Pfyn
Encyclopedia
Pfyn is a municipality
in Frauenfeld District in the canton
of Thurgau
in Switzerland
.
Pfyn gives its name to the ancient Pfyn culture
, one of several Neolithic cultures in Switzerland which centered around intensive pig farming
and trading, dating from c. 3900 BC to c. 3500 BC.
Pfyn was also the site of a Roman era
frontier outpost, named Ad Fines (Latin: meaning "at the borders")
carved by a lateral moraine
of the Thur glacier, it dates from the Neolithic
era (4300 BC). The settlement site was discovered during peat cutting in the late 19th Century, but subsequently forgotten. During the war years 1940-41 an attempt to drain the bog to increase arable production land, led to its rediscovery. drainage work on arable production was raised again. In the autumn of 1944, an area of approximately 1000 square metres (10,763.9 sq ft) was excavated by interned Polish soldiers
led by Charles Keller-Tarnuzzer. Due to the topographical conditions, and an exploratory drilling project in 2002, it appears that about 60% of the settlement area has been excavated.
Keller-Tarnuzzer noted that there was the close relationship of the ceramic
s with the Michelsberg culture of southern Germany
, and believed that the Pfyn finds were a Michelsberg settlement. Around 1960 research determined that the Pfyn ceramics were represented an autonomous culture that was related to the Michelsberg culture. Since that time, the Pfyn-Breitenloo site has been regarded as the center of the Pfyn culture. Further explorations in 2002 and 2004 led to a somewhat more nuanced picture of the settlement. This enabled the site to be dated via dendrochronology
. The timbers that were used were cut in 3706-3704 BC. and confirm a single development phase. Another Neolithic settlement must have existed some 400 m (1,312.3 ft) northwest of Breitenloo. However, the few ceramics discovered at that site are also part of the Pfyn culture. That settlement has never been systematically studied and it is believed that the industrial peat extraction during the second World War may have largely destroyed it.
Because of Pfyn's importance as the home of the Pfyn culture and also as the site of a Roman era fort, other archeological discoveries have been largely ignored. For example, a number of Bronze Age
artifacts and scattered grave sites were known to exist, but haven't been studied until recently. Recent excavations have discovered a Bronze Age village and traces of a previously unknown Iron Age
settlement.
, Gallia Belgica
and Germania Superior
. The course of the Roman road from Oberwinterthur
(Vitudurum) to Frauenfeld
through Pfyn and on to Arbon
(Arbor Felix) is well known. What remains uncertain, however, is the course of a road to Eschenz
(Tasgetium). The traces of an imperial settlement almost entirely missing. In addition to references to a farm in the records, some Roman items and parts of a large stone building have been found.
The situation is different for the late-Roman era, where the location of the hill fort outside the town is well known. The hill is now eroded by the Thur and Mühlebach rivers, and has nearly vanished in the south and east. Of the wall, only parts of the north and west still survive. Within the fort many coins and other objects were found that indicate that the fort was occupied Roman soldiers, including mounted troops, from the later 3rd Century until the beginning of the 5th Century. During this time, the fort connected the rear lines of defense along the Rhine between Arbon and Oberwinterthur (Limes). While nothing is known about the end of the fort, the age of nearby St. Bartholomew's Church indicates that some settlement remained after the fort was abandoned.
graves, have been discovered. The medieval landlord was the Bishop
of Constance. In 1414 and 1502 the village received some limited self government from the local provost
. Before 1488 the bailiwick
was under the authority of the Ministerialis
(unfree knights in the service of a feudal overlord) family of Klingenberg. It was sold in 1488 to Jacob Mötteli. In 1560 the village was acquired by Peter of Gundelfingen, then in 1567 by Count
Otto of Eberstein. In 1584 it was bought by Wolf Wambold of Umstadt, and finally in 1614 by the city of Zurich
. Under Zurich a Vogt
was appointed, who ruled until 1798.
In 1476 a fire destroyed the old town, which had been built on the ruins of the Roman fort. The new village of Pfyn was built northwest of the burned out old city. In 1794-95 the village built a bridge over the Thur river. They were allowed to collect tolls on the bridge until 1850.
St. Bartholomew's Church, which was located within the old Roman fort, was the center of a large Early Middle Ages
parish
. It included the villages of Felben, Wellhausen, Hüttlingen, Mettendorf, Harenwilen and Eschikofen on the left bank of the Thur and Weiningen, Lanzenneunforn, Gündelhart, Hörhausen, Hörstetten, Dettighofen and Müllheim
on the right. After the founding of Reichenau Abbey, Hüttlingen and Müllheim separated from the Pfyn parish. During the Middle Ages, parsonages were established in Felben, Gündelhart and Weiningen, all of which became independent later. In 1155 the Cathedral Chapter
of Constance gained rights over the church in Pfyn, including the right to appoint the priest. They invested a canon
who would serve as a vicar
for Constance. The rights to appoint the church's priest went to the Canton in 1804 and to the parish itself in 1840. In 1528 the Protestant Reformation
entered the village and for a short time the village converted. However, the villages belonging to the parish, such as Gündelhart and Hörstetten remained predominantly Catholic. Within 5 years, in 1533, a Catholic
priest was again in Pfyn. The church was shared between the two denominations, a situation that remains today.
Of the built up area, industrial buildings made up 4.5% of the total area while housing and buildings made up 0.5% and transportation infrastructure made up 0.3%. while parks, green belts and sports fields made up 2.6%. Out of the forested land, 28.8% of the total land area is heavily forested and 1.4% is covered with orchards or small clusters of trees. Of the agricultural land, 56.3% is used for growing crops, while 3.2% is used for orchards or vine crops. All the water in the municipality is flowing water. Of the unproductive areas, and .
The municipality is located in Frauenfeld District, on the Thur river between Frauenfeld
and Steckborn
. It consists of the village of Pfyn and the hamlets
of Herdern, Lanzenneunforn, Weiningen and Dettighofen.
(93.0%), with Albanian
being second most common ( 2.7%) and Italian
being third ( 0.8%).
, the gender distribution of the population was 50.3% male and 49.7% female. The population was made up of 855 Swiss men (44.4% of the population), and 113 (5.9%) non-Swiss men. There were 860 Swiss women (44.7%), and 96 (5.0%) non-Swiss women. In there were 10 live births to Swiss citizens and 3 births to non-Swiss citizens, and in same time span there were 12 deaths of Swiss citizens. Ignoring immigration and emigration, the population of Swiss citizens decreased by 2 while the foreign population increased by 3. There was 1 Swiss man, 1 Swiss woman who emigrated from Switzerland to another country, 8 non-Swiss men who emigrated from Switzerland to another country and 10 non-Swiss women who emigrated from Switzerland to another country. The total Swiss population change in 2008 (from all sources) was an increase of 28 and the non-Swiss population change was a decrease of 8 people. This represents a population growth rate of 1.1%.
The age distribution, , in Pfyn is; 215 children or 11.1% of the population are between 0 and 9 years old and 245 teenagers or 12.7% are between 10 and 19. Of the adult population, 230 people or 11.9% of the population are between 20 and 29 years old. 255 people or 13.2% are between 30 and 39, 360 people or 18.6% are between 40 and 49, and 275 people or 14.2% are between 50 and 59. The senior population distribution is 179 people or 9.3% of the population are between 60 and 69 years old, 97 people or 5.0% are between 70 and 79, there are 68 people or 3.5% who are between 80 and 89,and there are 9 people or 0.5% who are 90 and older.
the average number of residents per living room was 0.57 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 53% 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 687 private households in the municipality, and an average of 2.6 persons per household. there were 296 single family homes (or 82.9% of the total) out of a total of 357 inhabited buildings. There were 24 two family buildings (6.7%), 14 three family buildings (3.9%) and 23 multi-family buildings (or 6.4%). There were 358 (or 19.8%) 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 94 (or 5.2%) people who lived in single parent home, while there are 18 persons who were adult children living with one or both parents, 4 persons who lived in a household made up of relatives, 22 who lived in a household made up of unrelated persons, and 22 who are either institutionalized or live in another type of collective housing. The vacancy rate for the municipality, , was 3.27%. , the construction rate of new housing units was 10 new units per 1000 residents.
there were 720 apartments in the municipality. The most common apartment size was the 5 room apartment of which there were 176. There were 6 single room apartments and 161 apartments with six or more rooms. the average price to rent an average apartment in Pfyn was 1124.09 Swiss franc
s (CHF) per month (US$900, £510, €720 approx. exchange rate from 2000). The average rate for a one room apartment was 558.33 CHF (US$450, £250, €360), a two room apartment was about 809.86 CHF (US$650, £360, €520), a three room apartment was about 1001.78 CHF (US$800, £450, €640) and a six or more room apartment cost an average of 1543.85 CHF (US$1240, £690, €990). The average apartment price in Pfyn was 100.7% of the national average of 1116 CHF.
In the 2007 federal election
the most popular party was the SVP
which received 49.06% of the vote. The next three most popular parties were the CVP
(11.56%), the SP
(10.39%) and the Green Party
(9.69%). In the federal election, a total of 625 votes were cast, and the voter turnout
was 46.6%.
The historical population is given in the following table:
.
The Ad Fines hill is now eroded by the Thur and Mühlebach rivers, and has nearly vanished in the south and east. Of the wall, only parts of the north and west still survive. It was not until the excavations of the 1976, 1980–81 and 1990–92, that the fort was better understood. The walls were about 3 m (9.8 ft) high. A total of six semi-circular towers are known, though location of the gate and the moat
are still unknown. Very little is known about the layout and type of buildings that were within the approximately 15000 m² (161,458.7 sq ft) area enclosed by the walls. A sod
fountain and the remains of wooden buildings are all that has been found. The castle was also found along with a small, neighboring cemetery
. Many coins and other objects found in the cemetery and the rest of the interior indicate that the fort was occupied Roman soldiers, including mounted troops, from the later 3rd Century until the beginning of the 5th Century.
In 1944, the prehistoric site at Breitenloo was excavated and 17 different houses were found. The houses are located along a north-south main street with the gable
s facing the street. The buildings are almost exclusively built with two nave
s and have lengths of 4–11 m (13.1–36.1 ft) and widths from 3.5–5.5 m (11.5–18 ft). It is striking that several houses of vastly different sizes lay side by side, suggesting perhaps larger homes with smaller farm buildings. The house floors were all built with complex support structures and overlying split boards, which were usually covered with clay. Midden
heaps in the soil and partial scorch marks on the support structures suggest that at least some buildings were lifted quite high off the ground.
there were 1,336 workers who lived in the municipality. Of these, 677 or about 50.7% of the residents worked outside Pfyn while 326 people commuted into the municipality for work. There were a total of 985 jobs (of at least 6 hours per week) in the municipality. Of the working population, 8.9% used public transportation to get to work, and 54.7% used a private car.
. Of the rest of the population, there was 1 individual who belonged to the Christian Catholic
faith there are 12 individuals (or about 0.67% of the population) who belong to the Orthodox Church, and there are 118 individuals (or about 6.54% of the population) who belong to another Christian church. There were 87 (or about 4.82% of the population) who are Islam
ic. There are 6 individuals (or about 0.33% of the population) who belong to another church (not listed on the census), 144 (or about 7.98% of the population) belong to no church, are agnostic
or atheist
, and 61 individuals (or about 3.38% of the population) did not answer the question.
).
Pfyn is home to the Pfyn primary school district. In the 2008/2009 school year there are 146 students. There are 36 children in the kindergarten
, and the average class size is 18 kindergartners. Of the children in kindergarten, 24 or 66.7% are female, 4 or 11.1% are not Swiss citizens and 5 or 13.9% do not speak German natively. The lower and upper primary levels begin at about age 5-6 and lasts for 6 years. There are 55 children in who are at the lower primary level and 55 children in the upper primary level. The average class size in the primary school is 20 students. At the lower primary level, there are 28 children or 50.9% of the total population who are female, 4 or 7.3% are not Swiss citizens and 4 or 7.3% do not speak German natively. In the upper primary level, there are 26 or 47.3% who are female, 9 or 16.4% are not Swiss citizens and 7 or 12.7% do not speak German natively.
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 Frauenfeld 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....
.
Pfyn gives its name to the ancient 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:...
, one of several Neolithic cultures in Switzerland which centered around intensive pig farming
Intensive pig farming
Intensive piggeries are a type of factory farm ' specialized in the raising of domestic pigs up to slaughter weight...
and trading, dating from c. 3900 BC to c. 3500 BC.
Pfyn was also the site of a Roman era
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...
frontier outpost, named Ad Fines (Latin: meaning "at the borders")
Pre-Roman Pfyn
The oldest traces of a settlement are about 1.5 km (0.93205910497471 mi) west of Pfyn in the former peat bog of Breitenloo. Located in a depressionDepression (geology)
A depression in geology is a landform sunken or depressed below the surrounding area. Depressions may be formed by various mechanisms.Structural or tectonic related:...
carved by a lateral moraine
Moraine
A moraine is any glacially formed accumulation of unconsolidated glacial debris which can occur in currently glaciated and formerly glaciated regions, such as those areas acted upon by a past glacial maximum. This debris may have been plucked off a valley floor as a glacier advanced or it may have...
of the Thur glacier, it dates from the Neolithic
Neolithic
The Neolithic Age, Era, or Period, or New Stone Age, was a period in the development of human technology, beginning about 9500 BC in some parts of the Middle East, and later in other parts of the world. It is traditionally considered as the last part of the Stone Age...
era (4300 BC). The settlement site was discovered during peat cutting in the late 19th Century, but subsequently forgotten. During the war years 1940-41 an attempt to drain the bog to increase arable production land, led to its rediscovery. drainage work on arable production was raised again. In the autumn of 1944, an area of approximately 1000 square metres (10,763.9 sq ft) was excavated by interned Polish soldiers
Polish Land Forces
The Polish Land Forces are a branch of Poland's Armed Forces. They currently contain some 65,000 active personnel and form many components of EU and NATO deployments around the world.-History:...
led by Charles Keller-Tarnuzzer. Due to the topographical conditions, and an exploratory drilling project in 2002, it appears that about 60% of the settlement area has been excavated.
Keller-Tarnuzzer noted that there was the close relationship of the ceramic
Ceramic
A ceramic is an inorganic, nonmetallic solid prepared by the action of heat and subsequent cooling. Ceramic materials may have a crystalline or partly crystalline structure, or may be amorphous...
s with the Michelsberg culture of southern Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
, and believed that the Pfyn finds were a Michelsberg settlement. Around 1960 research determined that the Pfyn ceramics were represented an autonomous culture that was related to the Michelsberg culture. Since that time, the Pfyn-Breitenloo site has been regarded as the center of the Pfyn culture. Further explorations in 2002 and 2004 led to a somewhat more nuanced picture of the settlement. This enabled the site to be dated via dendrochronology
Dendrochronology
Dendrochronology or tree-ring dating is the scientific method of dating based on the analysis of patterns of tree-rings. Dendrochronology can date the time at which tree rings were formed, in many types of wood, to the exact calendar year...
. The timbers that were used were cut in 3706-3704 BC. and confirm a single development phase. Another Neolithic settlement must have existed some 400 m (1,312.3 ft) northwest of Breitenloo. However, the few ceramics discovered at that site are also part of the Pfyn culture. That settlement has never been systematically studied and it is believed that the industrial peat extraction during the second World War may have largely destroyed it.
Because of Pfyn's importance as the home of the Pfyn culture and also as the site of a Roman era fort, other archeological discoveries have been largely ignored. For example, a number of Bronze Age
Bronze 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...
artifacts and scattered grave sites were known to exist, but haven't been studied until recently. Recent excavations have discovered a Bronze Age village and traces of a previously unknown Iron Age
Iron Age
The Iron Age is the archaeological period generally occurring after the Bronze Age, marked by the prevalent use of iron. The early period of the age is characterized by the widespread use of iron or steel. The adoption of such material coincided with other changes in society, including differing...
settlement.
Roman settlement
The identification of Ad Fines, which is first mentioned in 280 AD, with Pfyn is undisputed. It is also clear that the place-name refers to the provincial border between the provinces of RaetiaRaetia
Raetia was a province of the Roman Empire, named after the Rhaetian people. It was bounded on the west by the country of the Helvetii, on the east by Noricum, on the north by Vindelicia, on the west by Cisalpine Gaul and on south by Venetia et Histria...
, Gallia Belgica
Gallia Belgica
Gallia Belgica was a Roman province located in what is now the southern part of the Netherlands, Belgium, Luxembourg, northeastern France, and western Germany. The indigenous population of Gallia Belgica, the Belgae, consisted of a mixture of Celtic and Germanic tribes...
and Germania Superior
Germania Superior
Germania Superior , so called for the reason that it lay upstream of Germania Inferior, was a province of the Roman Empire. It comprised an area of western Switzerland, the French Jura and Alsace regions, and southwestern Germany...
. The course of the Roman road from Oberwinterthur
Winterthur
Winterthur is a city in the canton of Zurich in northern Switzerland. It has the country's sixth largest population with an estimate of more than 100,000 people. In the local dialect and by its inhabitants, it is usually abbreviated to Winti...
(Vitudurum) to Frauenfeld
Frauenfeld
Frauenfeld is the capital of the canton of Thurgau in Switzerland.-Early history:The earliest trace of human settlement are several La Tène era graves to the east of Langdorf. The Roman road from Oberwinterthur to Pfyn ran through what is now the Allmend in Frauenfeld. Two Roman villas were...
through Pfyn and on to Arbon
Arbon
Arbon may refer to:* Arbon, Haute-Garonne, French commune* Arbon, Switzerland* Arbon , in Switzerland* Arbon Valley, Idaho...
(Arbor Felix) is well known. What remains uncertain, however, is the course of a road to Eschenz
Eschenz
Eschenz is a municipality in Frauenfeld District in the canton of Thurgau in Switzerland.-History:The prehistoric shore village on Werd Island and in the Seeäckern area are rich archeological sites that have contributed substantially to our understanding of the history of settlements in the...
(Tasgetium). The traces of an imperial settlement almost entirely missing. In addition to references to a farm in the records, some Roman items and parts of a large stone building have been found.
The situation is different for the late-Roman era, where the location of the hill fort outside the town is well known. The hill is now eroded by the Thur and Mühlebach rivers, and has nearly vanished in the south and east. Of the wall, only parts of the north and west still survive. Within the fort many coins and other objects were found that indicate that the fort was occupied Roman soldiers, including mounted troops, from the later 3rd Century until the beginning of the 5th Century. During this time, the fort connected the rear lines of defense along the Rhine between Arbon and Oberwinterthur (Limes). While nothing is known about the end of the fort, the age of nearby St. Bartholomew's Church indicates that some settlement remained after the fort was abandoned.
Pfyn in the middle ages
Within the church, a number of medievalMiddle 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...
graves, have been discovered. The medieval landlord was the Bishop
Bishop (Catholic Church)
In the Catholic Church, a bishop is an ordained minister who holds the fullness of the sacrament of Holy Orders and is responsible for teaching the Catholic faith and ruling the Church....
of Constance. In 1414 and 1502 the village received some limited self government from the local 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...
. Before 1488 the bailiwick
Bailiwick
A bailiwick is usually the area of jurisdiction of a bailiff, and may also apply to a territory in which the sheriff's functions were exercised by a privately appointed bailiff under a royal or imperial writ. The word is now more generally used in a metaphorical sense, to indicate a sphere of...
was under the authority of the Ministerialis
Ministerialis
Ministerialis ; a post-classical Latin word, used in English, meaning originally servitor, agent, in a broad range of senses...
(unfree knights in the service of a feudal overlord) family of Klingenberg. It was sold in 1488 to Jacob Mötteli. In 1560 the village was acquired by Peter of Gundelfingen, then in 1567 by Count
Count
A count or countess is an aristocratic nobleman in European countries. The word count came into English from the French comte, itself from Latin comes—in its accusative comitem—meaning "companion", and later "companion of the emperor, delegate of the emperor". The adjective form of the word is...
Otto of Eberstein. In 1584 it was bought by Wolf Wambold of Umstadt, and finally in 1614 by the city of 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...
. Under Zurich a 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, who ruled until 1798.
In 1476 a fire destroyed the old town, which had been built on the ruins of the Roman fort. The new village of Pfyn was built northwest of the burned out old city. In 1794-95 the village built a bridge over the Thur river. They were allowed to collect tolls on the bridge until 1850.
St. Bartholomew's Church, which was located within the old Roman fort, was the center of a large 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...
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 included the villages of Felben, Wellhausen, Hüttlingen, Mettendorf, Harenwilen and Eschikofen on the left bank of the Thur and Weiningen, Lanzenneunforn, Gündelhart, Hörhausen, Hörstetten, Dettighofen and Müllheim
Müllheim
Müllheim is a town in Baden-Württemberg in southern Germany. It belongs to the district Breisgau-Hochschwarzwald. Müllheim is generally considered to be the center of the region known as Markgräflerland.-History:...
on the right. After the founding of Reichenau Abbey, Hüttlingen and Müllheim separated from the Pfyn parish. During the Middle Ages, parsonages were established in Felben, Gündelhart and Weiningen, all of which became independent later. In 1155 the Cathedral Chapter
Chapter (religion)
Chapter designates certain corporate ecclesiastical bodies in the Roman Catholic, Anglican and Nordic Lutheran churches....
of Constance gained rights over the church in Pfyn, including the right to appoint the priest. They invested a canon
Canon (priest)
A canon is a priest or minister who is a member of certain bodies of the Christian clergy subject to an ecclesiastical rule ....
who would serve as a vicar
Vicar
In the broadest sense, a vicar is a representative, deputy or substitute; anyone acting "in the person of" or agent for a superior . In this sense, the title is comparable to lieutenant...
for Constance. The rights to appoint the church's priest went to the Canton in 1804 and to the parish itself in 1840. In 1528 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...
entered the village and for a short time the village converted. However, the villages belonging to the parish, such as Gündelhart and Hörstetten remained predominantly Catholic. Within 5 years, in 1533, a 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...
priest was again in Pfyn. The church was shared between the two denominations, a situation that remains today.
Geography
Pfyn has an area, , of 13.18 square kilometres (5.1 sq mi). Of this area, 7.84 km² (3 sq mi) or 59.5% is used for agricultural purposes, while 3.98 km² (1.5 sq mi) or 30.2% is forested. Of the rest of the land, 1.05 km² (0.405407266522162 sq mi) or 8.0% is settled (buildings or roads), 0.19 km² (0.0733594101325817 sq mi) or 1.4% is either rivers or lakes and 0.08 km² (19.8 acre) or 0.6% is unproductive land.Of the built up area, industrial buildings made up 4.5% of the total area while housing and buildings made up 0.5% and transportation infrastructure made up 0.3%. while parks, green belts and sports fields made up 2.6%. Out of the forested land, 28.8% of the total land area is heavily forested and 1.4% is covered with orchards or small clusters of trees. Of the agricultural land, 56.3% is used for growing crops, while 3.2% is used for orchards or vine crops. All the water in the municipality is flowing water. Of the unproductive areas, and .
The municipality is located in Frauenfeld District, on the Thur river between Frauenfeld
Frauenfeld
Frauenfeld is the capital of the canton of Thurgau in Switzerland.-Early history:The earliest trace of human settlement are several La Tène era graves to the east of Langdorf. The Roman road from Oberwinterthur to Pfyn ran through what is now the Allmend in Frauenfeld. Two Roman villas were...
and Steckborn
Steckborn
Steckborn is a municipality in Frauenfeld District in the canton of Thurgau in Switzerland.It is located on the Untersee of Lake Constance.-History:...
. It consists of the village of Pfyn 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 Herdern, Lanzenneunforn, Weiningen and Dettighofen.
Demographics
Pfyn has a population of , 10.9% of the population are foreign nationals. Over the last 10 years (1997–2007) the population has changed at a rate of 11.7%. 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....
(93.0%), 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 ( 2.7%) 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 ( 0.8%).
, the gender distribution of the population was 50.3% male and 49.7% female. The population was made up of 855 Swiss men (44.4% of the population), and 113 (5.9%) non-Swiss men. There were 860 Swiss women (44.7%), and 96 (5.0%) non-Swiss women. In there were 10 live births to Swiss citizens and 3 births to non-Swiss citizens, and in same time span there were 12 deaths of Swiss citizens. Ignoring immigration and emigration, the population of Swiss citizens decreased by 2 while the foreign population increased by 3. There was 1 Swiss man, 1 Swiss woman who emigrated from Switzerland to another country, 8 non-Swiss men who emigrated from Switzerland to another country and 10 non-Swiss women who emigrated from Switzerland to another country. The total Swiss population change in 2008 (from all sources) was an increase of 28 and the non-Swiss population change was a decrease of 8 people. This represents a population growth rate of 1.1%.
The age distribution, , in Pfyn is; 215 children or 11.1% of the population are between 0 and 9 years old and 245 teenagers or 12.7% are between 10 and 19. Of the adult population, 230 people or 11.9% of the population are between 20 and 29 years old. 255 people or 13.2% are between 30 and 39, 360 people or 18.6% are between 40 and 49, and 275 people or 14.2% are between 50 and 59. The senior population distribution is 179 people or 9.3% of the population are between 60 and 69 years old, 97 people or 5.0% are between 70 and 79, there are 68 people or 3.5% who are between 80 and 89,and there are 9 people or 0.5% who are 90 and older.
the average number of residents per living room was 0.57 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 53% 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 687 private households in the municipality, and an average of 2.6 persons per household. there were 296 single family homes (or 82.9% of the total) out of a total of 357 inhabited buildings. There were 24 two family buildings (6.7%), 14 three family buildings (3.9%) and 23 multi-family buildings (or 6.4%). There were 358 (or 19.8%) 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 94 (or 5.2%) people who lived in single parent home, while there are 18 persons who were adult children living with one or both parents, 4 persons who lived in a household made up of relatives, 22 who lived in a household made up of unrelated persons, and 22 who are either institutionalized or live in another type of collective housing. The vacancy rate for the municipality, , was 3.27%. , the construction rate of new housing units was 10 new units per 1000 residents.
there were 720 apartments in the municipality. The most common apartment size was the 5 room apartment of which there were 176. There were 6 single room apartments and 161 apartments with six or more rooms. the average price to rent an average apartment in Pfyn was 1124.09 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$900, £510, €720 approx. exchange rate from 2000). The average rate for a one room apartment was 558.33 CHF (US$450, £250, €360), a two room apartment was about 809.86 CHF (US$650, £360, €520), a three room apartment was about 1001.78 CHF (US$800, £450, €640) and a six or more room apartment cost an average of 1543.85 CHF (US$1240, £690, €990). The average apartment price in Pfyn was 100.7% 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 49.06% 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...
(11.56%), the SP
Social Democratic Party of Switzerland
The Social Democratic Party of Switzerland is the largest centre-left political party in Switzerland....
(10.39%) and 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:...
(9.69%). In the federal election, a total of 625 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 46.6%.
The historical population is given in the following table:
| year | population |
|---|---|
| 1850 | 789 |
| 1860 | 810 |
| 1870 | 868 |
| 1880 | 877 |
| 1890 | 857 |
| 1900 | 891 |
| 1950 | 1,187 |
| 1960 | 1,247 |
| 1980 | 1,198 |
| 1990 | 1,578 |
| 2000 | 1,804 |
Heritage sites of national significance
The Ad Fines (a late-Roman fortress), the Breitenloo (a prehistoric lake shore settlement) and the shared or ecumenical church of St. Bartholomäus are listed as Swiss heritage sites 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...
.
The Ad Fines hill is now eroded by the Thur and Mühlebach rivers, and has nearly vanished in the south and east. Of the wall, only parts of the north and west still survive. It was not until the excavations of the 1976, 1980–81 and 1990–92, that the fort was better understood. The walls were about 3 m (9.8 ft) high. A total of six semi-circular towers are known, though location of the gate and the moat
Moat
A moat is a deep, broad ditch, either dry or filled with water, that surrounds a castle, other building or town, historically to provide it with a preliminary line of defence. In some places moats evolved into more extensive water defences, including natural or artificial lakes, dams and sluices...
are still unknown. Very little is known about the layout and type of buildings that were within the approximately 15000 m² (161,458.7 sq ft) area enclosed by the walls. A sod
Sod
Sod or turf is grass and the part of the soil beneath it held together by the roots, or a piece of thin material.The term sod may be used to mean turf grown and cut specifically for the establishment of lawns...
fountain and the remains of wooden buildings are all that has been found. The castle was also found along with a small, neighboring cemetery
Cemetery
A cemetery is a place in which dead bodies and cremated remains are buried. The term "cemetery" implies that the land is specifically designated as a burying ground. Cemeteries in the Western world are where the final ceremonies of death are observed...
. Many coins and other objects found in the cemetery and the rest of the interior indicate that the fort was occupied Roman soldiers, including mounted troops, from the later 3rd Century until the beginning of the 5th Century.
In 1944, the prehistoric site at Breitenloo was excavated and 17 different houses were found. The houses are located along a north-south main street with the gable
Gable
A gable is the generally triangular portion of a wall between the edges of a sloping roof. The shape of the gable and how it is detailed depends on the structural system being used and aesthetic concerns. Thus the type of roof enclosing the volume dictates the shape of the gable...
s facing the street. The buildings are almost exclusively built with two nave
Nave
In Romanesque and Gothic Christian abbey, cathedral basilica and church architecture, the nave is the central approach to the high altar, the main body of the church. "Nave" was probably suggested by the keel shape of its vaulting...
s and have lengths of 4–11 m (13.1–36.1 ft) and widths from 3.5–5.5 m (11.5–18 ft). It is striking that several houses of vastly different sizes lay side by side, suggesting perhaps larger homes with smaller farm buildings. The house floors were all built with complex support structures and overlying split boards, which were usually covered with clay. Midden
Midden
A midden, is an old dump for domestic waste which may consist of animal bone, human excrement, botanical material, vermin, shells, sherds, lithics , and other artifacts and ecofacts associated with past human occupation...
heaps in the soil and partial scorch marks on the support structures suggest that at least some buildings were lifted quite high off the ground.
Economy
, Pfyn had an unemployment rate of 0.93%. , there were 134 people employed in the primary economic sector and about 50 businesses involved in this sector. 343 people are employed in the secondary sector and there are 27 businesses in this sector. 216 people are employed in the tertiary sector, with 53 businesses in this sector.there were 1,336 workers who lived in the municipality. Of these, 677 or about 50.7% of the residents worked outside Pfyn while 326 people commuted into the municipality for work. There were a total of 985 jobs (of at least 6 hours per week) in the municipality. Of the working population, 8.9% used public transportation to get to work, and 54.7% used a private car.
Religion
From the , 521 or 28.9% were Roman Catholic, while 854 or 47.3% 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 individual who belonged to the Christian Catholic
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...
faith there are 12 individuals (or about 0.67% of the population) who belong to the Orthodox Church, and there are 118 individuals (or about 6.54% of the population) who belong to another Christian church. There were 87 (or about 4.82% 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 6 individuals (or about 0.33% of the population) who belong to another church (not listed on the census), 144 (or about 7.98% 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 61 individuals (or about 3.38% of the population) did not answer the question.
Education
In Pfyn about 78.1% 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...
).
Pfyn is home to the Pfyn primary school district. In the 2008/2009 school year there are 146 students. There are 36 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 18 kindergartners. Of the children in kindergarten, 24 or 66.7% are female, 4 or 11.1% are not Swiss citizens and 5 or 13.9% do not speak German natively. The lower and upper primary levels begin at about age 5-6 and lasts for 6 years. There are 55 children in who are at the lower primary level and 55 children in the upper primary level. The average class size in the primary school is 20 students. At the lower primary level, there are 28 children or 50.9% of the total population who are female, 4 or 7.3% are not Swiss citizens and 4 or 7.3% do not speak German natively. In the upper primary level, there are 26 or 47.3% who are female, 9 or 16.4% are not Swiss citizens and 7 or 12.7% do not speak German natively.