Weinfelden
Encyclopedia
Weinfelden 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 (Winis Feld).
Already in the year 124 AD, there was a Roman bridge over the Thur
in Weinfelden. The name Weinfelden appears the first time in a document from 838.
Weinfelden was by far the biggest town in the canton of Thurgau. In 1798, Paul Reinhart and his committee led the area to freedom from the domination of the Eidgenossen. In 1803, Thurgau became an independent canton, through the mediation of Napoleon, with Frauenfeld
as capital.
In 1830, Thomas Bornhauser spoke to a large crowd in Weinfelden, demanding a liberal constitution for the canton. It is one of the first (if not the first) such document.
Portraits of both Paul Reinhart and Thomas Bornhauser hang in the Rathaus.
Since it lies in the middle of the canton, part of the cantonal administration is located in the town, as is the Thurgau cantonal bank. The grand council of the canton meets in Weinfelden during the winter.
Of the built up area, industrial buildings made up 11.6% of the total area while housing and buildings made up 3.9% and transportation infrastructure made up 2.8%. Power and water infrastructure as well as other special developed areas made up 1.4% of the area while parks, green belts and sports fields made up 5.5%. Out of the forested land, 20.1% of the total land area is heavily forested and 2.4% is covered with orchards or small clusters of trees. Of the agricultural land, 43.3% is used for growing crops, while 8.2% is used for orchards or vine crops. All the water in the municipality is flowing water.
(86.7%), with Italian
being second most common ( 3.2%) and Albanian
being third ( 2.4%).
, the gender distribution of the population was 49.9% male and 50.1% female. The population was made up of 3,903 Swiss men (39.0% of the population), and 1,086 (10.9%) non-Swiss men. There were 4,116 Swiss women (41.1%), and 901 (9.0%) non-Swiss women.
In there were 65 live births to Swiss citizens and 24 births to non-Swiss citizens, and in same time span there were 96 deaths of Swiss citizens. Ignoring immigration and emigration, the population of Swiss citizens decreased by 31 while the foreign population increased by 24. There were 5 Swiss men who emigrated from Switzerland to another country, 9 Swiss women who emigrated from Switzerland to another country, 75 non-Swiss men who emigrated from Switzerland to another country and 38 non-Swiss women who emigrated from Switzerland to another country. The total Swiss population change in 2008 (from all sources) was an increase of 24 and the non-Swiss population change was an increase of 82 people. This represents a population growth rate of 1.1%.
The age distribution, , in Weinfelden is; 927 children or 9.1% of the population are between 0 and 9 years old and 1,130 teenagers or 11.1% are between 10 and 19. Of the adult population, 1,549 people or 15.3% of the population are between 20 and 29 years old. 1,347 people or 13.3% are between 30 and 39, 1,464 people or 14.4% are between 40 and 49, and 1,304 people or 12.9% are between 50 and 59. The senior population distribution is 1,008 people or 9.9% of the population are between 60 and 69 years old, 823 people or 8.1% are between 70 and 79, there are 508 people or 5.0% who are between 80 and 89, and there are 81 people or 0.8% who are 90 and older.
the average number of residents per living room was 0.54 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 30.9% 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 4,116 private households in the municipality, and an average of 2.2 persons per household. there were 939 single family homes (or 67.3% of the total) out of a total of 1,396 inhabited buildings. There were 134 two family buildings (9.6%), 63 three family buildings (4.5%) and 260 multi-family buildings (or 18.6%). There were 2,423 (or 25.6%) persons who were part of a couple without children, and 4,489 (or 47.5%) who were part of a couple with children. There were 465 (or 4.9%) people who lived in single parent home, while there are 44 persons who were adult children living with one or both parents, 29 persons who lived in a household made up of relatives, 100 who lived in a household made up of unrelated persons, and 362 who are either institutionalized or live in another type of collective housing.
The vacancy rate for the municipality, , was 1.51%. , the construction rate of new housing units was 2.6 new units per 1000 residents. there were 4,527 apartments in the municipality. The most common apartment size was the 4 room apartment of which there were 1,416. There were 194 single room apartments and 545 apartments with six or more rooms. the average price to rent an average apartment in Weinfelden was 938.69 Swiss franc
s (CHF) per month (US$750, £420, €600 approx. exchange rate from 2000). The average rate for a one room apartment was 485.07 CHF (US$390, £220, €310), a two room apartment was about 715.31 CHF (US$570, £320, €460), a three room apartment was about 838.46 CHF (US$670, £380, €540) and a six or more room apartment cost an average of 1456.25 CHF (US$1160, £660, €930). The average apartment price in Weinfelden was 84.1% of the national average of 1116 CHF.
In the 2007 federal election
the most popular party was the SVP
which received 34.16% of the vote. The next three most popular parties were the FDP
(18.78%), the CVP
(16.11%) and the SP
(10.75%). In the federal election, a total of 3,415 votes were cast, and the voter turnout
was 51.0%.
The historical population is given in the following table:
with wine press
, the Rathaus
(Town council house), and the Reformed
Church are listed as Swiss heritage sites of national significance
. The village of Weinfelden and the Ottenberg Südhang area are both part of the Inventory of Swiss Heritage Sites
.
there are 128 individuals (or about 1.35% of the population) who belong to the Orthodox Church, and there are 412 individuals (or about 4.36% of the population) who belong to another Christian church. There were 13 individuals (or about 0.14% of the population) who were Jewish
, and 599 (or about 6.33% of the population) who are Islam
ic. There are 96 individuals (or about 1.02% of the population) who belong to another church (not listed on the census), 536 (or about 5.67% of the population) belong to no church, are agnostic
or atheist
, and 310 individuals (or about 3.28% of the population) did not answer the question.
. The wettest month is June during which time Weinfelden receives an average of 109 mm (4.3 in) of rain or snow. During this month there is precipitation for an average of 12.1 days. The month with the most days of precipitation is May, with an average of 12.9, but with only 97 mm (3.8 in) of rain or snow. The driest month of the year is March with an average of 57 mm (2.2 in) of precipitation over 12.1 days.
). Weinfelden is home to the Regionalbibliothek Weinfelden library.
on the line S8
. The town is also a significant railway junction.
Municipalities of Switzerland
Communes , also known as municipalities, are the smallest government division in Switzerland, numbering 2,596 . While many have a population of a few hundred citizens, the largest cities such as Zürich or Geneva also have the legal status of municipalities...
in the canton
Cantons of Switzerland
The 26 cantons of Switzerland are the member states of the federal state of Switzerland. Each canton was a fully sovereign state with its own borders, army and currency from the Treaty of Westphalia until the establishment of the Swiss federal state in 1848...
of Thurgau
Thurgau
Thurgau is a northeast canton of Switzerland. The population, , is . In 2007, there were a total of 47,390 who were resident foreigners. The capital is Frauenfeld.-History:...
in Switzerland
Switzerland
Switzerland name of one of the Swiss cantons. ; ; ; or ), in its full name the Swiss Confederation , is a federal republic consisting of 26 cantons, with Bern as the seat of the federal authorities. The country is situated in Western Europe,Or Central Europe depending on the definition....
. It is the capital of the district of the same name.
Weinfelden is an old town, which was known during Roman
Ancient Rome
Ancient Rome was a thriving civilization that grew on the Italian Peninsula as early as the 8th century BC. Located along the Mediterranean Sea and centered on the city of Rome, it expanded to one of the largest empires in the ancient world....
times as Quivelda (Winis Feld).
History
Thur
Thur may refer to:*Thur River , a river in Alsace, France*Thur River , a river in East Switzerland* Thursday, as an abbreviation...
in Weinfelden. The name Weinfelden appears the first time in a document from 838.
Weinfelden was by far the biggest town in the canton of Thurgau. In 1798, Paul Reinhart and his committee led the area to freedom from the domination of the Eidgenossen. In 1803, Thurgau became an independent canton, through the mediation of Napoleon, with 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...
as capital.
In 1830, Thomas Bornhauser spoke to a large crowd in Weinfelden, demanding a liberal constitution for the canton. It is one of the first (if not the first) such document.
Portraits of both Paul Reinhart and Thomas Bornhauser hang in the Rathaus.
Since it lies in the middle of the canton, part of the cantonal administration is located in the town, as is the Thurgau cantonal bank. The grand council of the canton meets in Weinfelden during the winter.
Geography
Weinfelden has an area, , of 15.5 square kilometres (6 sq mi). Of this area, 7.98 km² (3.1 sq mi) or 51.5% is used for agricultural purposes, while 3.48 km² (1.3 sq mi) or 22.5% is forested. Of the rest of the land, 3.9 km² (1.5 sq mi) or 25.2% is settled (buildings or roads), 0.18 km² (0.0694983885466563 sq mi) or 1.2% is either rivers or lakes.Of the built up area, industrial buildings made up 11.6% of the total area while housing and buildings made up 3.9% and transportation infrastructure made up 2.8%. Power and water infrastructure as well as other special developed areas made up 1.4% of the area while parks, green belts and sports fields made up 5.5%. Out of the forested land, 20.1% of the total land area is heavily forested and 2.4% is covered with orchards or small clusters of trees. Of the agricultural land, 43.3% is used for growing crops, while 8.2% is used for orchards or vine crops. All the water in the municipality is flowing water.
Demographics
Weinfelden has a population of , 19.9% of the population are foreign nationals. Over the last 10 years (1997–2007) the population has changed at a rate of 6.5%. 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....
(86.7%), 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 ( 3.2%) and 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 third ( 2.4%).
, the gender distribution of the population was 49.9% male and 50.1% female. The population was made up of 3,903 Swiss men (39.0% of the population), and 1,086 (10.9%) non-Swiss men. There were 4,116 Swiss women (41.1%), and 901 (9.0%) non-Swiss women.
In there were 65 live births to Swiss citizens and 24 births to non-Swiss citizens, and in same time span there were 96 deaths of Swiss citizens. Ignoring immigration and emigration, the population of Swiss citizens decreased by 31 while the foreign population increased by 24. There were 5 Swiss men who emigrated from Switzerland to another country, 9 Swiss women who emigrated from Switzerland to another country, 75 non-Swiss men who emigrated from Switzerland to another country and 38 non-Swiss women who emigrated from Switzerland to another country. The total Swiss population change in 2008 (from all sources) was an increase of 24 and the non-Swiss population change was an increase of 82 people. This represents a population growth rate of 1.1%.
The age distribution, , in Weinfelden is; 927 children or 9.1% of the population are between 0 and 9 years old and 1,130 teenagers or 11.1% are between 10 and 19. Of the adult population, 1,549 people or 15.3% of the population are between 20 and 29 years old. 1,347 people or 13.3% are between 30 and 39, 1,464 people or 14.4% are between 40 and 49, and 1,304 people or 12.9% are between 50 and 59. The senior population distribution is 1,008 people or 9.9% of the population are between 60 and 69 years old, 823 people or 8.1% are between 70 and 79, there are 508 people or 5.0% who are between 80 and 89, and there are 81 people or 0.8% who are 90 and older.
the average number of residents per living room was 0.54 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 30.9% 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 4,116 private households in the municipality, and an average of 2.2 persons per household. there were 939 single family homes (or 67.3% of the total) out of a total of 1,396 inhabited buildings. There were 134 two family buildings (9.6%), 63 three family buildings (4.5%) and 260 multi-family buildings (or 18.6%). There were 2,423 (or 25.6%) persons who were part of a couple without children, and 4,489 (or 47.5%) who were part of a couple with children. There were 465 (or 4.9%) people who lived in single parent home, while there are 44 persons who were adult children living with one or both parents, 29 persons who lived in a household made up of relatives, 100 who lived in a household made up of unrelated persons, and 362 who are either institutionalized or live in another type of collective housing.
The vacancy rate for the municipality, , was 1.51%. , the construction rate of new housing units was 2.6 new units per 1000 residents. there were 4,527 apartments in the municipality. The most common apartment size was the 4 room apartment of which there were 1,416. There were 194 single room apartments and 545 apartments with six or more rooms. the average price to rent an average apartment in Weinfelden was 938.69 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$750, £420, €600 approx. exchange rate from 2000). The average rate for a one room apartment was 485.07 CHF (US$390, £220, €310), a two room apartment was about 715.31 CHF (US$570, £320, €460), a three room apartment was about 838.46 CHF (US$670, £380, €540) and a six or more room apartment cost an average of 1456.25 CHF (US$1160, £660, €930). The average apartment price in Weinfelden was 84.1% 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 34.16% of the vote. The next three most popular parties were 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....
(18.78%), 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...
(16.11%) and the SP
Social Democratic Party of Switzerland
The Social Democratic Party of Switzerland is the largest centre-left political party in Switzerland....
(10.75%). In the federal election, a total of 3,415 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 51.0%.
The historical population is given in the following table:
| year | population |
|---|---|
| 1950 | 6,085 |
| 1960 | 7,213 |
| 1980 | 9,007 |
| 1990 | 9,299 |
| 2000 | 9,456 |
Heritage sites of national significance
The Gasthaus Zum Trauben, Bachtobel CastleBachtobel Castle
Bachtobel Castle is a castle in the municipality of Weinfelden of the Canton of Thurgau in Switzerland. It is a Swiss heritage site of national significance.-References:...
with wine press
Wine press
A wine press is a device used to extract juice from crushed grapes during wine making. There are a number of different styles of presses that are used by wine makers but their overall functionality is the same. Each style of press exerts controlled pressure in order to free the juice from the fruit...
, the Rathaus
Rathaus
Rathaus is a German word literally translating as “council house”, meaning “city hall” or “town hall”. Many specific buildings are referred to as Rathaus even when spoken about in English.Some important Rathäuser are:* Rathaus Schöneberg...
(Town council house), and 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...
Church are listed as Swiss heritage sites of national significance
Swiss 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 village of Weinfelden and the Ottenberg Südhang area are both part of the Inventory of Swiss Heritage Sites
Inventory of Swiss Heritage Sites
The Inventory of Swiss Heritage Sites is part of a 1981 Ordinance of the Swiss Federal Council implementing the Federal Law on the Protection of Nature and Cultural Heritage.-Sites of national importance:-Types:...
.
Economy
, Weinfelden had an unemployment rate of 1.82%. , there were 164 people employed in the primary economic sector and about 55 businesses involved in this sector. 1,908 people are employed in the secondary sector and there are 123 businesses in this sector. 4,380 people are employed in the tertiary sector, with 489 businesses in this sector. there were 6,210 workers who lived in the municipality. Of these, 2,187 or about 35.2% of the residents worked outside Weinfelden while 4,071 people commuted into the municipality for work. There were a total of 8,094 jobs (of at least 6 hours per week) in the municipality. Of the working population, 12.3% used public transportation to get to work, and 40.1% used a private car.Religion
From the , 3,087 or 32.6% were Roman Catholic, while 4,271 or 45.2% belonged to the Swiss Reformed Church. Of the rest of the population, there were 4 Old Catholics (or about 0.04% of the population) who belonged to the Christian Catholic Church of SwitzerlandChristian Catholic Church of Switzerland
The Christian Catholic Church of Switzerland is the Swiss member church of the Union of Utrecht, also known as Old Catholic Church, originally founded by the jansenists, with a later influx of discontented Catholics following their disappointment with the First Vatican Council. It has 14,000...
there are 128 individuals (or about 1.35% of the population) who belong to the Orthodox Church, and there are 412 individuals (or about 4.36% of the population) who belong to another Christian church. There were 13 individuals (or about 0.14% of the population) who were Jewish
Judaism
Judaism ) is the "religion, philosophy, and way of life" of the Jewish people...
, and 599 (or about 6.33% 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 96 individuals (or about 1.02% of the population) who belong to another church (not listed on the census), 536 (or about 5.67% 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 310 individuals (or about 3.28% of the population) did not answer the question.
Weather
Weinfelden has an average of 130.7 days of rain or snow per year and on average receives 929 mm (36.6 in) of precipitationPrecipitation (meteorology)
In meteorology, precipitation In meteorology, precipitation In meteorology, precipitation (also known as one of the classes of hydrometeors, which are atmospheric water phenomena is any product of the condensation of atmospheric water vapor that falls under gravity. The main forms of precipitation...
. The wettest month is June during which time Weinfelden receives an average of 109 mm (4.3 in) of rain or snow. During this month there is precipitation for an average of 12.1 days. The month with the most days of precipitation is May, with an average of 12.9, but with only 97 mm (3.8 in) of rain or snow. The driest month of the year is March with an average of 57 mm (2.2 in) of precipitation over 12.1 days.
Education
In Weinfelden about 67.6% 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...
). Weinfelden is home to the Regionalbibliothek Weinfelden library.
Transport
Weinfelden is a terminal station of the Zürich S-BahnZürich S-Bahn
The Zurich S-Bahn system is a network of rapid transit rail lines that has been incrementally expanded to cover the ZVV area, which comprises the entire canton of Zurich and portions of neighboring cantons The Zurich S-Bahn system is a network of rapid transit rail lines that has been...
on the line S8
S8 (ZVV)
The S8 is a regional railway line of the S-Bahn Zürich on the Zürcher Verkehrsverbund , Zürich transportation network, and is one of the network's lines connecting the cantons of Thurgau, Zürich and Schwyz.- Route :...
. The town is also a significant railway junction.