Altnau is a
municipality
A municipality is usually a single administrative division having corporate status and powers of self-government or jurisdiction as granted by national and regional laws to which it is subordinate.
The term ''municipality'' may also mean the go ...
in the district of
Kreuzlingen
Kreuzlingen 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 about 22,000. ...
in the
canton of
Thurgau
Thurgau (; french: Thurgovie; it, Turgovia), anglicized as Thurgovia, more formally the Canton of Thurgau, is one of the 26 cantons forming the Swiss Confederation. It is composed of five districts and its capital is Frauenfeld.
Thurgau is part ...
in
Switzerland
). Swiss law does not designate a ''capital'' as such, but the federal parliament and government are installed in Bern, while other federal institutions, such as the federal courts, are in other cities (Bellinzona, Lausanne, Luzern, Neuchâtel ...
.
History
Near the
hamlet
''The Tragedy of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark'', often shortened to ''Hamlet'' (), is a tragedy written by William Shakespeare sometime between 1599 and 1601. It is Shakespeare's longest play, with 29,551 words. Set in Denmark, the play depicts ...
of Ruderbaum, the remains of a
Horgen culture
The Horgen culture is one of several archaeological cultures belonging to the Neolithic period of Switzerland. The Horgen culture may derive from the Pfyn culture and early Horgen pottery is similar to the earlier Cortaillod culture pottery of ...
settlement have been discovered. Below the Horgen site, there also may be a
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
The oldest traces of a settlement are about west of Pfyn in the former peat bog of ''Breitenloo' ...
site, but that is less certain.
The modern village of Altnau may be first mentioned in 787 as ''Althinouva''.
[ In the 8th Century the ]Abbey of St. Gall
The Abbey of Saint Gall (german: Abtei St. Gallen) is a dissolved abbey (747–1805) in a Catholic religious complex in the city of St. Gallen in Switzerland. The Carolingian-era monastery existed from 719, founded by Saint Othmar on the spot ...
owned most of the land in Altnau. In 1155, Emperor Friedrich Barbarossa
Frederick Barbarossa (December 1122 – 10 June 1190), also known as Frederick I (german: link=no, Friedrich I, it, Federico I), was the Holy Roman Emperor from 1155 until his death 35 years later. He was elected King of Germany in Frankfurt on ...
confirmed that the Cathedral of Constance
Constance may refer to:
Places
*Konstanz, Germany, sometimes written as Constance in English
*Constance Bay, Ottawa, Canada
* Constance, Kentucky
* Constance, Minnesota
* Constance (Portugal)
* Mount Constance, Washington State
People
* Consta ...
owned the church and church yard in the village. The vogt
During the Middle Ages, an (sometimes given as modern English: advocate; German: ; French: ) was an office-holder who was legally delegated to perform some of the secular responsibilities of a major feudal lord, or for an institution such as ...
right over the church's farms belonged to the Freiherr
(; male, abbreviated as ), (; his wife, abbreviated as , literally "free lord" or "free lady") and (, his unmarried daughters and maiden aunts) are designations used as titles of nobility in the German-speaking areas of the Holy Roman Empire ...
of Altenklingen after 1300. During the Late Middle Ages
The Late Middle Ages or Late Medieval Period was the Periodization, period of European history lasting from AD 1300 to 1500. The Late Middle Ages followed the High Middle Ages and preceded the onset of the early modern period (and in much of Eur ...
, this right was given to several noble families from Constance; 1378 Schwarz, 1430 Tettikofen, 1468 Mangolte, and from 1471 until 1798 the city of Constance directly controlled the farms. In 1454 the villagers were represented in the Appenzell
Appenzell is a historic canton in the northeast of Switzerland, and entirely surrounded by the canton of St. Gallen.
Appenzell became independent of the Abbey of Saint Gall in 1403 and entered a league with the Old Swiss Confederacy in 1411, ...
''Landrecht'', but following complaints from Constance they were forced to give up their membership. The rights of the village are first listed in the ''Gerichtsoffnung'' of 1468.[
The right to administer the ]parish
A parish is a territorial entity in many Christian denominations, constituting a division within a diocese. A parish is under the pastoral care and clerical jurisdiction of a priest, often termed a parish priest, who might be assisted by one or m ...
of Altnau went from the cathedral's provost to the cathedral's dean
Dean may refer to:
People
* Dean (given name)
* Dean (surname), a surname of Anglo-Saxon English origin
* Dean (South Korean singer), a stage name for singer Kwon Hyuk
* Dean Delannoit, a Belgian singer most known by the mononym Dean
Titles
* ...
in 1347. After the Protestant Reformation
The Reformation (alternatively named the Protestant Reformation or the European Reformation) was a major movement within Western Christianity in 16th-century Europe that posed a religious and political challenge to the Catholic Church and in ...
in 1528, the few remaining Catholics were looked after by Constance and the village church became a shared church. This situation remained until 1810 when two churches were completed.
Until the 19th Century, most of the local economy revolved around three-field agriculture. About 1880 a dairy company was founded in the village, and livestock and cheese production became common. Viticulture
Viticulture (from the Latin word for ''vine'') or winegrowing (wine growing) is the cultivation and harvesting of grapes. It is a branch of the science of horticulture. While the native territory of ''Vitis vinifera'', the common grape vine, ran ...
was common from the middle ages
In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages or medieval period lasted approximately from the late 5th to the late 15th centuries, similar to the post-classical period of global history. It began with the fall of the Western Roman Empire a ...
until 1912. In 1840 the ''Seestrasse'' (Lake Road) was built, and in 1870, the ''Seetalbahn'' (railroad line) was added. However, neither the road or the railroad led to a boost in the local economy, as the station was too far away.[
]
Geography
Altnau has an area, , of . Of this area, or 70.7% is used for agricultural purposes, while or 15.4% is forested. Of the rest of the land, or 13.9% is settled (buildings or roads), or 0.3% is either rivers or lakes.[Swiss Federal Statistical Office-Land Use Statistics]
2009 data accessed 25 March 2010
Of the built up area, industrial buildings made up 7.0% of the total area while housing and buildings made up 0.6% and transportation infrastructure made up 0.7%. Power and water infrastructure as well as other special developed areas made up 1.6% of the area while parks, green belts and sports fields made up 3.9%. Out of the forested land, all of the forested land area is covered with heavy forests. Of the agricultural land, 47.2% is used for growing crops, while 23.5% is used for orchards or vine crops. All the water in the municipality is flowing water.[
The municipality is located in the Kreuzlingen district along the ]Romanshorn
Romanshorn is a municipality in the district of Arbon in the canton of Thurgau in Switzerland.
History
Romanshorn was probably settled in the 7th century, and is first mentioned in 779 as ''Rumanishorn'' in a land grant from Waldrata to the Abbe ...
-Kreuzlingen
Kreuzlingen 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 about 22,000. ...
road about from Lake Constance
Lake Constance (german: Bodensee, ) refers to three Body of water, bodies of water on the Rhine at the northern foot of the Alps: Upper Lake Constance (''Obersee''), Lower Lake Constance (''Untersee''), and a connecting stretch of the Rhine, ca ...
.
Demographics
Altnau has a population () of . , 15.5% of the population are foreign nationals.[Swiss Federal Statistical Office - Superweb database - Gemeinde Statistics 1981-2008]
accessed 19 June 2010 Over the last 10 years (1997–2007) the population has changed at a rate of 11.8%. Most of the population () speaks German
German(s) may refer to:
* Germany (of or related to)
** Germania (historical use)
* Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language
** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law
**Ge ...
(94.5%), with Albanian
Albanian may refer to:
*Pertaining to Albania in Southeast Europe; in particular:
**Albanians, an ethnic group native to the Balkans
**Albanian language
**Albanian culture
**Demographics of Albania, includes other ethnic groups within the country ...
being second most common ( 1.1%) and Italian
Italian(s) may refer to:
* Anything of, from, or related to the people of Italy over the centuries
** Italians, an ethnic group or simply a citizen of the Italian Republic or Italian Kingdom
** Italian language, a Romance language
*** Regional Ita ...
being third ( 0.9%).[Swiss Federal Statistical Office]
accessed 20-September-2010
, the gender distribution of the population was 51.2% male and 48.8% female. The population was made up of 829 Swiss men (42.5% of the population), and 170 (8.7%) non-Swiss men. There were 819 Swiss women (42.0%), and 133 (6.8%) non-Swiss women.
In there were 17 live births to Swiss citizens and 4 births to non-Swiss citizens, and in same time span there were 8 deaths of Swiss citizens. Ignoring immigration and emigration, the population of Swiss citizens increased by 9 while the foreign population increased by 4. There was 1 Swiss man, 1 Swiss woman who emigrated from Switzerland to another country, 10 non-Swiss men who emigrated from Switzerland to another country and 12 non-Swiss women who emigrated from Switzerland to another country. The total Swiss population change in 2008 (from all sources) was an increase of 57 and the non-Swiss population change was an increase of 13 people. This represents a population growth rate
Population growth is the increase in the number of people in a population or dispersed group. Actual global human population growth amounts to around 83 million annually, or 1.1% per year. The global population has grown from 1 billion in 1800 to ...
of 3.7%.[
The age distribution, , in Altnau is; 199 children or 10.0% of the population are between 0 and 9 years old and 295 teenagers or 14.9% are between 10 and 19. Of the adult population, 193 people or 9.7% of the population are between 20 and 29 years old. 247 people or 12.5% are between 30 and 39, 395 people or 19.9% are between 40 and 49, and 277 people or 14.0% are between 50 and 59. The senior population distribution is 222 people or 11.2% of the population are between 60 and 69 years old, 104 people or 5.2% are between 70 and 79, there are 45 people or 2.3% who are between 80 and 89, and there are 4 people or 0.2% who are 90 and older.
, there were 679 private households in the municipality, and an average of 2.6 persons per household.][ there were 351 single family homes (or 84.0% of the total) out of a total of 418 inhabited buildings. There were 32 two family buildings (7.7%), 11 three family buildings (2.6%) and 24 multi-family buildings (or 5.7%). There were 384 (or 21.3%) 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 108 (or 6.0%) people who lived in single parent home, while there are 6 persons who were adult children living with one or both parents, 6 persons who lived in a household made up of relatives, 26 who lived in a household made up of unrelated persons, and 9 who are either institutionalized or live in another type of collective housing.
The vacancy rate for the municipality, , was 0.73%. , the construction rate of new housing units was 3.7 new units per 1000 residents.][ there were 751 apartments in the municipality. The most common apartment size was the 5 room apartment of which there were 202. There were 16 single room apartments and 183 apartments with six or more rooms.][Statistical Office of Thurgau]
, MS Excel document - ''Wohnungen nach Anzahl Zimmer und Gemeinden, Jahr 2000'' accessed 24 June 2010 the average price to rent an average apartment in Altnau was 1109.58 Swiss franc
The Swiss franc is the currency and legal tender of Switzerland and Liechtenstein. It is also legal tender in the Italian exclave of Campione d'Italia which is surrounded by Swiss territory. The Swiss National Bank (SNB) issues banknotes and the f ...
s (CHF) per month (US$890, £500, €710 approx. exchange rate from 2000). The average rate for a one-room apartment was 466.43 CHF (US$370, £210, €300), a two-room apartment was about 728.08 CHF (US$580, £330, €470), a three-room apartment was about 787.67 CHF (US$630, £350, €500) and a six or more room apartment cost an average of 1543.68 CHF (US$1230, £690, €990). The average apartment price in Altnau was 99.4% of the national average of 1116 CHF.
In the 2007 federal election the most popular party was the SVP which received 38.69% of the vote. The next three most popular parties were the Green Party
A green party is a formally organized political party based on the principles of green politics, such as social justice, environmentalism and nonviolence.
Greens believe that these issues are inherently related to one another as a foundation ...
(17.58%), the FDP (14.91%) and the CVP (11.74%). In the federal election, a total of 560 votes were cast, and the voter turnout
In political science, voter turnout is the participation rate (often defined as those who cast a ballot) of a given election. This can be the percentage of registered voters, eligible voters, or all voting-age people. According to Stanford Unive ...
was 45.6%.
The historical population is given in the following table:
Sights
The entire village of Altnau is designated as part of the Inventory of Swiss Heritage Sites
The Federal Inventory of Heritage Sites (ISOS) is part of a 1981 Ordinance of the Swiss Federal Council implementing the Federal Law on the Protection of Nature and Cultural Heritage.
Sites of national importance
Types
The types are based on t ...
.
Economy
, Altnau had an unemployment rate of 1.46%. , there were 100 people employed in the primary economic sector and about 32 businesses involved in this sector. 187 people are employed in the secondary sector
In macroeconomics, the secondary sector of the economy is an economic sector in the three-sector theory that describes the role of manufacturing. It encompasses industries that produce a finished, usable product or are involved in construction. ...
and there are 35 businesses in this sector. 317 people are employed in the tertiary sector
The tertiary sector of the economy, generally known as the service sector, is the third of the three economic sectors in the three-sector model (also known as the economic cycle). The others are the primary sector (raw materials) and the second ...
, with 66 businesses in this sector.[
there were 1,311 workers who lived in the municipality. Of these, 632 or about 48.2% of the residents worked outside Altnau while 192 people commuted into the municipality for work. There were a total of 871 jobs (of at least 6 hours per week) in the municipality. Of the working population, 9.9% used public transportation to get to work, and 49.1% used a private car.][
]
Religion
From the , 570 or 31.6% were Roman Catholic
Roman or Romans most often refers to:
*Rome, the capital city of Italy
*Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD
*Roman people, the people of ancient Rome
*'' Epistle to the Romans'', shortened to ''Romans'', a lette ...
, while 881 or 48.8% belonged to the Swiss Reformed Church
The Protestant Church in Switzerland (PCS), (EKS); french: Église évangélique réformée de Suisse (EERS); it, Chiesa evangelica riformata in Svizzera (CERiS); rm, Baselgia evangelica refurmada da la Svizra (BRRS) formerly named Federation o ...
. Of the rest of the population, there are 5 individuals (or about 0.28% of the population) who belong to the Orthodox Church, and there are 74 individuals (or about 4.10% of the population) who belong to another Christian church. There were 43 (or about 2.38% of the population) who are Islam
Islam (; ar, ۘالِإسلَام, , ) is an Abrahamic religions, Abrahamic Monotheism#Islam, monotheistic religion centred primarily around the Quran, a religious text considered by Muslims to be the direct word of God in Islam, God (or ...
ic. There are 4 individuals (or about 0.22% of the population) who belong to another church (not listed on the census), 169 (or about 9.37% of the population) belong to no church, are agnostic
Agnosticism is the view or belief that the existence of God, of the divine or the supernatural is unknown or unknowable. (page 56 in 1967 edition) Another definition provided is the view that "human reason is incapable of providing sufficient ...
or atheist
Atheism, in the broadest sense, is an absence of belief in the existence of deities. Less broadly, atheism is a rejection of the belief that any deities exist. In an even narrower sense, atheism is specifically the position that there no ...
, and 58 individuals (or about 3.22% of the population) did not answer the question.
Transport
Altnau sits on the Lake Line
The Lake Line
at www.sbb.ch. Accessed on 13 Jan 201 ...
between Schaffhausen
Schaffhausen (; gsw, Schafuuse; french: Schaffhouse; it, Sciaffusa; rm, Schaffusa; en, Shaffhouse) is a list of towns in Switzerland, town with historic roots, a municipalities of Switzerland, municipality in northern Switzerland, and the ...
and Rorschach Rorschach may refer to:
* Hermann Rorschach, a Swiss psychiatrist
** Rorschach test, his psychological evaluation method involving inkblots
* Rorschach (character), a character from the comics ''Watchmen''
* Rorschach (comic book), a 2020 comic
* ...
and is served by the St. Gallen S-Bahn at Altnau railway station.
Education
In Altnau about 79.2% of the population (between age 25-64) have completed either non-mandatory upper secondary education or additional higher education (either university or a ''Fachhochschule
A ''Fachhochschule'' (; plural ''Fachhochschulen''), abbreviated FH, is a university of applied sciences (UAS), in other words a German tertiary education institution that provides professional education in many applied sciences and applied arts ...
'').[
Altnau is home to the Altnau primary school district. It is also home to the Altnau secondary school district. In the 2008/2009 school year there were 176 students in the primary school district. There were 44 children in the ]kindergarten
Kindergarten is a preschool educational approach based on playing, singing, practical activities such as drawing, and social interaction as part of the transition from home to school. Such institutions were originally made in the late 18th cent ...
, and the average class size was 22 kindergartners. Of the children in kindergarten, 18 or 40.9% were female, 7 or 15.9% were not Swiss citizens and 2 or 4.5% did not speak German natively. The lower and upper primary levels begin at about age 5-6 and last for 6 years. There were 59 children in who were at the lower primary level and 73 children in the upper primary level. The average class size in the primary school was 22 students. At the lower primary level, there were 26 children or 44.1% of the total population who were female, 5 or 8.5% were not Swiss citizens and 1 or 1.7% did not speak German natively. In the upper primary level, there were 35 or 47.9% who were female, 6 or 8.2% were not Swiss citizens and 3 or 4.1% did not speak German natively.
There are 273 students in the secondary school district. 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 178 teenagers who were in the advanced school, of which 97 or 54.5% were female, 15 or 8.4% were not Swiss citizens and 7 or 3.9% did not speak German natively. There were 95 teenagers who were in the standard school, of which 47 or 49.5% were female, 23 or 24.2% were not Swiss citizens and 18 or 18.9% did not speak German natively. The average class size for all classes at the secondary level was 18.2 students.Canton Thurgau Schools
accessed 23 June 2010
References
External links
*
{{Authority control
Municipalities of Thurgau