence
Confluence
Confluence, in geography, describes the meeting of two or more bodies of water.Confluence may also refer to:* Confluence , a property of term rewriting systems...
of the Thur and Sitter Rivers, and includes the terrace south of the river. It consists of the town of Bischofszell-Nord/Sittertal and Bischofszell as well as Halden and part of Schweizersholz and Gottshaus (Stocken).
Demographics
Bischofszell has a population of , 22.3% of the population are foreign nationals. Over the last 10 years (1997–2007) the population has changed at a rate of -0.6%. 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....
(85.4%), with Portugese
Portuguese language
Portuguese is a Romance language that arose in the medieval Kingdom of Galicia, nowadays Galicia and Northern Portugal. The southern part of the Kingdom of Galicia became independent as the County of Portugal in 1095...
being second most common ( 3.7%) and Serbo-Croatian
Serbo-Croatian language
Serbo-Croatian or Serbo-Croat, less commonly Bosnian/Croatian/Serbian , is a South Slavic language with multiple standards and the primary language of Serbia, Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, and Montenegro...
being third ( 2.7%).
, the gender distribution of the population was 49.5% male and 50.5% female. The population was made up of 2,047 Swiss men (37.3% of the population), and 673 (12.3%) non-Swiss men. There were 2,221 Swiss women (40.4%), and 551 (10.0%) non-Swiss women.
In there were 31 live births to Swiss citizens and 11 births to non-Swiss citizens, and in same time span there were 57 deaths of Swiss citizens and 2 non-Swiss citizen deaths. Ignoring immigration and emigration, the population of Swiss citizens decreased by 26 while the foreign population increased by 9. There were 2 Swiss men who emigrated from Switzerland to another country, 33 non-Swiss men who emigrated from Switzerland to another country and 31 non-Swiss women who emigrated from Switzerland to another country. The total Swiss population change in 2008 (from all sources) was a decrease of 26 and the non-Swiss population change was an increase of 24 people. This represents a population growth rate of 0.0%.
The age distribution, , in Bischofszell is; 507 children or 9.2% of the population are between 0 and 9 years old and 740 teenagers or 13.4% are between 10 and 19. Of the adult population, 744 people or 13.4% of the population are between 20 and 29 years old. 705 people or 12.7% are between 30 and 39, 915 people or 16.5% are between 40 and 49, and 693 people or 12.5% are between 50 and 59. The senior population distribution is 551 people or 10.0% of the population are between 60 and 69 years old, 391 people or 7.1% are between 70 and 79, there are 232 people or 4.2% who are between 80 and 89, and there are 58 people or 1.0% who are 90 and older.
the average number of residents per living room was 0.56 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 39.8% 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 2,198 private households in the municipality, and an average of 2.4 persons per household. there were 656 single family homes (or 73.0% of the total) out of a total of 899 inhabited buildings. There were 92 two family buildings (10.2%), 51 three family buildings (5.7%) and 100 multi-family buildings (or 11.1%). There were 1,218 (or 22.5%) persons who were part of a couple without children, and 3,010 (or 55.5%) who were part of a couple with children. There were 249 (or 4.6%) people who lived in single parent home, while there are 42 persons who were adult children living with one or both parents, 12 persons who lived in a household made up of relatives, 43 who lived in a household made up of unrelated persons, and 129 who are either institutionalized or live in another type of collective housing.
The vacancy rate for the municipality, , was 1.49%. , the construction rate of new housing units was 2.2 new units per 1000 residents. there were 2,516 apartments in the municipality. The most common apartment size was the 4 room apartment of which there were 736. There were 111 single room apartments and 355 apartments with six or more rooms. the average price to rent an average apartment in Bischofszell was 908.22 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$730, £410, €580 approx. exchange rate from 2000). The average rate for a one room apartment was 494.53 CHF (US$400, £220, €320), a two room apartment was about 654.29 CHF (US$520, £290, €420), a three room apartment was about 797.11 CHF (US$640, £360, €510) and a six or more room apartment cost an average of 1393.10 CHF (US$1110, £630, €890). The average apartment price in Bischofszell was 81.4% of the national average of 1116 CHF.
The historical population is given in the following table:
| year | population |
|---|---|
| 1634 | c. 550 |
| 1773 | c. 950 |
| 1831 | 923 |
| 1850 | 1,303 |
| 1880 | 2,114 |
| 1900 | 2,618 |
| 1910 | 3,192 |
| 1950 | 3,567 |
| 1980 | 3,990 |
| 1990 | 4,563 |
| 2000 | 5,421 |
Heritage sites of national significance
There are seven sites that are listed as Swiss heritage site of national significanceSwiss Inventory of Cultural Property of National and Regional Significance
The Swiss Inventory of Cultural Property of National and Regional Significance is a register of some 8,300 items of cultural property in Switzerland...
. Two houses, the Daller House, the double house Rebstock / Rosenstock are included on the list, as is the former paper factory with paper machines. The house and the map collection of the Dr. Albert Knoepfli collection in the Museum Bischofszell, the Catholic
Roman Catholic Church
The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the world's largest Christian church, with over a billion members. Led by the Pope, it defines its mission as spreading the gospel of Jesus Christ, administering the sacraments and exercising charity...
Church of St Pelagius with St. Michaels Chapel, the Rathaus
Rathaus
Rathaus is a German word literally translating as “council house”, meaning “city hall” or “town hall”. Many specific buildings are referred to as Rathaus even when spoken about in English.Some important Rathäuser are:* Rathaus Schöneberg...
(Town council house) and Alte Thurbrücke make up the rest of the list. The entire city of Bischofszell is part of the Inventory of Swiss Heritage Sites
Inventory 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:...
. The Rathaus was built in 1747-50 by Gaspare Bagnato and is on Reichenau Island. The catholic parish church of St. Pelagius dates from the 9th Century.
Culture and Sightseeing
The old part of Bischofszell contains a many historical buildings such as the eponymous former bishop's residence. During the annual "Rosen- und Kulturwoche" (roses and culture week) at the end of June a large part of this town section is decorated over 40 arrangements of roses and hosts cultural events such as concerts or balls. During Easter numerous wells in Bischofszell are decorated with Easter motives. The annual rafting race in May also crosses through Bischofszell. The large weir is an interesting spot in the race and the bridge directly above makes a popular place to watch the rafts.Other notable sight include:
- The "Thurbrücke" - one of the most notable bridges from the late middle-ages in Switzerland.
- The "Bogenturm" - the eastern gate and guardtower of the old Bischofszell.
- The reformed church building built between 1968 and 69 from designs by Benedikt Huber.
Economy
, Bischofszell had an unemployment rate of 2.4%. , there were 117 people employed in the primary economic sector and about 40 businesses involved in this sector. 1,522 people are employed in the secondary sector and there are 66 businesses in this sector. 1,463 people are employed in the tertiary sector, with 196 businesses in this sector.there were 3,612 workers who lived in the municipality. Of these, 1,283 or about 35.5% of the residents worked outside Bischofszell while 1,429 people commuted into the municipality for work. There were a total of 3,758 jobs (of at least 6 hours per week) in the municipality. Of the working population, 8.2% used public transportation to get to work, and 42.8% used a private car.
Industry
- "Bischofszell Nahrungsmittel AG" (Bischofszell Food Corp.) belonging to Migros produces a wide variety of products like fruit juices, jams, canned food, convenience food and non-soda beverages for the nationwide supermarket chain Migros and for export.
- "Molkerei Biedermann AG" (Dairy Biedermann Corp.) produces bio dairy products for numerous national (such as Coop and Migros) and international clients.
Religion
From the , 2,266 or 41.8% were Roman Catholic, while 1,895 or 35.0% belonged to the Swiss Reformed Church. Of the rest of the population, there were 2 Old Catholics (or about 0.04% of the population) who belonged to the Christian Catholic Church of SwitzerlandChristian Catholic Church of Switzerland
The Christian Catholic Church of Switzerland is the Swiss member church of the Union of Utrecht, also known as Old Catholic Church, originally founded by the jansenists, with a later influx of discontented Catholics following their disappointment with the First Vatican Council. It has 14,000...
there are 104 individuals (or about 1.92% of the population) who belong to the Orthodox Church, and there are 218 individuals (or about 4.02% of the population) who belong to another Christian church. There were 4 individuals (or about 0.07% of the population) who were Jewish
Judaism
Judaism ) is the "religion, philosophy, and way of life" of the Jewish people...
, and 409 (or about 7.54% 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 15 individuals (or about 0.28% of the population) who belong to another church (not listed on the census), 308 (or about 5.68% 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 200 individuals (or about 3.69% of the population) did not answer the question.
Education
The entire Swiss population is generally well educated. In Bischofszell about 64% 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...
).
Bischofszell is home to the Bischofszell primary and secondary school district
Education in Switzerland
The education system in Switzerland is very diverse, because the constitution of Switzerland delegates the authority for the school system mainly to the cantons...
.In the 2008/2009 school year there are 1,173 students at either the primary or secondary levels. There are 211 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 is 19.18 kindergartners. Of the children in kindergarten, 107 or 50.7% are female, 41 or 19.4% are not Swiss citizens and 44 or 20.9% do not speak German natively. The lower and upper primary levels begin at about age 5-6 and lasts for 6 years. There are 351 children in who are at the lower primary level and 396 children in the upper primary level. The average class size in the primary school is 20.19 students. At the lower primary level, there are 160 children or 45.6% of the total population who are female, 50 or 14.2% are not Swiss citizens and 52 or 14.8% do not speak German natively. In the upper primary level, there are 203 or 51.3% who are female, 65 or 16.4% are not Swiss citizens and 68 or 17.2% do not speak German natively.
At the secondary level, students are divided according to performance. The secondary level begins at about age 12 and usually lasts 3 years. There are 246 teenagers who are in the advanced school, of which 132 or 53.7% are female, 28 or 11.4% are not Swiss citizens and 29 or 11.8% do not speak German natively. There are 172 teenagers who are in the standard school, of which 77 or 44.8% are female, 48 or 27.9% are not Swiss citizens and 57 or 33.1% do not speak German natively. Finally, there are 8 teenagers who are in special or remedial classes, of which 3 or 37.5% are female, 4 or 50.0% are not Swiss citizens and 3 or 37.5% do not speak German natively. The average class size for all classes at the secondary level is 19 students.
Notable residents
- Ludwig HaetzerLudwig HaetzerLudwig Haetzer was an Anabaptist.Born in Bischofszell, Thurgau, Switzerland, he wrote an article against the uses of images in worship, translated some Latin evangelical texts regarding the conversion of Jews, together with Hans Denck he translated the prophets of the Bible into German and...
(1500–1529), an AnabaptistAnabaptistAnabaptists are Protestant Christians of the Radical Reformation of 16th-century Europe, and their direct descendants, particularly the Amish, Brethren, Hutterites, and Mennonites....
associated with the Protestant reformationProtestant ReformationThe 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...
, was born in Bischofszell - Gall MorelGall MorelGall Morel O. S. B. was a poet, scholar, aesthete, and educationist, born at St. Gallen, Switzerland, on 24 March, 1803; died at the Abbey of Einsiedeln on 16 December, 1872. His baptismal name was Benedict, but in the monastery he took the name of Gall. In 1814, he entered the gymnasium at St. Gall...
(1803–1872), poet, scholar, aesthete, and educationist, was born in Bischofszell - Eduard de MuraltEduard de MuraltEduard de Muralt , Professor of theology, librarian, palaeographer.Born in Bischofszell, as son of Kaspar, a dealer, and of Elizabeth Sprüngli. Studies of theology in Zurich , then of philology and philosophy in Berlin, Jena and Paris. Muralt emigrated to Russia in 1834, took the German Protestant...
(1808–1895), professor of theology, librarian, and paleographer, was born in Bischofszell - Fridolin SicherFridolin SicherFridolin Sicher was a Swiss composer and organist of the Renaissance era. He was born in Bischofszell and began his study of the organ at the age of 13 with Martin Vogelmaier, the organist of Konstanz Cathedral. He then studied theology and in 1510 became a prebend and organist at St Agnes Church...
(1490–1546), composer and organist of the Renaissance eraRenaissance musicRenaissance music is European music written during the Renaissance. Defining the beginning of the musical era is difficult, given that its defining characteristics were adopted only gradually; musicologists have placed its beginnings from as early as 1300 to as late as the 1470s.Literally meaning...
, was born in Bischofszell
External links
- http://bischofszell.ch Official website in German.
- http://www.bischofszellerrosenwoche.ch "Roses and Culture Week" official website in German.