Thurgau
Encyclopedia
Thurgau is a northeast canton
of Switzerland
. The population, , is . In 2007, there were a total of 47,390 (or 19.9% of the population) who were resident foreigners. The capital is Frauenfeld
.
along the lake
. During Roman times the canton was part of the province Raetia until in 450 the lands were settled by the Alamanni
. It was only in the 8th century that the canton became a political unit similar to what it is known today, as a Gau
of the Frankish Empire
. At the time, however, the area was not so clearly defined and changed frequently. Overall, the size of the Thurgau was larger, but during the Middle Ages
the canton became smaller in size. The dukes of Zähringen
and the counts of Kyburg
took over much of the land.
The town of Zürich
was part of the Thurgau until it became reichsunmittelbar in 1218. When the Kyburg dynasty became extinct in 1264 the Habsburgs took over that land. The Swiss confederation allied with ten freed bailiwicks of the former Toggenburg
seized the lands of the Thurgau from the Habsburgs in 1460, and it became a subject territory of seven Swiss cantons (Zurich, Lucerne, Uri, Schwyz, Unterwalden, Zug and Glarus).
During the Protestant Reformation in Switzerland
, both the Catholic and emerging Reformed parties sought to swing the subject territories, such as the Thurgau, to their side. In 1524, in an incident that resonated across Switzerland, local peasants occupied the cloister of Ittingen
in the Thurgau, driving out the monks, destroying documents, and devastating the wine-cellar. Between 1526 and 1531, most of the Thurgau's population adopted the new Reformed faith spreading from Zurich; Zurich's defeat in the War of Kappel
(1531) ended Reformed predominance. Instead, the First Peace of Kappel protected both Catholic and Reformed worship, though the provisions of the treaty generally favored the Catholics, who also made up a majority among the seven ruling cantons. Religious tensions over the Thurgau were an important background to the First War of Villmergen
(1656), during which Zurich briefly occupied the Thurgau.
In 1798 the land became a canton for the first time as part of the Helvetic Republic
. In 1803, as part of the Act of Mediation
, the canton of Thurgau became a member of the Swiss confederation. The current cantonal constitution dates from 1987.
To the north the canton is bound by the Lake Constance
across which lies Germany
and Austria
. The river Rhine creates the border in the northwest. To the south lies the canton of St. Gallen
; to the west lie the cantons of Zürich
and Schaffhausen
.
The area of the canton is 991 km² (382.6 sq mi) and commonly divided into three hill masses. One of these stretches along Lake Constance
in the north. Another is further inland between the river Thur and the river Murg
. The third one forms the southern border of the canton and merges with the Hörnli
mountain in the pre-Alps.
speaking. The population is split between Protestant
s (45%) and Roman Catholics (36%).
Thurgau is divided into eight districts, and each is named after its capital:
.
is produced in the Thur valley.
There is also industry in the canton of Thurgau. The main industries are printing, textiles and handicrafts. Small and middle-sized businesses are important for the cantonal economy. Many of these are concentrated around the capital.
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 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....
. The population, , is . In 2007, there were a total of 47,390 (or 19.9% of the population) who were resident foreigners. The capital is 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...
.
History
In prehistoric times the lands of the canton were inhabited by people of the Pfyn culturePfyn 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:...
along the lake
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...
. During Roman times the canton was part of the province Raetia until in 450 the lands were settled by the 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...
. It was only in the 8th century that the canton became a political unit similar to what it is known today, as a Gau
Gau (German)
Gau is a German term for a region within a country, often a former or actual province. It was used in medieval times, when it can be seen as roughly corresponding to an English shire...
of the Frankish Empire
Frankish Empire
Francia or Frankia, later also called the Frankish Empire , Frankish Kingdom , Frankish Realm or occasionally Frankland, was the territory inhabited and ruled by the Franks from the 3rd to the 10th century...
. At the time, however, the area was not so clearly defined and changed frequently. Overall, the size of the Thurgau was larger, but during the Middle Ages
Middle Ages
The Middle Ages is a periodization of European history from the 5th century to the 15th century. The Middle Ages follows the fall of the Western Roman Empire in 476 and precedes the Early Modern Era. It is the middle period of a three-period division of Western history: Classic, Medieval and Modern...
the canton became smaller in size. The dukes of Zähringen
Zähringen
Zähringen is the name of an old German family that founded a large number of cities in what are today Switzerland and Baden-Württemberg. While the junior line that first assumed the title Duke of Zähringen, a cadet branch of the House of Baden, became extinct in 1218, the senior line persists and...
and the counts of Kyburg
Kyburg
Kyburg may refer to:*Henry E. Kyburg, Jr., the philosopher/logician*The castle Kyburg in the Canton of Zurich*The municipality surrounding the castle, Kyburg, Zurich*The noble House of Kyburg that took their name from the castle....
took over much of the land.
The town of Zürich
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...
was part of the Thurgau until it became reichsunmittelbar in 1218. When the Kyburg dynasty became extinct in 1264 the Habsburgs took over that land. The Swiss confederation allied with ten freed bailiwicks of the former Toggenburg
Counts of Toggenburg
The Counts of Toggenburg ruled the Toggenburg region of today's Canton of St. Gallen, Switzerland, as well as parts of the Canton of Glarus, Thurgau, Grisons, Vorarlberg, and Zurich when their influence was most extensive....
seized the lands of the Thurgau from the Habsburgs in 1460, and it became a subject territory of seven Swiss cantons (Zurich, Lucerne, Uri, Schwyz, Unterwalden, Zug and Glarus).
During the Protestant Reformation in Switzerland
Reformation in Switzerland
The Protestant Reformation in Switzerland was promoted initially by Huldrych Zwingli, who gained the support of the magistrate and population of Zürich in the 1520s. It led to significant changes in civil life and state matters in Zürich and spread to several other cantons of the Old Swiss...
, both the Catholic and emerging Reformed parties sought to swing the subject territories, such as the Thurgau, to their side. In 1524, in an incident that resonated across Switzerland, local peasants occupied the cloister of Ittingen
Ittingen Charterhouse
Ittingen Charterhouse is a former Carthusian monastery near Warth, Canton Thurgau, Switzerland. It is now used as an education and seminar centre with two museums and a farm.-History:...
in the Thurgau, driving out the monks, destroying documents, and devastating the wine-cellar. Between 1526 and 1531, most of the Thurgau's population adopted the new Reformed faith spreading from Zurich; Zurich's defeat in the War of Kappel
Second war of Kappel
The second war of Kappel was an armed conflict in 1531 between the Protestant and the Catholic cantons of the Old Swiss Confederacy during the Reformation in Switzerland.-Cause:...
(1531) ended Reformed predominance. Instead, the First Peace of Kappel protected both Catholic and Reformed worship, though the provisions of the treaty generally favored the Catholics, who also made up a majority among the seven ruling cantons. Religious tensions over the Thurgau were an important background to the First War of Villmergen
Battles of Villmergen
The Battles of Villmergen were two battles between Reformed and Catholic Swiss cantons. They occurred on January 24, 1656 and July 24, 1712 at Villmergen, Canton of Aargau, Switzerland ....
(1656), during which Zurich briefly occupied the Thurgau.
In 1798 the land became a canton for the first time as part of 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 1803, as part of the Act of Mediation
Act of Mediation
The Act of Mediation was issued by Napoleon Bonaparte on 19 February 1803 establishing the Swiss Confederation. The act also abolished the previous Helvetic Republic, which had existed since the invasion of Switzerland by French troops in 1798. After the withdrawal of French troops in July 1802,...
, the canton of Thurgau became a member of the Swiss confederation. The current cantonal constitution dates from 1987.
Geography
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...
across which lies 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 Austria
Austria
Austria , officially the Republic of Austria , is a landlocked country of roughly 8.4 million people in Central Europe. It is bordered by the Czech Republic and Germany to the north, Slovakia and Hungary to the east, Slovenia and Italy to the south, and Switzerland and Liechtenstein to the...
. The river Rhine creates the border in the northwest. To the south lies the canton of St. Gallen
Canton of St. Gallen
The Canton of St. Gallen is a canton of Switzerland. St. Gallen is located in the north east of Switzerland. It covers an area of 2,026 km², and has a population of . , the population included 97,461 foreigners, or about 20.9% of the total population. The capital is St. Gallen. Spelling...
; to the west lie the cantons of Zürich
Canton of Zürich
The Canton of Zurich has a population of . The canton is located in the northeast of Switzerland and the city of Zurich is its capital. The official language is German, but people speak the local Swiss German dialect called Züritüütsch...
and Schaffhausen
Canton of Schaffhausen
The Canton of is a canton of Switzerland. The principal city and capital of the canton is Schaffhausen.- History:Schaffhausen was a city-state in the Middle Ages, documented to have struck its own coins starting in 1045. It was then known as Villa Scafhusun. Around 1049 Count Eberhard von...
.
The area of the canton is 991 km² (382.6 sq mi) and commonly divided into three hill masses. One of these stretches along 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...
in the north. Another is further inland between the river Thur and the river Murg
Murg
The Murg is a river and right tributary of the Rhine in Baden-Württemberg, Germany.-Source:The river has numerous tributaries and is known as the Murg only from the point of confluence of the rivers Rechtmurg and Rotmurg in the community of Obertal, a part of Baiersbronn...
. The third one forms the southern border of the canton and merges with the Hörnli
Hörnli
Hörnli mountain, altitude 1133 meters, coordinates 47/22/16/N - 8/56/16/E, is located on the territory of the community of Fischenthal, in the Zürcher Oberland, in the eastern part of canton of Zürich, in Switzerland....
mountain in the pre-Alps.
Demographics
The population of the canton (as of ) is . The canton is mostly 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....
speaking. The population is split between Protestant
Protestantism
Protestantism is one of the three major groupings within Christianity. It is a movement that began in Germany in the early 16th century as a reaction against medieval Roman Catholic doctrines and practices, especially in regards to salvation, justification, and ecclesiology.The doctrines of the...
s (45%) and Roman Catholics (36%).
Districts
- SteckbornSteckborn (district)Steckborn District is a former district of the canton of Thurgau, Switzerland. It had a population of . Its capital was the town of Steckborn.The district contained the following municipalities:...
with capital SteckbornSteckbornSteckborn is a municipality in Frauenfeld District in the canton of Thurgau in Switzerland.It is located on the Untersee of Lake Constance.-History:... - FrauenfeldFrauenfeld (district)Frauenfeld District is one of the five districts of the canton of Thurgau, Switzerland. It has a population of . Its capital, and the capital of Thurgau, is the city of Frauenfeld.The district contains the following municipalities:...
with capital FrauenfeldFrauenfeldFrauenfeld 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... - KreuzlingenKreuzlingen (district)Kreuzlingen District is one of the five districts of the canton of Thurgau in Switzerland. It has a population of . Its capital is the city of Kreuzlingen.The district contains the following municipalities:...
with capital KreuzlingenKreuzlingenKreuzlingen is a municipality in the district of Kreuzlingen in the canton of Thurgau in north-eastern Switzerland. It is the seat of the district and is the second largest city of the canton, after Frauenfeld, with a population of over 18,000... - WeinfeldenWeinfelden (district)Weinfelden District is one of the five districts of the canton of Thurgau, Switzerland. It has a population of . Its capital is the town of Weinfelden.The district contains the following municipalities:...
with capital WeinfeldenWeinfeldenWeinfelden is a municipality in the canton of Thurgau in Switzerland. It is the capital of the district of the same name.Weinfelden is an old town, which was known during Roman times as Quivelda .-History:... - BischofszellBischofszell (district)Bischofszell District is a former district of the canton of Thurgau in Switzerland. It had a population of . Its capital was the town of Bischofszell.The district contained the following municipalities:...
with capital BischofszellBischofszellBischofszell 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... - DiessenhofenDiessenhofen (district)Diessenhofen District is a former district of the canton of Thurgau in Switzerland. It had a population of . Its capital was the town of Diessenhofen.The district contained the following municipalities:...
with capital DiessenhofenDiessenhofenDiessenhofen is a municipality in Frauenfeld District in the canton of Thurgau in Switzerland.-History:Diessenhofen is first mentioned in 757 as Deozincova. In 2000, the village of Willisdorf was incorporated into the municipality... - MünchwilenMünchwilen (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:...
with capital MünchwilenMünchwilen, ThurgauMünchwilen is a municipality and district capital of the district of Münchwilen in the canton of Thurgau in Switzerland.-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... - ArbonArbon (district)Arbon District is one of the five districts of the canton of Thurgau in Switzerland. It has a population of .Its capital is the town of Arbon.The district contains the following municipalities:...
with capital ArbonArbonArbon may refer to:* Arbon, Haute-Garonne, French commune* Arbon, Switzerland* Arbon , in Switzerland* Arbon Valley, Idaho...
Municipalities
, there are 80 municipalities in the cantonMunicipalities of the canton of Thurgau
The following are the 80 municipalities of the canton of Thurgau, as of 2009....
.
Economy
The canton of Thurgau is known for its fine agricultural produce. Particularly, apples, pears, fruits and vegetables are well-known. The many orchards in the canton are mainly used for the production of cider. WineWine
Wine is an alcoholic beverage, made of fermented fruit juice, usually from grapes. The natural chemical balance of grapes lets them ferment without the addition of sugars, acids, enzymes, or other nutrients. Grape wine is produced by fermenting crushed grapes using various types of yeast. Yeast...
is produced in the Thur valley.
There is also industry in the canton of Thurgau. The main industries are printing, textiles and handicrafts. Small and middle-sized businesses are important for the cantonal economy. Many of these are concentrated around the capital.