Münchwilen, Thurgau
Encyclopedia
Münchwilen is a municipality
and district capital of the district of Münchwilen
in the canton
of Thurgau
in Switzerland
.
in the municipality of Sirnach
. In a process that lasted from 1812 until 1824, Münchwilen absorbed the municipality of Mezikon. Then, in 1950, the Ortsgemeinden of Münchwilen, Oberhofen and St. Margarethen, against opposition from the rest of the villages in Sirnach, merged to form the independent municipality of Münchwilen.
en. From the late 15th Century until 1798 it belonged to the so-called High Court
of Tuttwilerberg, in which the Swiss Confederation
Governor or his deputy held both the high and the low justice rights.
Until the founding of the Reformed
parish
of Münchwilen-Eschlikon in 1935 (which included Oberhofen, St. Margaret and Wallenwil), it was part of the parish of Sirnach. The Sirnach parish converted during the Protestant Reformation
and then became a shared church
. In 1937 a Reformed church was built in Münchwilen, followed in 1968 by the Catholic
St. Anthony's Church.
The water power of the Murg river (a grist mill was built in 1601), the Murgbrücke (bridge over the Murg) to Oberhofen (built in 1774) and the expansion of Wil-Winterthur road (in 1785) provided the basis for the development of the tourism and manufacturing industry. A cotton mill was founded in 1817, which grew into the Heitz cotton weaving factory (with offices in St. Margaret), and the Zellweger spinning mill. In 1866, the Wäffler-Egli company operated 5,228 spindles and the J. Heitz & Cie. company employed around a thousand home workers. In 1871 the regional industrial center replaced Tobel as the district capital. The opening of the Frauenfeld-Wil train in 1887 led to strong growth in the village. In 1858, Sutter (a manufacturer of cleaning products) founded a vinegar factory in Münchwilen, which later became Johnson Diversey. Other major companies in Münchwilen included Swisstulle AG (founded in 1913, and until 2002 known as Schweiz. Gesellschaft für Tüllindustrie) and the light fixtures and metal goods factory Huco AG (founded 1927).
until 1798 Oberhofen was part of the Tannegg Amt and the County of Thurgau. It was part of the parish of Sirnach until 1935 when it joined the Münchwilen-Eschlikon parish. The majority of the population are members of the Swiss Reformed Church (97% in 1850 and 73% in 1941). It is a typical industrial village on the eastern slope of the Tuttwil mountain and is connected by a ford
and the Murgbrücke (built in 1774) with Münchwilen. The largest factory in the village is the former Sutter shoe polish
factory, which after the death of Alfred Sutter went to Unilever
and in 2002 was acquired by Johnson Diversey Schweiz. In 2009 the factory provided about 370 jobs in the village.
of Lommis, which belonged to Fischingen Abbey
between 1599 and 1798. The parish church
was first mentioned in 1275 and in 1316 came under the authority of the Abbey. In 1362, the village was transferred to the parish of Sirnach. During the Counter-Reformation
the former parish church was demolished in 1641 and rebuilt nearby. During the 17th and 18th Centuries the St. Margaretha chapel flourished as a pilgrimage church. The Reformed residents of the village joined the newly founded Münchwilen-Eschlikon parish in 1935. A mill existed in the village between 1474 and 1860, along with another mill in Mörikon from 1475 to 1918. Despite holding a market right
since about 1711, markets were only irregularly held. In the 18th and 19th Centuries spinning, weaving and embroidery provided much of the local income. Swisstulle AG (founded in 1913, and until 2002 known as Schweiz. Gesellschaft für Tüllindustrie) and the light fixtures and metal goods factory Huco AG (founded 1927) dominate the industrial character of the village.
Of the built up area, industrial buildings made up 11.9% of the total area while housing and buildings made up 2.6% and transportation infrastructure made up 0.4%. Power and water infrastructure as well as other special developed areas made up 1.2% of the area while parks, green belts and sports fields made up 7.1%. Out of the forested land, 8.0% of the total land area is heavily forested and 2.1% is covered with orchards or small clusters of trees. Of the agricultural land, 61.9% is used for growing crops, while 4.7% is used for orchards or vine crops. All the water in the municipality is in lakes.
The municipality is the capital of the Münchwilen district. It is located north-west of Wil
in the Murg valley. It consists of the villages of Münchwilen, Oberhofen bei Münchwilen and Sankt Margarethen and the hamlets
of Freudenberg, Holzmannshaus (Hofen-Holzmannshaus), Mezikon, Mörikon, Pfannenstil and Sedel.
(86.8%), with Italian
being second most common ( 4.3%) and Turkish
being third ( 2.1%).
, the gender distribution of the population was 49.9% male and 50.1% female. The population was made up of 1,882 Swiss men (40.2% of the population), and 452 (9.7%) non-Swiss men. There were 1,969 Swiss women (42.1%), and 379 (8.1%) non-Swiss women.
In there were 41 live births to Swiss citizens and 12 births to non-Swiss citizens, and in same time span there were 28 deaths of Swiss citizens and 2 non-Swiss citizen deaths. Ignoring immigration and emigration, the population of Swiss citizens increased by 13 while the foreign population increased by 10. There was 1 Swiss man, 7 Swiss women who emigrated from Switzerland to another country, 13 non-Swiss men who emigrated from Switzerland to another country and 7 non-Swiss women who emigrated from Switzerland to another country. The total Swiss population change in 2008 (from all sources) was an increase of 32 and the non-Swiss population change was an increase of 30 people. This represents a population growth rate of 1.3%.
The age distribution, , in Münchwilen is; 553 children or 11.6% of the population are between 0 and 9 years old and 658 teenagers or 13.8% are between 10 and 19. Of the adult population, 622 people or 13.1% of the population are between 20 and 29 years old. 633 people or 13.3% are between 30 and 39, 815 people or 17.1% are between 40 and 49, and 613 people or 12.9% are between 50 and 59. The senior population distribution is 423 people or 8.9% of the population are between 60 and 69 years old, 263 people or 5.5% are between 70 and 79, there are 150 people or 3.2% who are between 80 and 89, and there are 30 people or 0.6% who are 90 and older.
the average number of residents per living room was 0.59 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 47.6% 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 1,728 private households in the municipality, and an average of 2.5 persons per household. there were 624 single family homes (or 77.9% of the total) out of a total of 801 inhabited buildings. There were 73 two family buildings (9.1%), 25 three family buildings (3.1%) and 79 multi-family buildings (or 9.9%). There were 915 (or 20.1%) persons who were part of a couple without children, and 2,662 (or 58.5%) who were part of a couple with children. There were 248 (or 5.4%) people who lived in single parent home, while there are 29 persons who were adult children living with one or both parents, 18 persons who lived in a household made up of relatives, 19 who lived in a household made up of unrelated persons, and 174 who are either institutionalized or live in another type of collective housing.
The vacancy rate for the municipality, , was 1.1%. , the construction rate of new housing units was 0.9 new units per 1000 residents. there were 1,866 apartments in the municipality. The most common apartment size was the 4 room apartment of which there were 593. There were 51 single room apartments and 272 apartments with six or more rooms.
In the 2007 federal election
the most popular party was the SVP
which received 44.82% of the vote. The next three most popular parties were the CVP
(17.82%), the Green Party
(11.56%) and the FDP
(10.79%). In the federal election, a total of 1,219 votes were cast, and the voter turnout
was 41.5%.
The historical population is given in the following table:
.
. Of the rest of the population, there was 1 Old Catholic who belonged to the Christian Catholic Church of Switzerland
there are 140 individuals (or about 3.07% of the population) who belong to the Orthodox Church, and there are 126 individuals (or about 2.77% of the population) who belong to another Christian church. There were 2 individuals (or about 0.04% of the population) who were Jewish
, and 273 (or about 6.00% of the population) who are Islam
ic. There are 93 individuals (or about 2.04% of the population) who belong to another church (not listed on the census), 215 (or about 4.72% of the population) belong to no church, are agnostic
or atheist
, and 135 individuals (or about 2.97% of the population) did not answer the question.
).
Münchwilen is home to the Münchwilen primary and secondary school district
. In the 2008/2009 school year there were 537 students at either the primary or secondary levels. There were 118 children in the kindergarten
, and the average class size was 19.67 kindergartners. Of the children in kindergarten, 48 or 40.7% were female, 22 or 18.6% were not Swiss citizens and 23 or 19.5% did not speak German natively. The lower and upper primary levels begin at about age 5-6 and last for 6 years. There were 152 children in who were at the lower primary level and 190 children in the upper primary level. The average class size in the primary school was 20.44 students. At the lower primary level, there were 65 children or 42.8% of the total population who were female, 18 or 11.8% were not Swiss citizens and 27 or 17.8% did not speak German natively. In the upper primary level, there were 92 or 48.4% who were female, 32 or 16.8% were not Swiss citizens and 34 or 17.9% did 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 were 126 teenagers who were in the advanced school, of which 71 or 56.3% were female, 11 or 8.7% were not Swiss citizens and 12 or 9.5% did not speak German natively. There were 61 teenagers who were in the standard school, of which 30 or 49.2% were female, 18 or 29.5% were not Swiss citizens and 18 or 29.5% did not speak German natively. Finally, there were 8 teenagers who were in special or remedial classes, of which 5 or 62.5% were female, 3 or 37.5% were not Swiss citizens and 3 or 37.5% did not speak German natively. The average class size for all classes at the secondary level was 20.78 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...
and district capital of the district of Münchwilen
Münchwilen (district)
Münchwilen District is one of the five districts of the canton of Thurgau, Switzerland. It has a population of . Its capital is the town of Münchwilen.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
Münchwilen is first mentioned in 1160 as Munchiwillar. Oberhofen bei Münchwilen is first mentioned in 1160-70 as Obirhovin. Sankt Margarethen is first mentioned in 1275 as Affoltrangen sancte Margarete. Hofen-Holzmannshaus is first mentioned in 1244 as Hovin and in 1448 as Holtzmans guot bei Eschlikon. Between 1803-1950 Münchwilen was an OrtsgemeindeBürgergemeinde
The Bürgergemeinde is a statutory corporation in public law in Switzerland...
in the municipality of Sirnach
Sirnach
Sirnach is a municipality in the district of Münchwilen in the canton of Thurgau in Switzerland.-Geography:Sirnach has an area, , of . Of this area, or 53.9% is used for agricultural purposes, while or 24.9% is forested...
. In a process that lasted from 1812 until 1824, Münchwilen absorbed the municipality of Mezikon. Then, in 1950, the Ortsgemeinden of Münchwilen, Oberhofen and St. Margarethen, against opposition from the rest of the villages in Sirnach, merged to form the independent municipality of Münchwilen.
Münchwilen
Münchwilen was first mentioned in 1160 and 1170 as part of the estates of the Abbey of St. GallAbbey 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...
en. From the late 15th Century until 1798 it belonged to the so-called 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 Tuttwilerberg, in which the Swiss Confederation
Old Swiss Confederacy
The Old Swiss Confederacy was the precursor of modern-day Switzerland....
Governor or his deputy held both the high and the low justice rights.
Until the founding 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...
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 Münchwilen-Eschlikon in 1935 (which included Oberhofen, St. Margaret and Wallenwil), it was part of the parish of Sirnach. The Sirnach parish converted during 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...
and then 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...
. In 1937 a Reformed church was built in Münchwilen, followed in 1968 by 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...
St. Anthony's Church.
The water power of the Murg river (a grist mill was built in 1601), the Murgbrücke (bridge over the Murg) to Oberhofen (built in 1774) and the expansion of Wil-Winterthur road (in 1785) provided the basis for the development of the tourism and manufacturing industry. A cotton mill was founded in 1817, which grew into the Heitz cotton weaving factory (with offices in St. Margaret), and the Zellweger spinning mill. In 1866, the Wäffler-Egli company operated 5,228 spindles and the J. Heitz & Cie. company employed around a thousand home workers. In 1871 the regional industrial center replaced Tobel as the district capital. The opening of the Frauenfeld-Wil train in 1887 led to strong growth in the village. In 1858, Sutter (a manufacturer of cleaning products) founded a vinegar factory in Münchwilen, which later became Johnson Diversey. Other major companies in Münchwilen included Swisstulle AG (founded in 1913, and until 2002 known as Schweiz. Gesellschaft für Tüllindustrie) and the light fixtures and metal goods factory Huco AG (founded 1927).
Oberhofen bei Münchwilen
From the Late Middle AgesLate 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 ....
until 1798 Oberhofen was part of the Tannegg Amt and the County of Thurgau. It was part of the parish of Sirnach until 1935 when it joined the Münchwilen-Eschlikon parish. The majority of the population are members of the Swiss Reformed Church (97% in 1850 and 73% in 1941). It is a typical industrial village on the eastern slope of the Tuttwil mountain and is connected by a ford
Ford (crossing)
A ford is a shallow place with good footing where a river or stream may be crossed by wading or in a vehicle. A ford is mostly a natural phenomenon, in contrast to a low water crossing, which is an artificial bridge that allows crossing a river or stream when water is low.The names of many towns...
and the Murgbrücke (built in 1774) with Münchwilen. The largest factory in the village is the former Sutter shoe polish
Shoe polish
Shoe polish , usually a waxy paste or a cream, is a consumer product used to polish, shine, waterproof, and restore the appearance of leather shoes or boots, thereby extending the footwear's life...
factory, which after the death of Alfred Sutter went to Unilever
Unilever
Unilever is a British-Dutch multinational corporation that owns many of the world's consumer product brands in foods, beverages, cleaning agents and personal care products....
and in 2002 was acquired by Johnson Diversey Schweiz. In 2009 the factory provided about 370 jobs in the village.
Sankt Margarethen
Sankt Margarethen was part of the HerrschaftHerrschaft (territory)
In the German feudal system, a Herrschaft or Herrlichkeit was the fiefdom of a lord, who in this area exercised his full feudal rights...
of Lommis, which belonged to Fischingen Abbey
Fischingen Abbey
Fischingen Abbey , now Fischingen Priory, is a Benedictine monastery situated in Fischingen in the Canton of Thurgau, Switzerland, on the upper reaches of the Murg, a tributary of the Thur...
between 1599 and 1798. The 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....
was first mentioned in 1275 and in 1316 came under the authority of the Abbey. In 1362, the village was transferred to the parish of Sirnach. During the Counter-Reformation
Counter-Reformation
The Counter-Reformation was the period of Catholic revival beginning with the Council of Trent and ending at the close of the Thirty Years' War, 1648 as a response to the Protestant Reformation.The Counter-Reformation was a comprehensive effort, composed of four major elements:#Ecclesiastical or...
the former parish church was demolished in 1641 and rebuilt nearby. During the 17th and 18th Centuries the St. Margaretha chapel flourished as a pilgrimage church. The Reformed residents of the village joined the newly founded Münchwilen-Eschlikon parish in 1935. A mill existed in the village between 1474 and 1860, along with another mill in Mörikon from 1475 to 1918. Despite holding a market right
Market town
Market town or market right is a legal term, originating in the medieval period, for a European settlement that has the right to host markets, distinguishing it from a village and city...
since about 1711, markets were only irregularly held. In the 18th and 19th Centuries spinning, weaving and embroidery provided much of the local income. Swisstulle AG (founded in 1913, and until 2002 known as Schweiz. Gesellschaft für Tüllindustrie) and the light fixtures and metal goods factory Huco AG (founded 1927) dominate the industrial character of the village.
Geography
Münchwilen has an area, , of 7.79 square kilometres (3 sq mi). Of this area, 5.19 km² (2 sq mi) or 66.6% is used for agricultural purposes, while 0.78 km² (0.301159683702177 sq mi) or 10.0% is forested. Of the rest of the land, 1.8 km² (0.694983885466563 sq mi) or 23.1% is settled (buildings or roads), 0.01 km² (2.5 acre) or 0.1% is either rivers or lakes and 0.01 km² (2.5 acre) or 0.1% is unproductive land.Of the built up area, industrial buildings made up 11.9% of the total area while housing and buildings made up 2.6% and transportation infrastructure made up 0.4%. Power and water infrastructure as well as other special developed areas made up 1.2% of the area while parks, green belts and sports fields made up 7.1%. Out of the forested land, 8.0% of the total land area is heavily forested and 2.1% is covered with orchards or small clusters of trees. Of the agricultural land, 61.9% is used for growing crops, while 4.7% is used for orchards or vine crops. All the water in the municipality is in lakes.
The municipality is the capital of the Münchwilen district. It is located north-west of Wil
Wil
Wil is the capital of the Wahlkreis of Wil in the canton of St. Gallen in Switzerland.Wil is the third largest city in the Canton of St. Gallen, after the city of St...
in the Murg valley. It consists of the villages of Münchwilen, Oberhofen bei Münchwilen and Sankt Margarethen 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 Freudenberg, Holzmannshaus (Hofen-Holzmannshaus), Mezikon, Mörikon, Pfannenstil and Sedel.
Demographics
Münchwilen has a population of , 17.7% of the population are foreign nationals. Over the last 10 years (1997–2007) the population has changed at a rate of 6.7%. 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....
(86.8%), with 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 second most common ( 4.3%) and Turkish
Turkish language
Turkish is a language spoken as a native language by over 83 million people worldwide, making it the most commonly spoken of the Turkic languages. Its speakers are located predominantly in Turkey and Northern Cyprus with smaller groups in Iraq, Greece, Bulgaria, the Republic of Macedonia, Kosovo,...
being third ( 2.1%).
, the gender distribution of the population was 49.9% male and 50.1% female. The population was made up of 1,882 Swiss men (40.2% of the population), and 452 (9.7%) non-Swiss men. There were 1,969 Swiss women (42.1%), and 379 (8.1%) non-Swiss women.
In there were 41 live births to Swiss citizens and 12 births to non-Swiss citizens, and in same time span there were 28 deaths of Swiss citizens and 2 non-Swiss citizen deaths. Ignoring immigration and emigration, the population of Swiss citizens increased by 13 while the foreign population increased by 10. There was 1 Swiss man, 7 Swiss women who emigrated from Switzerland to another country, 13 non-Swiss men who emigrated from Switzerland to another country and 7 non-Swiss women who emigrated from Switzerland to another country. The total Swiss population change in 2008 (from all sources) was an increase of 32 and the non-Swiss population change was an increase of 30 people. This represents a population growth rate of 1.3%.
The age distribution, , in Münchwilen is; 553 children or 11.6% of the population are between 0 and 9 years old and 658 teenagers or 13.8% are between 10 and 19. Of the adult population, 622 people or 13.1% of the population are between 20 and 29 years old. 633 people or 13.3% are between 30 and 39, 815 people or 17.1% are between 40 and 49, and 613 people or 12.9% are between 50 and 59. The senior population distribution is 423 people or 8.9% of the population are between 60 and 69 years old, 263 people or 5.5% are between 70 and 79, there are 150 people or 3.2% who are between 80 and 89, and there are 30 people or 0.6% who are 90 and older.
the average number of residents per living room was 0.59 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 47.6% 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 1,728 private households in the municipality, and an average of 2.5 persons per household. there were 624 single family homes (or 77.9% of the total) out of a total of 801 inhabited buildings. There were 73 two family buildings (9.1%), 25 three family buildings (3.1%) and 79 multi-family buildings (or 9.9%). There were 915 (or 20.1%) persons who were part of a couple without children, and 2,662 (or 58.5%) who were part of a couple with children. There were 248 (or 5.4%) people who lived in single parent home, while there are 29 persons who were adult children living with one or both parents, 18 persons who lived in a household made up of relatives, 19 who lived in a household made up of unrelated persons, and 174 who are either institutionalized or live in another type of collective housing.
The vacancy rate for the municipality, , was 1.1%. , the construction rate of new housing units was 0.9 new units per 1000 residents. there were 1,866 apartments in the municipality. The most common apartment size was the 4 room apartment of which there were 593. There were 51 single room apartments and 272 apartments with six or more rooms.
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 44.82% of the vote. The next three most popular parties were 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...
(17.82%), 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:...
(11.56%) 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....
(10.79%). In the federal election, a total of 1,219 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 41.5%.
The historical population is given in the following table:
| Year | Population Münchwilen | Population Oberhofen bei Münchwilen | Population Sankt Margarethen |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1850 | 400 | 318 | 245 |
| 1900 | 585 | 486 | - |
| 1910 | - | 677 | - |
| 1941 | 1,046 | 641 | 513 |
| Year | Population, Münchwilen | ||
| 1950 | 2,540 | ||
| 1990 | 3,597 | ||
| 2000 | 4,553 | ||
Heritage sites of national significance
The St. Margarethen Chapel is listed as a 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...
.
Economy
, Münchwilen had an unemployment rate of 1.88%. , there were 92 people employed in the primary economic sector and about 30 businesses involved in this sector. 1,090 people are employed in the secondary sector and there are 67 businesses in this sector. 876 people are employed in the tertiary sector, with 141 businesses in this sector. there were 3,134 workers who lived in the municipality. Of these, 1,479 or about 47.2% of the residents worked outside Münchwilen while 1,243 people commuted into the municipality for work. There were a total of 2,898 jobs (of at least 6 hours per week) in the municipality. Of the working population, 11.1% used public transportation to get to work, and 51.1% used a private car.Religion
From the , 1,941 or 42.6% were Roman Catholic, while 1,627 or 35.7% 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 was 1 Old Catholic who belonged to the Christian Catholic Church of Switzerland
Christian 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 140 individuals (or about 3.07% of the population) who belong to the Orthodox Church, and there are 126 individuals (or about 2.77% of the population) who belong to another Christian church. There were 2 individuals (or about 0.04% of the population) who were Jewish
Judaism
Judaism ) is the "religion, philosophy, and way of life" of the Jewish people...
, and 273 (or about 6.00% 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 93 individuals (or about 2.04% of the population) who belong to another church (not listed on the census), 215 (or about 4.72% 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 135 individuals (or about 2.97% of the population) did not answer the question.
Education
In Münchwilen about 68.4% 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...
).
Münchwilen is home to the Münchwilen 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 were 537 students at either the primary or secondary levels. There were 118 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 19.67 kindergartners. Of the children in kindergarten, 48 or 40.7% were female, 22 or 18.6% were not Swiss citizens and 23 or 19.5% did not speak German natively. The lower and upper primary levels begin at about age 5-6 and last for 6 years. There were 152 children in who were at the lower primary level and 190 children in the upper primary level. The average class size in the primary school was 20.44 students. At the lower primary level, there were 65 children or 42.8% of the total population who were female, 18 or 11.8% were not Swiss citizens and 27 or 17.8% did not speak German natively. In the upper primary level, there were 92 or 48.4% who were female, 32 or 16.8% were not Swiss citizens and 34 or 17.9% did 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 were 126 teenagers who were in the advanced school, of which 71 or 56.3% were female, 11 or 8.7% were not Swiss citizens and 12 or 9.5% did not speak German natively. There were 61 teenagers who were in the standard school, of which 30 or 49.2% were female, 18 or 29.5% were not Swiss citizens and 18 or 29.5% did not speak German natively. Finally, there were 8 teenagers who were in special or remedial classes, of which 5 or 62.5% were female, 3 or 37.5% were not Swiss citizens and 3 or 37.5% did not speak German natively. The average class size for all classes at the secondary level was 20.78 students.