Rorschach () is a

municipality A municipality is usually a single administrative division having municipal corporation, corporate status and powers of self-government or jurisdiction as granted by national and regional laws to which it is subordinate. The term ''municipality' ...

in the district of Rorschach in the canton of St. Gallen in

Switzerland Switzerland, officially the Swiss Confederation, is a landlocked country located in west-central Europe. It is bordered by Italy to the south, France to the west, Germany to the north, and Austria and Liechtenstein to the east. Switzerland ...

. It is on the south side of

Lake Constance Lake Constance (, ) refers to three 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, called the Seerhein (). These ...

(''Bodensee'').

History

Rorschach is first mentioned in 850 as ''Rorscachun''. In 947,

Otto I Otto I (23 November 912 – 7 May 973), known as Otto the Great ( ) or Otto of Saxony ( ), was East Francia, East Frankish (Kingdom of Germany, German) king from 936 and Holy Roman Emperor from 962 until his death in 973. He was the eldest son o ...

granted the abbot of St. Gall the right to operate markets, mint coins and levy tariffs at Rorschach. In 1489–90 the Rorschacher Klosterbruch or destruction of the abbey at Rorschach touched off the St. Gallen War. Following decades of conflict with the city of St. Gallen, in late 1480 Abbot Ulrich Rösch began planning to move the abbey away from the city of St. Gallen to Rorschach. By moving he hoped to escape the independence and conflict in the city. Additionally, by moving closer to the important lake trade routes, he could make Rorschach into a major harbor and collect a fortune in taxes. In turn Mayor Varnbüler and the city feared that a new harbor on the lake would cause trade to bypass St. Gallen and Appenzell. They would then be forced to go through the Prince-Bishop's harbor to sell their fabric. Though the city of St. Gallen and Appenzell opposed the new monastery, after the approval of

Pope Sixtus IV Pope Sixtus IV (or Xystus IV, ; born Francesco della Rovere; (21 July 1414 – 12 August 1484) was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 9 August 1471 until his death in 1484. His accomplishments as pope included ...

and protracted negotiations with Emperor Friedrich III the corner stone of the new Mariaberg Abbey was laid on 21 March 1487. At first the city simply protested the Abbot's plan, but when that went nowhere, they began planning an attack on the abbey. They believed that the Swiss Confederation would not intervene due to tensions between them and the

Swabian League The Swabian League () was a military alliance of Imperial State, imperial estates – Free imperial city, imperial cities, prelates, principalities and knights – principally in the territory of the early Middle Ages, medieval stem duchy of S ...

. On 28 July 1489 a group of 1200 Appenzellers and 350 St. Galleners assembled at Grub (now part of Eggersriet) and marched on the Abbey. They quickly tore down the walls and burned everything they could find. After spending the night drinking and feasting on the abbot's supplies, they returned to their homes. The attack cost the Abbot the 13,000 gulden he had already spent on construction along with an additional 3,000 in furniture and supplies. The Abbey's

vassal A vassal or liege subject is a person regarded as having a mutual obligation to a lord or monarch, in the context of the feudal system in medieval Europe. While the subordinate party is called a vassal, the dominant party is called a suzerain ...

s were supportive of the actions of the city and Appenzell and on 21 October 1489 signed the ''Waldkircher Bund'' with the rebels. The Abbot spent the following months seeking support from his allies in the Old Swiss Confederation to punish St. Gallen and Appenzell. Initially he had little success. While the four allied cantons (

Zürich Zurich (; ) is the list of cities in Switzerland, largest city in Switzerland and the capital of the canton of Zurich. It is in north-central Switzerland, at the northwestern tip of Lake Zurich. , the municipality had 448,664 inhabitants. The ...

Lucerne Lucerne ( ) or Luzern ()Other languages: ; ; ; . is a city in central Switzerland, in the Languages of Switzerland, German-speaking portion of the country. Lucerne is the capital of the canton of Lucerne and part of the Lucerne (district), di ...

Schwyz Schwyz (; ; ) is a town and the capital of the canton of Schwyz in Switzerland. The Federal Charter of 1291 or ''Bundesbrief'', the charter that eventually led to the foundation of Switzerland, can be seen at the ''Bundesbriefmuseum''. The of ...

and

Glarus Glarus (; ; ; ; ) is the capital of the canton of Glarus in Switzerland. Since 1 January 2011, the municipality of Glarus incorporates the former municipalities of Ennenda, Netstal and Riedern. Rorschach has an area, , of . Of this area, 7.3% is used for agricultural purposes, while 1.7% is forested. Of the rest of the land, 90.4% is settled (buildings or roads) and the remainder (0.6%) is non-productive (rivers or lakes). The municipality is the capital of the Rorschach ''Wahlkreis''. It is located on Lake Constance and bordered by the municipalities of Rorschacherberg and Goldach.

Coat of arms

The

blazon In heraldry and heraldic vexillology, a blazon is a formal description of a coat of arms, flag or similar emblem, from which the reader can reconstruct an accurate image. The verb ''to blazon'' means to create such a description. The visual d ...

of the municipal

coat of arms A coat of arms is a heraldry, heraldic communication design, visual design on an escutcheon (heraldry), escutcheon (i.e., shield), surcoat, or tabard (the last two being outer garments), originating in Europe. The coat of arms on an escutcheon f ...

is ''Gules a Garb Or between two Perches urinant.''

Demographics

Rorschach has a population (as of ) of . , about 43.7% of the population was made up of foreign nationals. Of the foreign population, (), 156 are from

Germany Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It lies between the Baltic Sea and the North Sea to the north and the Alps to the south. Its sixteen States of Germany, constituent states have a total popu ...

, 747 are from

Italy Italy, officially the Italian Republic, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe, Western Europe. It consists of Italian Peninsula, a peninsula that extends into the Mediterranean Sea, with the Alps on its northern land b ...

, 1,353 are from ex-

Yugoslavia , common_name = Yugoslavia , life_span = 1918–19921941–1945: World War II in Yugoslavia#Axis invasion and dismemberment of Yugoslavia, Axis occupation , p1 = Kingdom of SerbiaSerbia , flag_p ...

, 103 are from

Austria Austria, formally the Republic of Austria, is a landlocked country in Central Europe, lying in the Eastern Alps. It is a federation of nine Federal states of Austria, states, of which the capital Vienna is the List of largest cities in Aust ...

, 329 are from

Turkey Turkey, officially the Republic of Türkiye, is a country mainly located in Anatolia in West Asia, with a relatively small part called East Thrace in Southeast Europe. It borders the Black Sea to the north; Georgia (country), Georgia, Armen ...

, and 740 are from another country.Der Kanton St. Gallen und seine Menschen in Zahlen – Ausgabe 2009
accessed 30 December 2009 Over the last 10 years the population has decreased at a rate of −5%. Most of the population () speaks German (76.0%), with Italian being second most common ( 5.3%) and Serbo-Croatian being third ( 4.4%).
accessed 5 January 2010 Of the Swiss national languages (), 6,572 speak

German German(s) may refer to: * Germany, the country of the Germans and German things **Germania (Roman era) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizenship in Germany, see also Ge ...

, 38 people speak French, 462 people speak

Italian Italian(s) may refer to: * Anything of, from, or related to the people of Italy over the centuries ** Italians, a Romance ethnic group related to or simply a citizen of the Italian Republic or Italian Kingdom ** Italian language, a Romance languag ...

, and 13 people speak Romansh. The age distribution, , in Rorschach is; 885 children or 10.2% of the population are between 0 and 9 years old and 991 teenagers or 11.5% are between 10 and 19. Of the adult population, 1,224 people or 14.2% of the population are between 20 and 29 years old. 1,351 people or 15.6% are between 30 and 39, 1,190 people or 13.8% are between 40 and 49, and 1,013 people or 11.7% are between 50 and 59. The senior population distribution is 786 people or 9.1% of the population are between 60 and 69 years old, 751 people or 8.7% are between 70 and 79, there are 402 people or 4.6% who are between 80 and 89, and there are 54 people or 0.6% who are between 90 and 99.Canton St. Gallen Statistics-Hauptergebnisse der Volkszählung 2000: Regionen- und Gemeindevergleich-Personen
accessed 30 December 2009 there were 1,848 persons (or 21.4% of the population) who were living alone in a private dwelling. There were 1,916 (or 22.2%) persons who were part of a couple (married or otherwise committed) without children, and 3,925 (or 45.4%) who were part of a couple with children. There were 555 (or 6.4%) people who lived in single parent home, while there are 42 persons who were adult children living with one or both parents, 38 persons who lived in a household made up of relatives, 96 who lived household made up of unrelated persons, and 227 who are either institutionalized or live in another type of collective housing. In the 2007 federal election the most popular party was the SVP which received 26.1% of the vote. The next three most popular parties were the SP (23.6%), the CVP (22.9%) and the FDP (13.9%). In Rorschach about 55.3% 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 (; plural ), abbreviated FH, is a university of applied sciences (UAS), in other words a Hochschule, German tertiary education institution that provides professional education in many applied sciences and applied arts, such as engineering, te ...

''). Out of the total population in Rorschach, , the highest education level completed by 2,313 people (26.7% of the population) was

Primary Primary or primaries may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Music Groups and labels * Primary (band), from Australia * Primary (musician), hip hop musician and record producer from South Korea * Primary Music, Israeli record label Work ...

, while 2,915 (33.7%) have completed their secondary education, 704 (8.1%) have attended a

Tertiary Tertiary (from Latin, meaning 'third' or 'of the third degree/order..') may refer to: * Tertiary period, an obsolete geologic period spanning from 66 to 2.6 million years ago * Tertiary (chemistry), a term describing bonding patterns in organic ch ...

school, and 582 (6.7%) are not in school. The remainder did not answer this question. The historical population is given in the following table:

Transport

Train lines link the city to St. Gallen, St. Margrethen, and

Romanshorn Romanshorn is a Municipalities of Switzerland, municipality in the district of Arbon (district), Arbon in the Cantons of Switzerland, canton of Thurgau in Switzerland. History Romanshorn was probably settled in the 7th century, and is first menti ...

. A

rack railway A rack railway (also rack-and-pinion railway, cog railway, or cogwheel railway) is a steep grade railway with a toothed rack rail, usually between the running rails. The trains are fitted with one or more cog wheels or pinions that mesh with ...

, the Rorschach-Heiden-Bahn, leads to Heiden (800m a.s.l.). In 1856, the station became the terminus of the Zurich–St. Gallen line. Formerly, train carriages were transported over Lake Constance and thus it was possible to reach Heiden from Frankfurt or Berlin without changing trains. The A1 highway runs close to the south of Rorschach, but the town does not have its own junction. The highway leads towards St. Gallen to the west and St. Margrethen to the east. Rorschach also has a harbour served by passenger ferries, which travel to nearby towns on the Swiss and German sides of the lake. A number of hiking trails either start or end in Rorschach, including the Via Jacobi (one of the routes of the Way of St. James), the to Geneva, and the Rheintaler Höhenweg to Sargans.

Economy

there were 1,878 residents who worked in the municipality, while 2,486 residents worked outside Rorschach and 4,218 people commuted into the municipality for work. , Rorschach had an unemployment rate of 3.59%. , there were 30 people employed in the primary economic sector and about 3 businesses involved in this sector. 1,188 people are employed in the secondary sector and there are 103 businesses in this sector. 3,417 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 ...

, with 467 businesses in this sector. the average unemployment rate was 6.3%. There were 558 businesses in the municipality of which 107 were involved in the secondary sector of the economy while 451 were involved in the third.

Religion

From the , 4,033 or 46.6% are

Roman Catholic The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics worldwide as of 2025. It is among the world's oldest and largest international institut ...

, while 1,868 or 21.6% belonged to the

Swiss Reformed Church The Protestant Church in Switzerland (PCS), formerly named Federation of Swiss Protestant Churches until 31 December 2019, is a federation of 25 member churches – 24 cantonal churches and the Evangelical-Methodist Church of Switzerland. The P ...

. Of the rest of the population, there are 9 individuals (or about 0.10% of the population) who belong to the Christian Catholic faith, there are 407 individuals (or about 4.71% of the population) who belong to the Orthodox Church, and there are 187 individuals (or about 2.16% of the population) who belong to another Christian church. There is 1 individual who is a

Jew Jews (, , ), or the Jewish people, are an ethnoreligious group and nation, originating from the Israelites of ancient Israel and Judah. They also traditionally adhere to Judaism. Jewish ethnicity, religion, and community are highly inte ...

, and 1,106 (or about 12.79% of the population) who are

Muslims Muslims () are people who adhere to Islam, a Monotheism, monotheistic religion belonging to the Abrahamic religions, Abrahamic tradition. They consider the Quran, the foundational religious text of Islam, to be the verbatim word of the God ...

. There are 68 individuals (or about 0.79% of the population) who belong to another church (not listed on the census), 652 (or about 7.54% of the population) belong to no church, are agnostic 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 316 individuals (or about 3.65% of the population) did not answer the question.

Heritage sites of national significance

The former granary (') at Hauptstrasse 58 and the former

Benedictine The Benedictines, officially the Order of Saint Benedict (, abbreviated as O.S.B. or OSB), are a mainly contemplative monastic order of the Catholic Church for men and for women who follow the Rule of Saint Benedict. Initiated in 529, th ...

(now the Kantonales Lehrerseminar) at Seminarstrasse 27 are listed as Swiss heritage sites of national significance. Also in the area are the lake promenade, an aviation museum in Altenrhein and the nearby castles of , , and . Additionally, the whole town of Rorschach and the ''Schlosslandschaft Rorschach / Alter Rhein'', a number of castles in a region along the Rhine, are 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 ...

. The ''Schlosslandschaft'' is shared between

Berg Berg may refer to: People *Berg (surname), a surname (including a list of people with the name) * General Berg (disambiguation) * Berg Ng (born 1960), Hong Kong actor * Berg (footballer, born 1963), Ninimbergue dos Santos Guerra, Brazilian footba ...

, Goldach, Mörschwil, Rheineck, Rorschacherberg, St. Margrethen, Steinach, Thal and Tübach.

Notable people

* Diethelm Blarer von Wartensee (1503 at Wartensee Castle near Rorschach – 1564 in Rorschach), Abbot of the

Abbey of Saint Gall The Abbey of Saint Gall () 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 where Saint Gall had er ...

, 1530 to 1564. * Joseph Caspar (1799 in Rorschach – 1880), a Swiss painter and engraver * August von Bayer (1803–1875), a German painter of architectural subjects * John Joseph Frederick Otto Zardetti (1847–1902), a Roman Catholic priest and Bishop * Eugen Zardetti (1849–1926), a Swiss portrait and marine painter and early automobile owner. * Emil Jannings (1884–1950), a German actor,

Academy Award for Best Actor The Academy Award for Best Actor is an award presented annually by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS). It has been awarded since the 1st Academy Awards to an actor who has delivered an outstanding performance in a leading ...

, 1929 IMDb Database
retrieved 28 February 2019 * Elsa Cavelti (1907–2001), a Swiss operatic contralto and mezzo-soprano * Neel Jani (born 1983), a Swiss professional racing driver of Indian Gujarati origin * Urs App (born 1949 in Rorschach), an historian of ideas, religions and philosophies *

Daniel Pavlović Daniel Pavlović (; born 22 April 1988) is a Bosnian professional footballer who plays as a left back for Swiss club Chiasso. He is currently the head goalkeeping coach of Grasshopper Club Zürich's academy. Club career Pavlović started playin ...

(born 1988), a Bosnian professional footballer

Gallery

File:ETH-BIB-Rorschach-Inlandflüge-LBS MH03-1880.tif, Aerial view by Walter Mittelholzer (between 1918 and 1937) Image:Schweiz_Rorschach_004.jpg, The ''Kornhaus'' (1749) File:Picswiss SG-35-11.jpg, Mariaberg Abbey File:Kloster Mariaberg.jpg, Plan of Mariaberg Abbey in 1689 Image:Schweiz_Rorschach_006.jpg, Quay Image:Schweiz_Rorschach_003.jpg, Lakeside Image:Schweiz_Rorschach_001.jpg, Town hall Image:Schweiz_Rorschach_002.jpg, Railway line

References

External links

*
Official website

Tourism information
{{Authority control Cities in Switzerland Populated places on Lake Constance Cultural property of national significance in the canton of St. Gallen